I took in a deep breath before my next words. No matter how many times I had gone through the conversation in my head, it was extremely difficult to say it out loud.
"I'm leaving."
"Wh...what do you mean leaving?"
"I have to go back to the institute, Peter."
He pulled his mask off to reveal a look of hurt and confusion on his soft features.
"I don't know what's going on with my powers, they're controlling me."
"When are you going?"
"Tomorrow."
He huffed and stood up to pace around the roof.
I stood up and followed him. "I didn't plan this, I-" I stopped talking at the sound of multiple police sirens and speeding cars below. There was a screeching crash followed by a blazing fire starting from the vehicle.
"Um..." I looked at Peter who kept his head down, tightly gripping the mask in his hand. "Is that something to be concerned about?"
I hated this. I couldn't read him. I'd rather he yelled at me and told me exactly what he felt than being silent like he was.
After a second of uncomfortable silence, he slipped his mask on and stood at the edge of the building. Right before he was ready to take off, he turned to look at me.
"You're leaving." He voice sounded so delicate like it could crack any second. It broke my heart.
I nodded, trying to blink away the tears in my eyes.
With that, he swung out into the distance, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
He was gone for a good while, causing me to pace around and run my fingers through my hair, trying my best not to cry.
It didn't work. Tears were streaming down my cheeks at the thought of leaving him, all of this behind. But as I heard the swinging of webs nearby, I quickly pulled down the sleeve of his sweater to wipe away the tears.
I hated this because I was hurting him. I had to go, it was my problem, and he was feeling the consequences of that. Part of me wished I hadn't come back from the institute. He wouldn't be dragged into this mess and this wouldn't be so damn hard.
He landed on the roof breathing heavily.
"You're really leaving?"
"Peter..." I started, not quite knowing what to say next.
"Hey, maybe I could come with you! I mean, I'm not a mutant but I could fit right in and--"
I shook my head. "Your city needs you here. May needs you here."
"But I need you." His voice trembled as he pulled off his mask, revealing his watery eyes.
My breath hitched in my throat as I held my head in my hands, "Oh god," I whispered, "I promised myself I wasn't going to cry." Tears streaming down my cheeks.
"I thought I'd never had to be away from you again."
"I wouldn't be going if I didn't have to, trust me."
Another few sirens caught my attention, spotting the flashing lights in the streets below, but Peter's eyes didn't move from me.
"You wanna deal with that first?" I sniffled.
"This one can wait."
"You-you're not angry, are you?"
He half smiled, "I could never be angry with you." He sighed, "I know you have to go, I just wish it didn't have to be like this."
"Me too." I moved forward, wiping a tear from his cheek.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me into a tight hug.
"We're both so young, Pete." I murmured into his shoulder. "We have our whole lives to live yet."
He stayed silent, his face buried in the crook of my neck.
"I know." I could almost hear him pouting.
After a short while, we pulled apart and lay side by side on the roof top. It wasn't until then I realised how much time we had spent up here. We spoke about the hard stuff first, how we knew we had to take a break from each other because the whole distance thing just wasn't a good idea. I'm glad he'd brought it up, it made me realise how mature we were both being, even if this was just 'young love'.
We talked about the future, what we would do after we graduated. Neither he nor I mentioned 'us' in our futures. I don't think it's out of the question, but I'm just glad we decided to stay friends. Friends as in we'd try to check up on each other about our lives. I don't know how I'd handle it if he got a new girlfriend. I mean, someday, eventually, we'll both meet new people. It was a horrible truth, I guess.
We laughed about how when we next see each other, Pete could be an Avenger and I could be an X-Man and that would make us supernatural enemies. He told me that despite living across the hall from my old apartment for a few years without me, he would find it insanely hard to do so now. We both agreed that we'd give each other a little time to deal with being apart.
"I think a month is good. After that, we can call each other... as friends." I fiddled with his fingers that lay on my stomach.
"A month!?" He groaned, "No, let's make it like a week."
"Three weeks."
"A week and a half."
"Two weeks." I held up a finger, "Don't even try to bargain with that one." A smile made its way onto both our features.
When we realised how late it had gotten, we made our way off the roof and down to Peter's window. As I came into the light of his room, I noticed how red my eyes looked in the mirros, not to mention the smudged mascara making me look like a panda.
He pulled off his suit and slipped on some grey joggers and a hoodie.
"Just stay over." He tilted his head, giving a look that took everything for me not to give in.
I shook my head with a saddened smile, "I'm leaving early."
"Right." He rubbed his eyes and sniffed.
"I hate goodbyes." I looked down, knowing that if I saw him crying again, I wouldn't be able to stop.
"This isn't goodbye forever." He frowned like he'd suddenly remembered that I was actually leaving for a long time. That broke my heart. I wanted him to keep smiling even when I wasn't here.
"I know, I just...who knows where we'll be." My vision slightly blurred as I felt my eyes water.
He looked up and blinked to prevent tears before looking back down at me, "I'll always be right here."
I sighed and pulled my shoulders into a shrug, "Well...I guess this is it." It was the hardest thing ever, trying not to burst into tears again.
He stepped forward, our bodies inches away from contact.
"I love you." He said.
"I know."
"Oh my god Violet!" His laughter filled the room as he squeezed the sides of my arms. "You pick now to use a Star Was reference?"
I laughed, despite my teary eyes, as he playfully shook me in frustration. "You totally killed the moment."
"You do that to me all the time!" I said defensively before he crashed his lips against mine. Our lips moved passionately against each other as if we were trying to savour each other one last time.
As we pulled apart, faint smiles still remained on our lips. This was perfect. I didn't want to remember our last moments together to be full of tears and frowns. Right now, I only wanted to remember this smile. So I reached for the door handle before I could change my mind, as he led me to the front door.
I sighed and turned to him; the boy I'd fallen in love with. I quickly memorised the curl hanging slightly on his forehead, the cheeky sparkle in his eyes, the way his one eyebrow slightly lifted and made him look quirkily adorable.
"Bye, Peter." I said, almost like I was going to see him at school the next day.
"Later, Vi." A soft smile graced his features as I went to unlock my own apartment door. I didn't look back as I felt a huge lump in my throat, so I softly shut the door, hearing his close almost immediately after.
And that was that.