⋆ six ⋆
"Video calling? That's new."
"You messaged me good morning so I assumed you were back from the gym," Peter tells Xara on call, spinning around in his wheelie chair. Well, Happy's wheelie chair, but he's out working so he can't complain.
"I didn't go this morning, actually. We have school, so I wanted to make sure everything was thoroughly prepared. I've printed out the extra-curricular posters to pin around and I've written up this morning's article for Midtown News. I did go for a walk this morning, though, and got some really nice photos of the sunrise. I'll send them to you."
"Woah. I didn't realise Xara Connolly was going to end up becoming a morning person when I started dating her."
"Are you complaining?"
"Not at all." Peter grins, only to call out when Xara faces the phone down on her bed. "Hey, where did you disappear to?"
"I'm getting changed."
"So?" At the sound of her scoff, Peter just laughs. "You know, you don't have to come pick me up either. I live closer than I did before, but it's still not close, and you pass school on the way to get here anyway. I can just take the train."
"Word of advice, Spideyboy: don't refuse a lift in the best truck in the world."
The journey to school is full of jamming out to Xara's playlist, to which Peter ends up giving her a dumbfounded look when it doesn't end up being English. "What is this?"
"BTS."
"Again?"
"Hey, this is what everyone's listening to these days. I'm trying to blend in with the other teenagers and ignore the fact I was born 22 years ago. It feels disgusting."
At the reasoning, Peter pauses, then nods. "Yeah. Okay. Fair enough."
"It's so weird, though. Danielle just turned 21 and Ky is about to turn 26, and anytime they say 'we met at school but we're five years apart' everyone immediately goes 'ah' and gives them sad looks. My brother used to be three years older than me, and now he's a whole generation away. The Blip ruined everything. Like, what about the years we missed? 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022– I was so looking forward to writing 2020 in my schoolbooks, it sounded like such a cool number to say– Anyways, it sucks."
"I get you," Peter agrees, although he can't help his smile at her rambling. It's one of his favourite things, to watch her get lost in saying something, falling down all these different rabbit holes in her mind.
It's when they turn into the school parking lot that Peter's eyes go wide and he ducks below the dashboard, Xara realising immediately what's going on at the hoardes of reporters right outside. "What? Even at school? What's Principal Morita doing to fix this?"
"He's probably enjoying the publicity," Peter grumbles, sitting up again once they've passed the crowds. "Hey, parking space there."
"Got it."
"Not that one, it's too tight."
"I've got it, Peter." Xara gives a laugh, managing to turn into the tight space, parking with her back wheel just in the lines. "See?"
"Woah." Peter looks amazed, sticking his head out of the window to check the parking job. "Have you been practicing? I wish I could drive, but May still has me in parking lots."
"Because you still struggle with reversing in a straight line."
"Okay... But is it really that important?" At the look on Xara's face, he concedes, leaning back in his seat with a grumble. "Fine."
"I'm sure you'll get there eventually. I'll practice with you." Xara reaches a hand out to open the door, only for Peter to grab it before she makes contact. She turns to him, eyebrows furrowed. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just..." His mind goes back to the crowds at the front, the only way into school, and he hesitates. "I just wanted to say that if you leave... it's okay. I won't be hurt." Lie. "I know this is a lot for you, and I know you don't like crowds, so I'm giving you a way out."
A way out? For breaking up or for going ahead of him? Peter isn't really sure what he means. He doesn't want to break up, but isn't that what's better for Xara? Summer was one thing, but now they have school again. It'll be difficult to get through each day without struggle and comments, and he doesn't want to drag her into that, too.
Too lost in his thoughts, Peter turns to Xara in surprise when she presses a kiss to his lips, fingers trailing over his cheek. The doubt shines in his eyes. "Listen, Spideyboy," she says gently. "I might not be as big of a hotshot as you, but if it happened to me, you'd be there with me every step of the way. I'm offended – no, outraged – that you'd think any less of me. You should be ashamed of yourself."
Peter's shoulders sag in relief, and his chest aches at the thought of the girl in front of him. How did he go without her in his life for so long? "I love you."
"I love me too. Now, let's go."
Almost immediately once they're out of the truck, they get swarmed by reporters, but they keep trying to push through. Their hands get separated, more people around Peter than Xara, but when Peter glances around worriedly for her he can't catch sight of her amongst all the people. "Xar? Xar!"
Fingers hook in his belt loops, and Peter finds reassurance in seeing her face amongst the others, her quiet voice replying, "I'm here. Go."
Peter reaches behind him, securing her grip in his own, and they manage to pull through till the crowd control barricades, police monitoring to make sure no one except students get past. Finally Xara stands beside Peter, although her breaths are a little heavy, worrying him.
"XARA! XARA, WE LOVE YOU! XARA, ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE HIS SPIDER-BABIES?!"
"MYSTERIO FOREVER! MURDERER!"
"PETER! DO A TIKTOK WITH ME!"
"XARA, YOU KNOW HE'S A MURDERER, RIGHT?"
"DO A FLIP!"
"HEY! LET'S SEE YOU AND XARA KISS!"
"HEY! THE CAR IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE!"
"THERE'S A WOMAN STILL IN THERE!"
"Mom? Where's Mom?"
The explosion sounds in Xara's head, mixed in with Brielle Connolly's scream, and Xara's hands begin to shake. The shouts and screams from the crowd mix in with the memory, contorting into something horrifying playing out behind Xara's open eyes. No, not now, not now...
"Xara. Xara?" Peter's grip on her hand tightens, but he can see her forcing the nod, showing what she can't audibly say right now. But she's not okay, and he knows she's not, speeding up their pace a little bit.
At the steps of the school, police scan Peter before pushing him towards the building, his grip on Xara's hand slipping. "No, I gotta wait..." But they keep pushing him till he says in a louder, firmer voice, "No, she's not okay! I gotta stay with her."
He keeps resisting till they've finished scanning Xara, then is quick to pull her up the steps, heading to the right once entering the building and going all the way down a side corridor devoid of lockers. There are bathrooms at the end, but no one ever goes to these ones since a rumour started a couple of years ago that their opposing school put weed in the vents.
It's at the end of the hallway that Xara finally stops walking, her legs failing her as she collapses onto the ground. Peter falls with her, crouching worriedly with his hands on her shoulders. Her hands raise to cover her ears tightly, fingernails digging into her scalp. "Xar. Xara. Breathe. It's okay, you're okay, you're safe. It's over, okay?"
The first time Peter Parker saw Xara act like this was back in the school corridors last year when she got into that argument with Alexandros about her mom. He hadn't known much about Xara then, only learning about the trauma she'd endured as a kid later when they were dating. He'd learned all about the car crash, how they pulled her out of the destroyed car before it exploded. How they didn't manage to pull out her mom.
Fire and crowds. The fire makes her flinch, the loud noises throwing her back into the memories. It isn't the first time he's seen it, and it won't be the last. After all, it's difficult for our bodies to forget the trauma we've endured. Even Peter gets it sometimes. But he never knows how to help her. He's Spider-Man... so why can't he help?
It's now that he throws his arms around her tightly, feeling her quivering form pressed against his. She wraps her arms around him instead, Peter wincing a little as her nails dig into his shoulders, but he doesn't say anything.
He should have let her go first. He should have let her go ahead of him, and run inside. He should have swung her through one of the windows on the side of the building. He should have done anything to avoid this.
Peter speeds up his breathing a little like hers, before starting to slow it down bit by bit, at a manageable enough pace that Xara ends up matching it without realising. She slowly starts to calm down, eyes burning, before she sniffles and wipes at her face. "I'm sorry," she whispers brokenly, still not letting go of Peter. "I'm sorry, I'm–"
"Xara, it's not your fault. It's okay, it's not your fault."
"I was trying not to... I can't..."
"Deep breaths, Xar."
Her arms wrap around his neck tighter, burying her face in them, and she just lets herself close her eyes. They stay like that for a couple of minutes, completely silent, before Xara's drained voice whispers, "I'm tired."
"Do you want to go home?"
"No. No, it's okay. I..."
She trails off when a voice reaches her, and she slowly pulls away from Peter before turning her attention to the small monitor near them, the same ones scattered around the school and mirroring Betty Brant's face outside.
"We're covering the first day of senior year for Midtown High's most famous student, Peter Parker! Go get 'em, Tiger! Or should I say... Spider? Keep watching Midtown News all year as we bring you up-close and personal coverage of Peter fighting his biggest battle yet: college admissions!"
"Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. I did not say that was okay."
With help, she manages to pull herself up onto wobbly feet, Peter already protesting, "No, Xar, it's okay–"
"It is not okay. I'm in charge of the articles, and I didn't give permission for that. Go ahead to class, I'll meet you there."
Peter sighs as Xara heads off, trying to act like nothing just happened. Instead he just stands up, trudging up the stairs to face his own issues in the faces of Mr Dell, Mr Harrington and Coach Wilson.
Xara storms into the recording room a few minutes later, Jason and Betty packing up their papers and chatting, only to stop when they see her. She doesn't bother greeting them after a long summer, launching right into, "This isn't okay."
"It's what the news is," Betty replies.
"He's a kid. This should be some form of... of terrorism or something. This is a school, not the Daily Bugle."
"You're a reporter, Xara. Wouldn't you do the same thing if you weren't personally dating him?"
Xara falters. "I–"
"And you knew this whole time, too," Jason adds, averting his eyes. "That Peter was Spider-Man. Didn't you?"
Xara is lost for words. She glances between the two, people she'd considered sort-of friends before, before shaking her head. "Is this really relevant right now? We're not doing this to Peter. We'll find something else to report on."
But even Xara knows this isn't an impactful, long-lasting situation, and when the news turns back to Peter all over again, there'll be nothing she can do.
⋆🕷️⋆
Peter's emptying his textbooks into his locker at the end of the day when Xara pops up behind it, making Peter jump about a mile high when he closes the door. It's at her huge grin that he stops smiling, instantly realising that: "What are you up to?"
"Do you wanna go on a date?"
It's not been the best day. All the cameras, phones in his direction, the picking on and the staring. He's exhausted and done with people by the end of it... but one look at Xara and he knows that a date is exactly what he needs right now.
"What do you have in mind?"
It's how they find themselves in a diner a little later, Peter with a banana split and Xara gulping down a waffle like it's air. The rain patters loudly outside, but that's a later problem for them. "Do you remember?" she asks between mouthfuls of food. "This is where I was supposed to go on that date with Jason and you came instead."
"Don't remind me," Peter groans, covering his face in embarrassment. "I really ran to check on you, ran all the way home to get changed and bring money, then come back. I could have just told you to come with me the first time I stopped by and we could have gone somewhere closer to home."
"Hey, no way. I like how that day panned out in the end. It was the perfect balance between romance and cheesy and cute and embarrassing. I wore makeup that day, and I was so worried I looked like the Joker while we were eating."
"You did not look like the Joker. You looked really pretty. You always look pretty."
Xara's heart flips. And not a flips like a pancake – more flips like a dolphin. But then the pair both end up bursting out laughing, Peter's face flushing pink as Xara tries (and fails) to hide behind her fork. "Cheesy," Peter's saying. "That was so undeniably cheesy."
"It was cute."
"I know it was. I'm cute. But it was also cheesy."
"Okay. Yeah. A little bit." She takes another fork of her waffle, swallows, then mentions, "But you're pretty, too. Even back when you used to wear glasses."
Peter watches Xara in surprise. "That... That was more than two years ago. You remember that?"
"I had a crush on you for ages, remember? Like, stalker levels of crush."
"Ah, yes. I forgot how creepy you used to be." It's at Xara's mock-glare that he starts laughing, even when she sticks her caramel syrup-covered fork in his ice cream. "Hey!"
"You are an embarrassment of a boyfriend." Xara rolls her eyes, pulling apart her waffle before adding, "You know, why is it peak dating culture when a couple orders a dessert with two spoons? I want a whole dessert to myself. I don't want to share– Hey!"
Peter steals the fork in her hand, taking the bite of waffle on the end, and the two end up getting into a cutlery fight before the waitress comes over and asks them to stop making noise. In embarrassment, they whisper apologies, then wait for her to walk off before giving each other looks and laughing quietly.
And finally, Peter asks the dreaded question. "Are you okay?"
This morning still weighs heavy on his mind. It's not been that bad in a while, and even Peter still feels a bit shaken by it all.
Xara, however, takes a huge spoon of her ice cream, unfazed. "Of course! I'm always okay."
"No, you're not."
"No, I'm not," she concedes, "but I really am okay now. It was just overwhelming at the time." She bites back her sorry, knowing exactly how Peter will react.
"Next time we're swinging through a window."
"Deal." At the thought of it, Xara chuckles to herself. "That'll give Flash something to fangirl about."
"It is so weird how he's treating me now," Peter agrees, putting his spoon down in a moment to rant about it. His hand waves about as he speaks. "I mean, biggest fan? I knew that before, but he teased me all the time. Now he even took the time to write a book. A book!"
"You're his role model. You should be honoured. Looks like the squeaky grocery cart is finally fixing its broken wheel." At the mention of the old nickname Xara gave Flash, Peter smiles to himself.
It's after they've both finished eating that they head to the door, only for Peter to jump back in surprise at the sight of the street. The rain seems to be flooding everything, the sidewalk covered in puddles prepared to destroy any pair of shoes.
Peter glances down at his new white trainers hesitantly, only for Xara to crouch in front of him. "Hop on."
He doesn't even hesitate, piggybacks being a usual thing for them by this point, although it's usually him giving them to her with his super strength. Although he's not complaining – it's nice having a strong girlfriend. He knows she can manage herself.
"God, you're heavy."
"It's muscle."
Xara immediately starts laughing as Peter grins triumphantly, spreading his jacket over him and her head before they rush out into the rain. Xara's boots get soaked immediately, but she doesn't mind in the slightest.
Their clothes are in the wash as they hang out in Peter's pyjamas on the couch, a movie playing on his laptop as they cuddle up against each other. The blanket is strewn haphazardly over them, the air freezing after all the rain, but a bit more manageable with how close they are to each other. Xara's thumb lightly strokes over the back of Peter's hand, his arm around her shoulder to pull her closer, and it feels perfect. Comfortable.
"You know in a car chase," Peter starts, watching the characters go through the motions, "the bad guy starts gaining on them and one person shouts 'faster!' and they start going faster to escape? Why don't they just use the max speed from the get go? It would save them the near misses."
"Yeah, but without the near misses, we wouldn't have an interesting movie," Xara replies, pausing the show.
Peter just huffs a little bit. "The near misses suck. There's too much depression in movies. I wish life was just happy."
"But then there wouldn't be a happy ending. It would just be boring. The depression in the movie gets made up for with the nice ending."
"I guess..."
Xara watches Peter's face for a minute, not particularly enjoying the movie, before she says, "Let's watch Harry Potter instead."
"Yes."
Since she introduced him to the movies a year ago, he became addicted, and it's become a usual for them to argue about which movie is the best. Xara insists it's Prisoner of Azkaban, but Peter continuously mentions the Goblet of Fire, which Xara could never ever grow to like after what they did to poor Cedric.
In the end, they watch Goblet of Fire anyway (for all her complaints, Xara admits it was a really good movie), and Happy ends up heading in when Neville gives Harry gillyweed. "Hey, I brought–"
Xara immediately shushes him, pointing at Peter fast asleep with his head on her lap, bowl of popcorn spilled on the blanket. Xara's voice is a low hiss. "This is the most sleep he's gotten in weeks so keep quiet or so help me I will kill you if he wakes up."
Taken aback by the sudden ferociousness in quiet Xara's voice, Happy just turns around and heads to the kitchen, muttering, "Geez, okay."
Xara pauses the movie, closing the laptop and putting it to the side before gently managing to lift Peter's head and slide out. Carefully, she shifts him a little to put a pillow under his head, fixing the blanket, before hesitating at the cold air.
A minute later she comes back with a pair of socks, sliding them on before tucking Peter's feet back under the blanket. With that, she presses a kiss to Peter's forehead before sneaking out.