Dating Peter wasn't that much of a change from being just his friend.
In the very beginning of the relationship, Peter didn't act that different at all. He still sat beside you on the couch with reasonable distance and didn't touch you unless you said it was okay.
It was awkward and messy and difficult to settle in the realization that you and Peter were dating. It wasn't easy to gather up the courage to take his hand or to feel bold enough to kiss him on the cheek every time you thought he was cute.
But somehow, in your total of one month and a half of dating him, you had managed to absolutely fall and fall hard.
He was on your mind constantly and you were on his. When you would greet him in the hallway, his lips would spread incredibly wide and he would hold out his hand, open and eager.
No one dared speak a word about their feelings. After all, you and Peter were fifteen and barely together. People would do nothing but criticise.
On a Tuesday, you were sitting in English and waiting for class to start. Your assigned seat was the seat behind Peter. He was turned around in his seat, his arm on your desk and his chin on that arm, watching as you focused intently on what you were drawing.
"Can you guess what it is?" you asked.
He raised his eyebrows and blew. "A, uh... blob with another two blobs next to it?"
You smacked him on the side of the head, knocking some of his carefully slicked back hair to the right. Peter snickered like a child and patted down the mess, eyes crinkled with laughter.
"I'm kidding," he insisted.
You held up the paper and pouted. "It's you, me, Ned, and Michelle. See? There's Ned's hat and there's us. We're holding hands."
"Oh, okay... see, it's much easier to tell when it's not upside down. I totally see now."
You frowned. "You don't see."
Peter bit his lip. "Well, babe... it's a mess."
You laughed. "Alright. But I didn't have any references, so it's justified!"
He laughed at you.
The bell rang. Peter turned around in his seat and you put the drawing inside of a notebook. Your teacher slid inside of the room and tiredly glanced at the door. She wove her hand patiently.
"Class, today you will be getting a new classmate," she said. As she spoke, a teenage boy walked in. He did not smile as he observed the class. "Mark is new to Queens, too. Now I don't know if any of you have any other classes with him, but if you do, please help him out." She drummed her finger against her lips. "Uh... Mark, you can take the seat next to Miss ___ there in the back." The teacher pointed at you.
Mark's eyes landed on yours and he, for the first time, smiled. You felt a surge of pride (had you really made him feel that calm just by giving him the smallest smile you could offer?) and didn't notice the way Peter visibly stiffened as the boy kept his eyes locked on you as he went to his new seat.
Peter's gaze followed him until he plopped his backpack down on the ground. Mark popped his gum with his teeth and smirked at you.
Having no other choice, Peter looked away and focused on his notebook in front of him and the notes the teacher was beginning to scribble on the board. He hoped you weren't becoming too uncomfortable with the unwanted presence of the new boy.
After class, you wrote down your homework assignment at the top of your notebook paper and began to gather your things.
"Um... hi," the boy said.
You looked at him. "Hello."
He pointed to the schedule laying flat on his desk. "I, uh, don't remember where they said Spanish II was. If you could help me-"
"Oh, sure!" you said. You picked up your books and held them to your chest. "I'm actually heading there now, so you can walk with me."
"Really? That's so cool of you," he gushed. "Your name is ___, right?"
You nodded. "Yeah."
"That's really pretty," he complimented.
At that, Peter turned around and stood up. "Hey. I'm Peter Parker," he said, trying to act like he wasn't fuming at the guy. "Where you from?"
Mark looked at him. "I, uh, just moved here from New Jersey, actually." He nodded. "Yeah. My parents recently separated and my mom moved here. With all the benefits of this school, I figured... you know, why not come here?"
"I'm sorry about your parents," you said, frowning.
He shrugged. "It sucks but it was bound to happen. I always knew."
You nodded and looked at Peter. "I'm going to walk Mark to Spanish II. I'll see you in Geometry?"
"Yeah," he said.
You smiled at him. Peter barely noticed the way your eyes sparkled when you stared at him. His mind was too busy reeling over the thought of you and Mark together in the halls.
On your way out the door, you observed Mark's schedule. "Actually, you and I might just have every class together, Mark. That's cool."
"Really? Awesome..."
Peter's shoulders fell. He did not like the new kid.
...
On the way out of Spanish II, Mark walked alongside you. You laughed as he told you funny stories. He was charming and hilarious, and you really liked him.
After a story ended, he looked at his schedule. "So is Geometry a bad class? At my old school, the teacher was absolutely evil."
You shook your head. "I like it. Our teacher is nice but she's not nice, you know? And the class is fun. There's an empty seat behind the me and an empty seat behind Peter."
"Peter," he repeated. "Is he one of your friends?"
"Yeah," you said. "Well, he's my boyfriend."
"Oh." Was all he said.
You turned into class at the same time Peter did. He glanced up from the floor to see you. For a brief second, he grinned. Then, remembering Mark, his face fell a little.
"Hey babe," you said softly, taking his hand. You stroked your thumb over his knuckles. Your voice was low. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," he assured you. He couldn't understand how you were so clueless to Mark and his intense stare. "Yeah, I'm fine."
You nodded and let go of his hand. He let you and Mark in first and followed behind. You were already preparing to introduce him to Ned, who had the empty seat next to him.
"Hey Ned," you greeted.
"Hey," he said.
You pointed to Mark. "This is Mark. Can he sit by you? I've been showing him around the school."
Behind you, Peter was shaking his head. His eyes were wide. Ned swallowed hard as he looked at Peter and then back at you.
"Uh... uh, I, uh..." He narrowed his eyes. "Doesn't that girl Sophia sit here?"
"Um, not since she moved three months ago," you replied.
"Oh."
You shook your head and sighed. "You can sit there, Mark."
"Thanks," he mumbled.
Peter put his things on his desk. "Dude," he hissed at Ned.
Ned held up his arms. "What! I'm sorry!"
Peter had disappointment in his eyes but chose not to say anything else as he turned around in his seat and desperately tried to ignore the fact that you were giggling at whatever Mark was saying.
...
Peter wasn't hungry at lunch. He sat across from Ned, his eyes always darting to the set of open doors in front of him. He was waiting for you to walk in, probably with Mark at your side.
"Dude, why aren't you eating? It's macaroni and cheese day," Ned said.
Peter shrugged. "Not hungry."
Ned stared at his best friend. He gave a knowing nod and took a sip of milk. "Look... I get that you're worried about her hanging out with Mark and it's making you crazy jealous or whatever-"
Peter's head snapped up. "I'm not jealous," he said.
"Uh... dude." Ned blinked at him. "Yeah you are."
"I'm not! ___ can hang out with any guy she wants to, even if he stares at her in creepy ways and calls her name pretty and hovers and-"
Ned stared at him until Peter stopped. His cheeks flamed red. Oh - he was jealous.
"It's okay to be," Ned assured him. "I would."
Just then, you and Mark walked in. Peter watched you with sad eyes as you sat down next to him but never looked away from Mark, who was telling a joke.
Peter sighed and looked down at the table. He was going to lose it. He picked up his fork and jabbed it into a macaroni noodle.
"Peter," you said, and he looked at you. "Are you okay? You've been so quiet all day."
He swallowed. "Can we talk somewhere in private?"
Suddenly, you looked sick. "S-Sure."
You asked Mark to excuse you and stood up from the table. You and Peter walked out of the cafeteria and stopped in the empty hallway. He turned to face you and you crossed your arms.
"What's up?"
Peter licked his lips. "___... I know we haven't been dating for very long-"
You dropped your arms. "Peter-"
"Just listen, okay?" he asked.
Your eyes were wide. "Not if you're just going to break up with me!"
"What? Why would you think I would break up with you? No, no - that's not what I was saying at all!"
You sighed and nodded. "Okay, okay. Sorry."
"I just... don't like Mark," Peter said.
You furrowed your eyebrows. "You don't like Mark?" When he shook his head, you scoffed. "Well that's a little ridiculous, don't you think? You don't even know the guy."
"I know," Peter said. "I know, and this probably makes me seem like the worst boyfriend ever but... I don't like that he talks to you."
You were taken aback. "Excuse me?"
"And I'm not going to, like, stop you from seeing him or talking to him or anything! But he looks at you like he likes you and he called your name pretty and I-I'm supposed to do that kind of stuff."
You sighed. "Peter Parker, he said my name was pretty. So? No one except for my mom has ever said that to me. Not even you."
"But I do think your name is pretty!"
You shook your head. "That's not the point! The point is that Mark is just a guy that I'm showing around school. If he wants to hang out with us, so what? You hang out with Michelle a lot."
"That's different," he argued.
"Different how?"
"Michelle..." Peter looked around to make sure she wasn't around. "Michelle scares me."
You rolled your eyes. "It's the exact same as Mark. You know what? Mark doesn't like me like that. We literally just met. Also, I never asked you to stop hanging out with Michelle. We just started dating, Peter, and you're already trying to change who I hang out with?"
"No! No, I don't want you to think I'm trying to control you! I just want to protect you. I want to keep you safe!"
"By controlling me!" you hissed. "Look. Spider-Man is supposed to keep people safe. Peter Parker is supposed to just be my boyfriend. You need to figure out how to separate the two."
You turned around and walked off. Peter opened his mouth but snapped it shut, opting to just let you go.
Whatever. He would just have to watch you grow further apart from him.
...
The next day, Peter apologized for how he acted. Then he apologized the next day. And the next, and the next. For the rest of the week, apologies spilled out of his lips. You accepted every single one of them and assured him that it was fine.
You walked with Peter to class and he kissed you good morning first in the morning and goodbye at the bus stop. The only downside of all that was the presence of Mark right there or not too far away.
He was always following you. He was always finding an excuse to touch your arms or hair and never left your side. He would flirt endlessly.
It was even starting to get to you.
Peter, on the other hand, was getting better at pretending to not notice it. He ignored it when Mark would pretend to untangle a lock of your hair.
For once, you wished he would say something.
Mark was already popular in the school, so it wasn't like he didn't have any other options for friends. If he didn't, you probably wouldn't have dashed out of Spanish II to avoid walking him to Geometry or wouldn't have asked Ned to sit on the other side of you when you ran into the lunchroom.
Mark always found a way to you, and it was getting old fast.
During lunch, Peter was holding your hand on the table. You were stealing potato chips off his tray and laughing when he sent you playfully and forcefully upset looks.
"You know," you said, munching on a chip, "my mom likes to dip her potato chips in baked beans."
"She does not," Peter said.
"I swear she does!"
Ned grimaced. "Ew."
"It's not bad," you said. You put your bowl of beans in the middle of the table. "Try it."
Reluctantly, the two boys did. Peter didn't seem to mind the flavor but Ned was less than pleased with it. His face made you and Peter laugh loudly.
"It's not even bad, dude," he said.
Ned nodded. "Yeah, it is," he replied.
Peter looked at you as you laughed. He loved the way your eyes would squint shut and your lips would spread wide into a smile.
When you caught him looking at you, you blushed. "What?" you asked.
He shrugged. "Nothing," he said. You looked away. He squeezed your hand. "I actually have a surprise for you."
Your eyes widened. "What is it?"
He laughed. "I'll show you after school."
You groaned. "Peter..."
He shrugged. "Sorry, babe. You're just gonna have to wait."
"Fine." You pulled your hand away from his. "I'll wait. And I'll see you later." You kissed his cheek.
"Are you coming over today?" he asked.
"If you want me to," you said.
"I always want you to," he said.
"Then I will." You had butterflies in your stomach and a heartbeat that was thundering in your chest. You couldn't believe how much you loved this boy. "See you, Peter."
Ned shook his head as you left. "Dude..."
Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"
"You guys are gross," he said, still shaking his head.
Peter smirked. "We are not."
Across from them, Mark stood up from his seat. Peter and Ned said fast goodbyes as he walked to the trash can and dumped his tray in the trash.
Peter started to get a weird feeling. It itched under his skin and made all the nerves in his body come alive. He called it his spidey senses, just part of who he was now.
"I need to go," he told Ned.
Ned groaned. "Seriously? Sure, everyone just leave me."
Peter got up and threw the remainder of his chips away. He headed down the hallway towards his locker. He'd have to stop there and grab his backpack so he could change into his suit fast enough.
When he turned the corner to the hallway that included all the lockers of his grade, he froze. You were standing at yours with Mark next to you.
"What are you talking about, Mark?" you asked.
And then he kissed you.
Peter's eyes widened as he planted his lips fully on yours, his hand going to grab your waist and hold you against him. The pain that hit him hurt deeper than anything else.
He turned around and ran towards the doors. Forget his backpack, forget being Spider-Man, forget you. Tears were streaming down his face as he ran back.
Then the bell rang.
At once, people were pouring out of the cafeteria. Peter ducked his head down and wiped his nose on his sleeve. He tried to walk with the crowd and play the fact that he was having a breakdown in the middle of the hallway cool.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. Ned.
"Dude, what happened?"
Peter couldn't answer. The hallway was too noisy and everything was too defined in his eyes. He hated having enhanced senses. He hated being at school. He hated himself for letting Mark get too close to you.
"Peter," you cried out.
He looked up and saw you standing there with tears running down your red face. His chest burned with anger and betrayal.
"What?" he snapped.
You stopped suddenly, unable to make sense of his sudden anger. It was completely out of character for him to talk like that - especially to you.
"I-I-"
"Did you come here to apologize or break up with me? It doesn't matter. Let me make it easier for you, okay?" With tears spilling over his eyes, he turned around and walked towards the doors.
You stood there sobbing next to a gaping Ned in the middle of a crowded hallway.
...
Peter walked home. He couldn't ride the bus. He needed to work out his anger, but without his backpack that had his suit, he had no choice but to stick with walking.
He took the way down alleys and through dead ends, giving him an excuse to climb up walls and jump over fences. He landed so hard on the concrete that he formed new cracks in it.
His phone rang. He picked it up when he realized it was Ned.
"Hey," he said. "Can you get in my locker and grab my backpack? I'll-"
"I'm not doing anything for you unless you listen to me," Ned said.
Peter stopped. "Okay?"
"Look. If you really think that ___ is willing to cheat on you, you're an idiot. I love you, dude, but seriously? That girl is obsessed with you. At lunch she was staring at you like you out the freakin' stars in the sky! Why would she kiss Mark?"
"You didn't see it, Ned," he said. "He had his hands all over her and she had her mouth on his."
"Yeah? Well, you didn't just see her punch Mark in the face and get suspended," Ned replied.
Peter stopped. "What?"
"She hit him. I'm waiting outside the principal's office for her but she's totally getting suspended." He sighed. "So why would she punch the guy you think she chose over you?"
Peter ran a hand through his hair. He felt new tears fill his eyes and he took a shaky breath in through his nose.
"I'm an idiot," he said.
"I told you that you were."
Peter shook his head. "I let her get suspended. If I had just stayed by her and listened and protected her, this never would have happened." He hung up quickly and dashed back towards the school, his heart in his throat.
...
"Miss ___, considering the arguments for your actions and the proof we have from camera footage, I think a good punishment for your behavior would be a week of detention."
"Yes, sir"
"And I will personally be sure that Mark gets his own punishment."
"Thank you, sir."
You stepped out of the office. Usually getting out of suspension would leave people thrilled, but not you. You were incapable of feeling anything except for heartache.
You couldn't get the look of hurt and anger that you saw in Peter's eyes out of your head. It was painful to picture and even worse when you heard his harsh words with it.
Ned was gone. He must've just left without you.
You put a hand against your mouth and unsuccessfully suppressed a long cry. You stumbled down the hall, unable to see your feet clear through the blur of tears clouding your vision.
You collapsed on the nearest bench and pulled your knees up to your chest. You cried against them, hiding your face in your arms.
You just wanted to disappear.
You didn't notice when Peter walked down the hallway or when he stopped to tearfully watch you fall apart. You had no knowledge of how he started to break down too and how he felt nothing but regret for bringing those tears to your eyes.
"___," he said softly, his voice uneven.
You looked up at him with puffy eyes. You sniffed. "Peter, I'm sorry-"
He was beside you on the bench and his arms were around you. You started to cry even harder when he began to pepper your face with tiny kisses and when he wiped the tears off your face.
"There's no need to be sorry," he cried. "I'm sorry."
You buried your face in his neck and closed your eyes. On your lips were all the words you wanted to say but did not dare. You didn't want to say I love you just because a boy tried to take advantage of you. You didn't want to say it to win Peter's graces back.
Peter had forgiven you and you had forgiven him. You would wait until it was time to get off the bench and walk home, your hand in Peter's and his smile back on his face.
Then it would be time to say that you loved him and that it would only ever be him.
But for now, this moment was enough.