"Peter, let's go!" I yelled across the apartment, leaning on my two suitcases. It had been two weeks since our trip to the apartment, which was almost mine. I had been doing paperwork for the apartment, and thanks to my father, who graciously 'asked to buy it', I was awaiting a call telling me I could move in. To celebrate, I had booked a trip to Florida for a week... for two.
"I'm almost done packing!" Peter yelled back for the third time. May stood next to me and huffed impatiently. I had told her my father (Richard Star, I think I named him?) was inviting me to his condo, and that he wanted to meet the boy who saved my life. May couldn't say no, but she offered to drive with us to the airport. Of course, I had to be on guard. The place would be swarming with police, and if I was discovered... well, I'd be going to the Raft.
"Peter, if you aren't ready in two minutes I will personally drag you all the way to Florida!" May shouted, tucking her hair behind her ear. She turned to me and smiled grimly. "Bella, I'm sorry about my nephew," she apologized for him.
"It's fine," I said, rubbing the side of my face. I raised my voice slightly so he could hear us. "I guess Peter just doesn't want to see the Stark convention there!" I raised a finger to my lips to stop May from asking the question. Lifting my metal hand, I slowly counted down my five fingers. As the last one came down, Peter came running into the living room, clothes sticking out of his suitcase. A bit of his Spider-Man mask stuck out, which he hastily stuffed back in. He was breathing heavily.
"Well," he panted. "I'm ready." He noticed May and I's devious looks and slapped his arms down. "There is no Stark convention, is there?" May chuckled and shook her head. "Dam- I mean darn it."
"Nice save," May commented. She opened the door and motioned for us to go out. "C'mon, c'mon. The cab arrives in a few minutes!" Peter and I scurried out the door, the suitcase wheels screeching as we speed walked down the hallway and into the elevator. "Now," May instructed Peter as the elevator went down. "You stay with Bella and don't wander off when you're in Florida. You are not allowed to go into any clubs or buy booze or whatever." Peter gave a worried laugh. "I'm serious, Peter! If I find out that you did crack or get drunk I will make sure you never go on a trip ever again!"
"I'll take care of him, May," I assured her, and she pointed a finger at me almost accusingly.
"And her too!" she added. "You as so much hurt her-"
"May!" Peter interrupted as the elevator doors opened. We pulled our suitcases through the small lobby and outside, where it was starting to rain. I lifted one of my lighter bags to shield myself from the droplets as we waited for May's car to come. Peter followed suit, but he used on of his bigger ones to cover him and May. "I would never do anything to Bella, I promise," Peter smiled.
A yellow taxi pulled up and honked loudly at us to get inside. I rolled my eyes at the driver. It wasn't even a minute he waited before his impatient ass acted out. May slid into the passenger seat while Peter and I crammed into the back, our luggage stowed between our legs.
"Why are you bringing the suit?" I hissed at him quietly so both the driver and May couldn't hear. "Can't you hang Spider-Man up for a week?"
"You know I can't do that," he whispered back. "What if something happens?"
"We do have police," I pointed out. "Working kind defeats the purpose of a vacation." Peter drummed his fingers against his knees as he stared out the window. I slid my phone out of my pocket and checked my email for anything on the apartment. Nothing new. I sighed and slid out a pair of earbuds, sticking them in my ears.
I will leave my heart at the door
I won't say a word
They've all been said before you know
So why don't we just play pretend
Like we're not scared of what's coming next
Or scared of having nothing left
Look, don't get me wrong
I know there is no tomorrow
"All I ask is if," I sang quietly to myself. "If this is my last night with you? Hold me like I'm more than just a friend... give me a memory I can use." I looked out the window at the rain, which was now starting to pour. I held back a small laugh as I realized this felt like a sad music video. "Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do. It matters how this ends... 'cause what if I never love again?"
"Peter never told me you could sing!" May praised, scaring me out of my skin. I jumped and pulled a earbud out to see both Peter and May staring at me. I could still hear the music I was singing along to playing faintly.
"I never knew," Peter muttered, looking a little awestruck. I felt my cheeks burn. It was almost like my first night with the Avengers all over again. I squirmed into the small corner between the car door and the seat.
"It's a hobby of mine," I explained. "Something I picked up during my internship with Tony Stark."
"You never told me how you got the internship," May noted. "Stark came to the apartment to tell us the good news."
"Did he?" I said, giving Peter a knowing look.
"And Peter never told me he was receiving emails from him! Next thing I knew, he was flying off to Germany!"
"I met Peter there, actually," I added, looking at Peter. Our eyes seemed connected, and I felt a small smile creeping up on me. "He actually helped me on a project while we were there. And of course, I returned the favor when he had a small water leak in his dorm." Peter gave a short chuckle.
I don't need your honesty
It's already in your eyes
And I'm sure my eyes, they speak for me
No one knows me like you do
And since you're the only one that matters
Tell me who do I run to?
"It was a really interesting trip," Peter agreed. "Got to meet some Avengers too." I heard May slap her arms down on the seat, and we both turned to look at her. Her movement startled me.
"He never told me that!" May pouted. "Of course Bella gets it out of you." The two of us gave each other a curious look before returning our gazes to May, our left eyebrows raised high.
"Gets... what?" Peter asked slowly. May scoffed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"You two are so adorable sometimes," she said. "And sometimes really stupid."
"Even I know what's going on, and I can't see anything back there," the driver commented. I took a sharp intake of breath. I forgot he could hear us. "So lovebirds, where you two heading?" It was like Delmar all over again. How did I know that he was not driving us to the airport right now?
"No," Peter sputtered.
"We're not-" I interrupted.
"Definitely not-"
"No way are we-"
"Together," the two of us finished simultaneously. The driver shrugged, and we continued the rest of the trip in silence. I stuck in my dangling earbud and stared out the window.
Let this be our lesson in love
Let this be the way we remember us
I don't wanna be cruel or vicious
And I ain't asking for forgiveness
We weren't together. I don't think we would ever be together. We were just friends, right? Yet everyone who saw us thought we were a thing... for some reason.
All I ask is
If this is my last night with you
Hold me like I'm more than just a friend
Give me a memory I can use
I took a glance at Peter before returning to my rainy window view, cars flashing by. I had been feeling some weird emotions lately, and they all seemed to happen around Peter.
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do
Could I possibly have a crush on Peter Parker? I gave my head a little shake. It wasn't possible. It wasn't. And then I remembered our day out to see the apartment, when I took his hand... and for some reason didn't want to let go.
It matters how this ends
'Cause what if I never love again?
**********************************************************************************
Peter's PoV
As our drive continued, I couldn't get my mind off of what Aunt May said. I had a crush on her before, but something felt different. It had grown stronger as I knew her longer. Her smile, the way she sometimes looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes, how she would put her head on my shoulder whenever we watched movies together.
You idiot, I heard a part of my brain tell me. Why would she ever want a loser like you? Even with the suit, you could never be with her.
She likes me for who I am, the other side argued. She's an amazing friend. Isabel Stark could like me for being Peter Parker.
Maybe, but only as a friend. But she will never love you. I looked at Isabel as she stared out the window, her metal hand under her chin as she listened to her music. She was so... beautiful. At least one side of my brain was right though. Isabel Stark could never like a guy like me.
**********************************************************************************
Isabel's PoV
"You two have fun in Florida!" May grinned as she hugged the two of us. The taxi driver tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, obviously annoyed at her signs of affection toward us. I gave out a quick gasp as she gave me another squeeze.
"May," I said in a hoarse voice. "Can't. Breathe." May released me and moved on to Peter, a little teary-eyed. She gripped him tightly, and even he let out a small breath from her strength.
"Don't do anything stupid, okay?" she told him, rubbing his back. Peter's arms slowly moved over her back, and he set his head on her shoulder. I bit my bottom lip as I watched the scene. One man tried to grab the smaller of my bags, but I simply stuck out my foot to trip them and get it back.
"Just go and I'll pretend not to have seen you," I whispered at him. The man scurried away, and I got to see Peter opening the taxi's door as May got into the car.
"I'll be okay, May," he said softly as he closed the door. May began rolling the window up.
"I know you will," May smiled sadly. "I'm just not ready to see my nephew grow so fast." The window closed, and the taxi sped off, the wheels screeching against the pavement. Peter's head slowly moved with the car as it faded out of view. I set a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to face me.
"You ready?" I said to him. "Because I already had to stop a guy from stealing our stuff, and the plane leaves in an hour."
"Why are we here so early then?" Peter asked, and he grabbed his suitcase. "That's a long time to wait!"
"I'm guessing from that comment you haven't flown before," I mused as we walked into the airport. "They love taking their time to check our bags."
"Check?" Peter repeated suddenly, stopping in his tracks. "What if they see the suit? I... I can't have that taken away." I sighed and grabbed his luggage. I started walking towards the front desks, and Peter had no choice but to follow.
"Let's go, Spider-Boy," I said, rolling my eyes. "You'll be fine. I personally opted out of driving because I spent a sixteen hour drive crammed in the backseat of a punch buggy with two super soldiers and a Sam Wilson. And Wilson is one too many to be in a car with." I pulled our tickets out of my pocket and showed it to the woman at a desk, who scanned them and allowed us to pass through. Thanks to SHIELD's technology, I was written down as a woman in her early twenties. Then came the long line of baggage check. "You have no idea how hard it is to sit with a tight uniform on and have to stop every thirty minutes because a fight would break out between two grown men."
"I spent a week being babysat by Happy Hogan," Peter offered. I winced as I slammed my suitcases on the track to be checked. Happy was many things, but he was not... well... happy. I was pretty sure Dad had chosen it as a practical joke. If he was anything like the way he acted around me (annoyed and a little impatient), Peter probably had a blast. As I started walking through the metal detector, a blaring alarm went off. I threw my head back and groaned.
"Crap," I muttered as an officer pulled me to the side. Not what I wanted to happen. Peter gave me a stricken look, and I gave him a smile to know it was okay. I thought my heart was going to explode.
"Miss," the officer said, pulling a small metal detector out of his back pocket. I raised a hand to stop him and lifted my shirt off my shoulder so he could see the arm.
"It's a prosthetic," I sighed as he examined the metal. I made sure to move my shoulder in a way so that the infamous red star was hidden. It was becoming a bit of a hassle. "Paralyzed arm." The officer took a minute or two before he finally allowed me to pass. Peter let out a shaky breath as we moved back to the line and grabbed our suitcases. "And that's why we arrive early."
"How do you do this?" Peter asked me as we walked away and finally into the airport boarding area. "You can go from this amazing, fun person to a serious, calm, fearless woman. It's scary sometimes."
"You can never let your guard down," I explained slowly, watching the police officer who had checked my out of the corner of my eye. He was giving my arm a weird look. As much as the metal arm attracted attention, I needed it. I know understood why Bucky had always worn long-sleeved clothes. "And I wasn't fearless. I was afraid." Peter and I found a few empty seats to sit in, and he looked at me in curiosity.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice soft. I scratched the back of my neck shakily.
"There's a place called the Raft," I told him. "After the battle in Germany, my sister and friends got locked up there. My sister was being tortured, electrocuted. Everyone there looked like they had been through hell and back. I nearly got stuck there too. In the brief time I was there, I got taxed enough to bring a dead person to life." I lifted the front right on my tank top for him to see the few scars they had left. It looked like a dotted area of dark circles. "This is just the worst area. I was lucky the other ones faded."
"I saw those before when I was treating your back," Peter murmured, his hands fiddling with one another. "I didn't know..."
"You don't need to feel sad for me, Peter," I said as I gave him a small smile. "I like them, actually. They kinda make me feel tougher inside. It makes me look a lot tougher than I am."
"You don't need to worry about looking tough," Peter blurted. I cocked my head, and my eyes caught on his. "You-you're perfect the way you are." His words were so sweet. I felt mesmerized a bit as his adorable eyes stared into mine. Adorable... I then knew the truth.
I had a crush on Peter Parker.
Peter cleared his throat, and his cheeks reddened. "Hey, Isabel, I've been meaning to tell-"
"All passengers on Flight D-23 may now board." I turned away from Peter to see our boarding group lining up. Peter and I grabbed our suitcase handles and started walking towards the growing line.
"Sorry, she interrupted. What were you trying to say?" I asked him once we reached a stopping point. I handed a flight attendant our tickets and turned to him. Peter stuck a hand in his sweater pockets and smiled at me. His eyes seemed a little watery. "Peter?"
"Just... just wanted to say thank you for getting us these tickets."
On my Quotev, I add chapter questions so I can interact with my readers, so I think it's time I start doing them on here too! If you received elemental powers (air, water, fire, earth), what would they be and why? Comment, vote, and until next chapter!