DIANA, IN A FIT OF SELF-CONTROL AND PRECOGNITION, DECIDED NOT TO EAT ALL OF GWEN'S TREATS IN ONE SITTING. IF SHE HAD, SHE WOULD HAVE CRASHED AND MISSED PETER'S TEXT. She had gotten home with Flash after spending a good few hours downtown with her friends where Harry serenaded her on the sidewalk and Gwen spontaneously bought her a new outfit after walking into a store, ignoring Diana's objections.
"You had a good birthday?" Rosie asked as the two stumbled into the apartment, Diana still giggling at a joke Flash had made down in the lobby.
She nodded, leaving her shoes by the door. "It was awesome, I loved it."
"Nice necklace," Jesse said, a gift bag in her hand.
Diana raised her hand up to the necklace, playing with the Pluto charm. She had put it on right after she told Flash and hadn't stopped touching it since.
"Speaking of, Parker said he had another surprise for you, are you two going out for dinner or something?" Flash asked, walking into his room, leaving the door open. Despite his feelings towards Peter, he hadn't said anything remotely negative about the boy the whole day, something Diana was grateful for.
"I dunno," Diana said, eyeing the wrapped present in his hand, "He said he'd text me."
Flash raised an eyebrow. "You're texting?"
She scoffed. "I gave him my number today and what's it to you, you text Gwen. Peter texts Harry. I text Harry."
Flash rolled his eyes, dropping the box in her hands. "I know, we all text Harry, we would all date Harry, et cetera. Well, all of us except you."
She took the box and sat down at the table. "I just didn't want to kiss him as a joke. I've never been kissed before."
He sat across from her, sharing a look with Jesse. "You haven't?"
Diana didn't respond, opting to open the present Rosie handed her. She gasped when she saw the picture of Diana and her parents when she was still small, probably no more than four. Rosie explained that she had just found the picture in storage and thought it would be a good time to bring it out.
"Well, damn, mom, I might as well return the present I got her," Flash whined, one of his legs propped up on the chair's arms, his own arm draped over his knee.
Diana just laughed and reached for his box, but he pulled it away, shaking his head. "No way, sister, I'll give this to you tomorrow. I refuse to let this present be underwhelming."
Jesse rolled her eyes, but pulled her present away too. "Yeah, I hate to say it, but I agree with Flash. I mean, my present isn't all that great, but..."
Diana nodded, snickering at her surrogate siblings. She stood up and hugged Rosie before moving to hug Flash who half-heartedly tried shoving her away. Jesse took the hug gladly, laughing.
"Sweetie, you have a text message."
Diana turned and took the phone, standing behind Flash who tried to peer up at the phone which was held just out of his eye's view.
from: Peter (6:26 pm)
What's up, Doc?
The text shocked a laugh out of her and she placed a hand over her heart, giggling. She shook her head at Flash who wanted to see the text, rushing to her room. She shut the door quickly, her heart fluttering.
to: Peter (6:27 pm)
Hey, Bugs, I never got the rest
of my present
She jumped onto her bed, one hand holding onto her phone, the other playing with the Pluto charm on her necklace. She wanted to berate herself for being so eager to hear from Peter, but she had been happy all day, she wasn't about to force herself to dampen her own mood.
The alarm shocked her out of her thoughts.
from: Peter (6:28 pm)
Tell your family we're going
out tonight and we'll be back
later. I'll be there around 8 we
won't be gone long
She glanced at her clock, surprised to find that it was already almost seven. She slowly walked back out towards the dining table, sending him a quick reply.
to: Peter (6:28 pm)
Okay I'll let you know what they
say. Eating here btw. I'm guessing
it's going to be cold?
"Was it Parker?" Flash asked, setting out the plates for dinner.
She hummed and nodded, playing with the edges of her phone. "Yeah, um...he's taking me out tonight? At eight? We won't be gone long and I told him I'm eating here, so..."
Rosie turned from where she was finishing up dinner—Diana had requested they not eat out in favor of Rosie cooking her favorite dish—and smiled. "Yes, Diana, you can go out with Peter tonight. I didn't know you two were dating."
"We're not," Diana said quickly, "We're just doing this for my birthday."
Flash hummed. "It's a classy move, I have to say." That was the closest to a compliment Diana had ever heard Flash say about Peter and the boy wasn't even there to hear it.
"You can wear that cute outfit that Gwen bought you," Jesse said, pointing to the bag by the door with the utensils she had in her hand.
Flash grinned. "Ooh..."
Diana scoffed and sat down, trying to ignore the teasing she had to endure all of dinner. It didn't dampen her mood at all, however, something she was grateful for.
She never really liked her birthday. Usually, something bad always happened or she was yelled at and, almost always, she cried. This was the first time since she could remember when her day wasn't ruined by herself or someone else.
"Can we eat some of Gwen's sweets?" Flash asked as they washed the dishes, Diana being exempted since it was her birthday.
In response, she walked to her bag and pulled out one of the containers. She then proceeded to eat one of the brownies right in front of him, laughing as he cursed at her.
"That was cruel," he whined, taking a bite of one of the treats Diana had finally given him, "Cruel."
"You're getting your own next week," she replied, covering the container and placing all of them in the fridge.
Flash sighed, but said nothing, opting to just point to the clock which let Diana know that she only had fifteen minutes.
"We'll hide in our rooms so we won't embarrass you," Jesse said, pulling Flash towards the hallway.
"What? No, I wanna scare the kid, he can't just date her and think he'll be fine." He tried to pull away, but Jesse had a death grip.
"Eugene Thompson, you are not screwing this up for her," Jesse snapped, throwing her brother into his room.
Diana laughed as she grabbed her bag, running into the bathroom. She quickly got dressed, keeping a close eye on her phone. No messages yet. She scrutinized herself in the mirror for almost all the time she had. Her makeup just needed retouching which was simple enough, but she couldn't help but stare at herself, trying to figure out what could be better.
Her phone buzzed, pulling her away from her nitpicking.
from: Peter (8:03 pm)
Hey, should I knock?
She snorted and walked out of the bathroom, grabbing her keys as she opened the door. Peter stood there with a small backpack slung over his shoulders and a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
"What's up, doc?" he greeted, giving her that same boyish smile.
She grinned and took the proffered flowers. She invited him inside, going to one of the bottom drawers and pulling out a vase. She filled it with water and added a penny that she grabbed from the key bowl.
Peter stood by the dining table and she took the time to look him over, surprised to find him wearing something different than his usual graphic tees. He was wearing a nice blue button up and a good pair of jeans.
"Hi," he whispered with a soft smile.
She grinned, walking over to him. "Hi. What's in the bag?"
He looked around before leaning over to whisper. "My suit and web shooters. I'm taking you on a little tour."
She pulled him towards her room, closing the door, but not locking it. "So...you're going to be carrying me around the city." It was more of a statement than a question.
He reached into his backpack and pulled on the sweatshirt part of his suit, starting to pull out the sweatpants, then deciding against them. "Yup. Don't worry, I'm actually really strong now and I have experience swinging with only one arm."
She rolled her eyes. "You're welcome. What are those even made of?"
He pointed to the web shooters, raising his eyebrows as he put them on. "My shooters? I made them from some stuff that I took from school, I built them in robotics class, it's amazing what kind of stuff we have in there. I'm just guessing you don't want the specifics. Why?"
She shrugged. "I like to know what I'm getting into before doing anything. Don't you read the ingredients on your food or medicine?"
He shook his head. "No. That's why I have you, doc."
She laughed softly, watching as he lifted her window and stepped out onto her fire escape, pulling on his mask. "You want me to hold on to your keys and phone, I have an inside pouch."
She nodded, sending a quick text to Flash, letting him know that she was leaving. His reply was instantaneous.
from: Flash (8:09 pm)
I hear you in your room, why
is he in there, get him out, what
are you two doing, he better keep
his hands to himself, Diana!!
She walked over to their adjoining wall and knocked, shouting, "Calm down, busybody, we're going out the fire escape!"
He knocked back. "Why?"
Peter raised a hand for her to stop, stepping back inside and answering the question himself. "We thought it would be fun."
A pause. Then. "I'm watching you, Parker. Have fun."
Peter smiled. "Thanks."
"I wasn't talking to you."
Diana laughed and said goodbye to the other boy, leading Peter out onto the fire escape, handing him her phone and keys. She closed the window behind them, swaying when she realized just how high they were.
"You good?" he asked, steadying her.
She swallowed thickly, nodding. "Dandy. Uh, you sure you know what you're doing?"
He nodded, slipping a hand around her waist. "I won't let you fall. Just hold on tight, okay?"
She nodded and wrapped her arms around him, sighing heavily. His grip around her tightened, his other arm coming out, aimed at the top of the building across the way.
She yelped as the flew off the fire escape, swinging towards the other building. She hid her face in the crook of his neck, shrieking as they seemed to fall before moving in the opposite direction.
"What did you do?" she called out over the roar of the wind.
"I disconnected, then reconnected. You're okay. You wanna change your position? I might be able to use both my arms so it won't be so risky." He did the switch again and she was more prepared, swallowing her scream.
She nodded and moved so she was in front of him, as if hugging. She continued to hide her face in his neck, not quite ready to look up. His arm pulled away for a second, only for the other to take its place. He moved like that in almost a rhythm which calmed her quickly.
"You should look, doc, the city's beautiful at night."
She lifted her head, looking around. The lights on the building passed quickly as they moved, but she was able to catch sight of the various billboards and passing people who pointed up at them, some on their phones.
She hid her face quickly, hoping no one caught her on video. This was something she didn't want to explain to her family.
"Where are we heading, Bugs?" she called out, yelping as the rounded a corner, getting a little too close to a building.
"The Empire State Building."
She scoffed. "Seriously?"
"Yup! The top of it."
Her stomach dropped and not because she was holding on to a super powered teenager as they swung over Manhattan to New York City.
º º º º º
"Peter, I don't know about this!"
"We'll be okay, doc, just hold on. Wrap your legs around me if you gotta."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Diana!"
She laughed as she wrapped her legs around his waist, watching as they neared the familiar building. She had long since forgotten about hiding her face, opting to watch the buildings and billboards pass, the lights dancing in front of her eyes.
She shrieked as she was against the building, Peter holding her close to keep her from hitting the wall roughly. His arms switched places and she yelped as they flew up, his arms switching back and forth.
"The very top?" she asked, watching the city grow smaller and smaller over his shoulder.
"You know the secret floor with the really small balcony, floor 103? It's in the metal mast at the top, so...yeah."
She shook her head. "You're crazy, Bugs."
"You love it."
"Shut up."
They reached the balcony a short while later, Diana pressing herself against the concrete wall, trying to steady her breathing. She watched as Peter pulled off his sweatshirt, dangerously close to the ledge. She held her breath, her her screaming in her throat as he nearly fell. She sighed when he moved back, stuffing his sweatshirt and mask into the backpack.
"Your hair is so messy when you take your mask off," she commented, shakily rising to her feet.
He just laughed, leaning against the balcony railing. "Check out the view, doc. Look straight down."
She did and immediately regretted it. She was looking straight down at buildings and walkways, then out towards the vast expanse of silver and bright lights. It was almost enough to give her vertigo.
She moved back, breathing heavily. Peter turned to her, now concerned. "You okay, doc?"
She swallowed and nodded, a laugh bubbling up in her chest. "Yeah. Yeah, this is just...this is insane, Peter."
His brown eyes searched her face. "D-do you like it?"
She laughed hysterically. "I love it! I-I can't believe we're up here! This is amazing!"
He smiled that same soft smile. "Yeah, it really is."
She turned to face him, her words dying as she caught sight of his face. His expression was unreadable, he was just the picture of happiness. Not the hysterical happiness she was feeling, but a content one.
"Thank you, Peter," she whispered, not wanting to break the atmosphere by talking loud.
He nodded, then looked back out towards the city. "What's one thing you could have right now at this very moment. What would make you happy right now?"
"I'm already happy."
"There's always something. Come on, it could even be something small. Just something to make this perfect. I want to make this perfect."
"Is this Peter Parker or Spider-Man asking?"
"Both."
She closed the space between them, answering his question with a kiss.
He gasped softly before raising a hand to her face, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her close, away from the edge of the building.
That was probably for the best. With the way she was feeling, she might have swayed off the edge and not even noticed.
She raised a hand and ran it through his hair, sighing softly as he pulled away, grinning. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, knocked back by the intensity of his stare.
"Harry Osborn who?" she whispered, smiling.
He raised an eyebrow, but just moved in for another kiss. Diana started laughing, for no other reason than she felt like it, and Peter laughed as well, still trying to steal kisses.
"You're making this difficult," he whispered against her mouth, finally pulling away.
She grinned, stepped back, and threw her arms out, motioning to the city around them. "I'm kissing you on the top of the Empire State Building on the one birthday I've had where I haven't cried I—this is amazing."
Peter moved forward, raising a hand and placing it on the side of her face, just staring at her like he had never seen anyone else more beautiful than her in his entire life.
Diana looked away, his stare too much to handle. "Harry been giving you lessons?" she joked, trying to make light of the situation.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Nope. You're just...incredible."
She shook her head, laughing softly. "So are you."
He tilted his head. "Peter Parker or Spider-Man?"
She stole a quick kiss. "Both."
He closed the space between them, pulling her close. She grinned when he pulled away, briefly, before peppering kisses along her face just to make her laugh.
"What else do you want?" he asked, breathless.
She grinned and glanced down, trying to steady her breathing.
"This is perfect. But..."
º º º º º
Peter returned her home about an hour later.
Diana laughed and cheered as they swung across the city, keeping her head up the entire time, watching the lights dance by past her eyes.
She raised an eyebrow when he changed course and dropped them on top of a billboard. He reached into his sweatshirt and pulled out a small point-and-shoot camera.
"What's going on, Bugs?" she asked, feeling exposed. She tried to hide her face from the on-lookers down below, reminding herself that even though it was New York, people were still nosy.
"You and the lights and your smile—I just need to take a picture of you, it'd be a crime if I didn't," he said, turning on the camera.
She rolled her eyes. "One kiss and you go all soft."
"You sure it's just one?" he teased, raising the camera to his eye.
She grinned at him, shaking her head when the shutter clicked. Again and again and again. She tried to cover her face, giggling, dropping them when he whined.
"Look at the view," he said, lowering the camera, "Trust me."
She turned her head to the right, gasping. No matter where he took her, the view was breathtaking. They were high up, the lights from buildings and other billboards and cars dancing around each other. It was beautiful.
She heard the shutter click. She turned and saw Peter lowering his camera, shaking his head. "Wow, doc. Wow."
She moved to look at the picture, all the wind being knocked out of her. She couldn't imagine the person in the picture being herself, she couldn't. The lights were reflected on her face and the front of her clothes, her expression being one of pure awe and bliss. She looked more than happy, a happy that couldn't be defined by one expression.
"Wow," she breathed, holding onto Peter for balance.
He laughed and wrapped his arm around her, putting away the camera before holding out his other arm. "Let's get you home, doc."
º º º º º
"Good birthday?"
She and Peter were walking back to her apartment, hand in hand. They had landed back in the alley where she had first helped him, Peter quickly taking off his suit while she kept watch. When she realized where they were, she started teasing him, making jokes. He just rolled his eyes and kissed her.
"Great birthday."
He smiled as they rounded the corner. "I'm glad. I'm guessing I can't talk you into getting a puppy?"
She shook her head, laughing. "I'm already taking care of you and you're active enough."
He laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Thanks, doc, that means a lot."
She smiled as they neared her building, stepping into the lobby. As they stepped into the elevator, a thought came to mind. "You know what would make this birthday truly perfect?"
"What?" he asked as they rose up to her floor.
She didn't answer until they were right by her door. He pulled out her phone and keys, but hid them behind his back, waiting for her to tell him.
Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she bit her lip. "Say it."
He sighed. "Diana..."
She hopped on her toes, pouting. "Please...? It's my birthday."
He sighed again and moved forward to kiss her. As he pulled away, he whispered against her lips, "Pluto is a planet."
She cheered, jumping up and down, shrieking as he aimed a poke at her stomach. "Only for today," he warned, shaking his head.
She rolled her eyes, but nodded. "I can live with that."
He smiled and kissed her again, more careful, more soft, pulling away slowly. Her eyes fluttered open to look up at him.
"Happy birthday, Diana," he said, moving towards the elevator.
"Thank you, Peter," she whispered, now shy.
He was still looking at her as he blindly reached for the elevator button, stumbling backwards inside, staring at her until the doors closed.
She laughed softly, then turned towards her door, fumbling with her keys. Before she could stick them in the lock, the door opened by itself to reveal Flash who stared at her expectantly.
She side-stepped him, walking into the apartment. "Were you watching through the peephole?"
He hummed. "So what if I was, got anything you wanna tell me?"
Her heart pounded; maybe he had seen pictures of her with Spider-Man. She must have looked truly terrified, because he raised up his hands, trying to placate her.
"Hey, it's okay. Diana, if you don't wanna tell me about how your date went, it's alright. I was joking. What you and Parker did is your business. Just tell me. Did you have fun?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, Flash, I had a lot of fun."
He smiled and placed a quick kiss on her forehead, the way he sometimes did with Jesse. "That's the only thing that matters. Goodnight. Happy birthday."
"Thanks, Flash," she whispered, walking into her room.
She sighed and fell on to her bed, checking her phone. One text from Peter.
It was a picture of them kissing. He must have taken it quickly without her notice. Despite her eyes being closed and her face partly obscured, she could tell she was happy. On top of the world.
She fell asleep that night with the same feeling she had been feeling all night. The feeling of an indescribable happiness.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
WRITTEN: JUNE 18, 2017/PUBLISHED: JUNE 25, 2017
They kissed. I did it. Ah. How do we feel, I need feedback, kissing scenes are hard to write and I haven't written one since Dexter, I'm rusty. But I hope this was a heartwarming chapter, although it was really long.
The whole Midtown being a STEM school change in Homecoming was, I'm guessing, an easy way to explain how Peter was able to get access to the materials needed to make his shooters, so I decided to mention it.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!