Every morning, you used to open your apartment's front door and see Peter Parker waiting there for you. Some days he had his shoulder leaning against the wall while zoned into his cracked phone screen and others he was sitting on the ground with a worn-out notebook in his lap and hustling to finish homework.
Ash brown curls were neatly combed back, gelled and reflecting a shine from the hall light gleaming on the top of his head. When he lifted his head, his brown orbs were darker than the color of his hair. His sweet, warm smile painted on his face when his gaze met with yours. You never asked him to walk you to school but he always offered, even if it was the opposite way of his commute.
Since you were seven and he was eight, you moved into the smaller, dingey apartment across the hall from his. After your father was laid off from his long term job, you were moved across New York in one night and suddenly towns away from your friends but closer to family in the heart of Queens.
You remember carrying your box of toys up the steep stairs, trying to balance the bottom of the box on the top of your small knee. When you finally got to the top of the stairs, your foot caught under the last step and the stuffed animals, books and games spilled from the cardboard box. You rolled over to your bottom, seeing the skin on your knees strapped against the old, hardwood floors.
You pulled your knee toward you, brushing your index finger over the peeled skin and watching the blood overfill the cuts. Unbeknownst to you, Peter Parker was down the hall—peeking from his own door, his fingers tapping against the frame and his button nose pressed against the cold paint. May and Ben asked Peter to help while they were in your living room trying to secure the bed frames together. Peter wanted to help, of course, but when you passed him down the stairs earlier, he had never seen such a pretty girl.
It wasn't love at first sight, but he almost thought you were a figment of his young imagination. Your heavenly being intimidated him with his sheepish personality, trying to hide away until he watched you collapse. He quickly ran over and kneeled down, picking up your scattered mementos. After placing a few in the box, his ogling eyes met yours and they instantly glassed from the pure bliss of your presence.
"Hi." You giggled and he thought he was talking to an angel.
From that point on, Peter was the adorable boy next door. He was the one to catch you before you fell. Most of your childhood was riding bikes through Battery Park or sitting on the rooftop of Delmar's and trying to see the stars through the New York smog. At this time, your friendship wasn't complicated and you looked out for each other day after day.
The summer before freshman year, you two were inseparable. You even admitted to yourself you started liking him. It wasn't because he was simply convenient, but he was perfect and unknowing to you, his feelings were mutual. You thought things could turn out for the best, that was, until summer was fading into a memory and the timing of this prolonged crush couldn't have been worse.
He decided to go to Midtown High while you went to the public school that was a few blocks from your apartment. Peter's homework piled up day in and day out, leaving him up until the crack of dawn finishing it for the next day. He made new friends named Ned and Michelle and constantly talked about a girl named Liz, a senior who was on his Decathlon team. It's not that you were jealous of his new upcomings or a new crush, you just missed him.
From that point, whenever you went to the Parkers' door, May always answered and excused her busy nephew, telling you that Peter was either out or too busy with homework to the point he'd locked himself in his room till it was done. You understood, knowing that his Uncle Ben recently passed and that Peter was getting used to his new, prestigious school but you'd thought he'd take time to talk to his best friend. Now, instead of opening the door to a bright eyed boy, it was an empty, dim-lit hallway.
You weren't sure if Peter was sending you a sign, but the message you received was hurting your feelings. So, with that, you kept yourself busy on purpose to try to forget him and your heartfelt friendship. Instead of hanging around your apartment, you would walk to the local library after school. It wasn't the best place to be, but being there helped you concentrate on your school work and other problems revolving around you instead of the boy next door.
Months passed and seeing Peter, even running into him, became a rare coincidence. The only times you did were late nights of walking from the library and you saw Peter leave your building with a hood over his head. Of course, you worried, but it wasn't your place to say anything to him. One day, your bedroom door was cracked enough to hear May Parker's voice in your living room.
You eavesdropped as your mom and her sat on the sofa, facing each other with cups of tea in their hands. May spilled to your mom that Peter had been sneaking out of his room, but she thought it was a classic case of teenage spirit. You knew Peter wasn't like that, but maybe his intentions changed since the last time you spoke.
As you walked home from the library, all you could think about was the conversation your mom had with May. The night air was freezing, quick breezes prickling at your skin but your jacket was enough to keep you warm. With your hands dug into your pockets, you had your head down and earbuds plugged in. As you crossed the street going toward your complex, you saw the same hooded boy leaving out the two front doors. Peter glanced over his shoulder, making sure he wasn't followed and walked the same way he always went. After he got far enough, maybe a block down, you set your backpack by a dumpster and kept a slow follow behind him.
He unknowingly lead you toward the local bank, a few blocks from your apartment building. You stood underneath the awning of Mr. Delmar's sandwich shop. You scoped out for Peter, losing sight of him once he crossed through an alley back a block, but that was the way you usually went to Delmar's, having some kind of familiarity as to where you were.
As you crossed the empty street, ready to walk back from how cold it was, someone swiped you off your feet. You felt like an acrobat taken on a trapeze, catching your breath as one arm grasped tight around your waist. You grabbed onto the fabric, but your fingers couldn't hold onto the skin tight material. Once your hand reached around the person, you turn to see the masked hero, Spider-man.
You landed on a sturdy rooftop across the street from where you were. Your legs were like a safety pin around his hips, your eyes still widen from the sudden rush of being swept away.
"It's okay, you're safe." His voice spoke, a bit higher-pitched than you imagined.
Your sneakers planted to the ground, looking at the brightly-colored hero up and down. The suit looked incredibly different in person, but it also wasn't the one you'd seen before that looked homemade– at least that's what you saw from Youtube videos.
Your panting slowed down, gulping to wet your throat before saying, "T-Thanks," still in shock.
Peter quickly glanced down at the street to see if his bad company was there, but there was no one in sight. He glanced back at you, the glare of the street lights reflecting onto your face and he started choking up. He cleared his throat, as well, while the two of you stood there in silence and shock of each other's presence, you not knowing his, but Peter not expecting yours. His hand runs over the top of his head, slicking to the base of his neck till he looked back at you.
"You're- you're.. Spider-man." You chuckled, patting your arms next to each of your sides.
"Last time I looked in the mirror, Yeah, I am." Peter joked.
Your voice was something of sugar, sweet like candy and addictive to listen to. He hadn't heard your honey-like tone in weeks, but it was like a heavy rainfall after the longest drought.
His voice was friendly. It was definitely a boy, wiping out the rumors of what everyone debated. It was.. nervous, maybe even wobbly with how it sounded high pitched at first but was regulated toward the end of his sentences. The voice sounded too familiar and warm for it to be the first time hearing it tonight.
"You- uh- I need to-" He sounded confused on his plan of action. "What are you- you doing here?" Peter asked as his arms crossed to seem cool.
You arched your eyebrows at the question, "You're gonna think I'm crazy but- I was following a friend."
You couldn't see his expression, but his eyebrows pushed together while his lips pinned. He was the reason you were even standing there, you could've gotten yourself in the middle of armed robbers because of him. Peter's arms lost their tense, his shoulders relaxed and hands falling to his sides. You noticed the difference in body language but didn't question why he quickly became relieved.
"It's not a stalker thing. I swear. I've just been worried about him and- I thought I could finally talk to him, but- I lost him." You gestured with your hands before pulling at your knuckles.
You two stood there in silence with the light breeze weaving through your hair, waiting for any kind of response.
If there was one thing that Peter was better at doing than being the superhero he'd become in a few short months, it was pushing people away. He wasn't sure if it was his constant stress or the fear of rejection that kept him from asking for help, but time after time he'd excuse himself from being vulnerable for those who cared for him most. After losing Ben, Peter fell apart, the image of the bloodstains on his palms and his favorite sweater was burned in his brain, and nobody—including his Aunt May—could help him.
"I was heading home anyways." You were embarrassed in front of the masked crime fighter, your skin flushing as you walked around him to take a fire escape back to the ground.
"Wait." Peter said, turning around as you did, your eyes meeting again.
"Let me- take you home. It's late.. Miss." Peter cleared his throat, reaching his arm out toward you.
Your looked him up and down again, wondering if it were a good idea. I mean, it was Spider-man. Someone you admired, respected and everyone, including you, saw as a true part of the security of the city. You placed your hand in his, gripping it before your body fit into his like a puzzle piece. His arm wrapped around your waist again as you snaked your arm around his broad shoulders.
"Hold on." He kindly commanded. With that, you tightened your grip and adjusted your position.
As Peter was about to swing you home, he glanced over his shoulder at any sight on the street. Although no one was there, he sensed someone was nearby. He was quick to think, trying to devise a plan within seconds.
"Actually, we're taking a quick detour." He stated.
"What?" You asked before Peter lifted you off your feet, dropping into the alley next to the bodega.
The sudden move made you squirm, your fingers slipping underneath Peter's mask at his neck as your stomach dropped. Peter's head shimmed as you peeled off his hidden identity, letting the mask loose in-between your grip. As Peter suddenly lost his high-focus, his concentration dazed for a split second, feeling you slip from his grip and that followed with a fear-filled scream from your lips.
Peter's hand was quick to hold onto a railing, spurting a web and hoping it would wrap around your wrist to catch your fall. You thought you were plummeting to your death till a forceful pull stopped you. Instead of his web fluid spinning around your wrist, you dangled from your ankle with the sight of an upside down world. Peter looked down in fear, able to see his thick breath since he was stripped from his mask.
"I got you!" He shouted from above and your body trembled, shaking from the fear of barely kissing the pavement.
Peter's web slowly unraveled, setting you on the ground before he hopped down. You pulled off the strands of thick mesh from your ankle, still sitting down. You felt your heart in your throat, the beat fast as a strike of lighting.
"I am so sorry." Peter apologized as his feet landed on the ground, also seeing his mask flattened next to you, too far out of his reach.
You turned around, surprised to see the face underneath the heroic disguise. You thought you were running out of breath before, but this was truly a loss of words. Peter froze from the shock look painted across your face. Your mouth slightly gaped, your eyes filled with anger quickly as you tried to find something to say.
"Sorry for what? For almost dropping me to my death or lying to me and that this is what you have been doing these past few months?" You hissed at him, lifting back on your feet and wiping the dirt from the back of your jeans.
Peter sensed the group of criminals were closer, a few feet away at least. Every second of him not speaking was another second wasted. As much as he wanted to explain, he didn't want the two of you in more danger than you already were.
He reached down, swiping his mask and proceeded to slowly push you toward the other alley wall. You were still confused at what was happening and your hands pushed against Peter's shoulders out of anger.
"This is what you've been doing? Why you've ignored me for months?!" You exclaimed, pushing his shoulder again and Peter held your hands, feeling them shake in his gentle grip.
"Yes, yes and I'm sorry." Peter panted, his heart racing as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"Why couldn't you tell me about this? You thought I would tell May?" You continue to question and Peter was hoping you'd stay quiet.
"Can we talk about this later, Y/N?" He pleaded and you scoffed, brushing past him.
"Get out of my face, Parker. I'm going home." You spoke strictly before Peter pulled you back by your arm.
Seconds after he grasped your hand, you swiped it away from his fingers. You crossed your arms, wondering why he kept you there. Peter's face scrunched together, shaking his head and his chestnut curls falling on his forehead before looking you dead in the eyes.
He took a single, light breath, "Because I-"
He cut himself off immediately as he tried to reword the best way he thought it could be to say this. All at once, His teeth push together and his jaw tightened at the inner frustration he was fighting to not say the wrong thing.
"Because this is huge. I go out and I save the city and I love it. But, next thing I know, I have to remember that a lot of people don't want me to keep doing what I'm doing." He explained, his voice at a low volume.
"And if they got to you or May or anyone that I have some kind of relationship to, your lives are on the line as much as mine." Peter added. He was terrified that one day you wouldn't be alive because of him and the responsibility he's taken so suddenly.
Chills ran down your spine as the two of you stood there in silence. You wanted to be angry at him with every nerve in your body and any vessel in your heart but he was telling you the truth and although you didn't exactly like it, you appreciated that he gave you an explanation to your desperate questions.
"So this whole time.. you were protecting me?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't see you that whole time. Ya know, after Uncle Ben- and May was just-"
He choked before he cut himself off, remembering the last words Ben told him and holding his lifeless body. Peter's jaw seized once more, holding back the tears prickling his waterline. He hadn't spoken about Ben in months, not even to May. He was still taking it in that he was gone but he constantly hoped the incident was nothing more than a twisted nightmare after a long sleep.
"I wasn't the same." Peter admitted, lifting his head finally after pulling back his tears.
The wind breezed through your hair, some of it covering your face and not bothering to move it while the moment was so still. Your arms slowly fell and your hands balled tightly into fists by your sides, scared and confused from the whole situation. You were ready to defend yourself from whatever he might do or say, fearing it was all a trick.
"And I didn't want to risk losing you after." He added.
His pretty, dark brown eyes shined, seeing him hold back the salty tears instead of letting them fall down his tinted-red cheeks and off his bruised chin. Peter compared the feeling in his throat to a rock was lodged in his airways, choking him up even more at how painful it was to not show his emotions.
It was Peter. You knew it was Peter so you opened up your hands, feeling how tight they were from your fingernails digging into your palms.
You stepped away from the brick wall, crossing your arms in front of your chest again. Peter's head was down, bitten nails scratching lightly against the nape of his neck. You tilted your head, leaning in to make eye contact with him.
"Hey.. look at me." You spoke softly.
His head jerked up to look at you, seeing the redness around his tired eyes.
"Knowing that you're Spider-man, I think I can say I'm protected and so is everyone in New York City." You smile, a giggle slipping through.
There was that smile. A heaven-made smile he believed God spent extra time on.
"I'm still a little mad, but I'm.. Proud of you."
A faint smile lightened on Peter's lips with a chuckle slipping. You wanted to let him know that you weren't entirely mad at him. You two faintly grinned at one another, feeling a sense of relief yet you both were a bit left in the dark still. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be, at least for now.
Before another word could be spoken in the stillness of that moment, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the streets and an alarm blared at the same time. You and Peter both looked in the direction of the noises and saw three or four men walking through the broken-glass doors.
"You need to go." Peter quickly put his mask back on.
"What? No-"
"Seriously, Y/N. You need to go. I swear I'll see you later, I just need to know you're safe." His voice muffled through the latex material.
It was almost surreal how he was the masked hero, you couldn't help but stare at him till he called out your name again and you nodded. Both of you turned around at the same time, running down both ends of the street to where you needed to be. As Peter was swinging through the broken windows of the bank, you were passing under yellow streetlights and trying to run as fast as you could. When you tried to look over your shoulder, the front of your sneaker slipped into a drainage grate and made you tumble onto the paved road.
"Shit." You said lowly, feeling the cool air sting the fresh scrapes on your palms from trying to catch yourself.
There was no time to sit there and try to recover, all you did was get back up and start running again.
When you reach your apartment complex, you catch your breath once you burst through the lobby doors. You placed your hands on your knees and bent over, heaving and the dryness of your throat and nose burned. The receptionist stared at you, frozen from the sudden entrance you made and you looked up at the man.
"Sorry.." You quickly apologized, your face heating up before you walk toward the stairs.
You wouldn't believe what happened in the last hour, it seemed unreal, as if you were in a dream and your brain convinced you that Peter's excuse for not showing up is that he's Spider-man. You chuckled at the whole scenario as you reached your floor, starting to walk toward your apartment door. You looked up, seeing the hall light flickering and it made you grin. It was like a sign that even though you and Peter were rocky right now, he was coming back around and your friendship may flare back to what it was.
When you tried to open your door, it was locked. You groaned at the fact your parents assumed you came home from the library on time, not even checking if you were in your room. You turned around and pressed your back against the wall, sliding down the matte finish until your hands met the floor, instantly stinging from your open scrapes on your palms.
You hissed and brought them back to your chest, feeling them tremble from how sensitive the raw skin was. You carefully set them on your legs, letting them breathe and hoping the night would go by quickly.
Half an hour later, Peter practically skipped into the hallway with adrenaline still running through his body after stopping the attempted bank robbery. He smiled to himself widely, looking down at the ground before he saw you laid down in the hallway. Peter stopped in his tracks, quickly worried if you were conscious so he rushed over, kneeling on one knee.
"Y/N.. Y/N." He carefully shook you and you quaked out of your sleep.
"Huh?" You asked, pushing off the floor and Peter chuckled.
"Why are you sleeping on the floor?" He helped you on your feet.
"Locked out." You run your fingers through your hair, hissing again from the pain in your hands.
Peter furrowed his eyebrows, "What happened to your hands?"
You pursed your lips, "Well, you're not gonna believe me but, I ran into Spider-Man."
He smirked as he examined one of your hands, "Really?"
"Yeah. Nice guy even though he almost killed me." You jeered and Peter chuckled, his cheeks turning red.
"But, when I was running here, I just fell after tripping over a sewer grate." You stretched out your palms as much as you could.
Peter brushed his thumbs across your damaged and wounded skin, trying to figure out what he could do.
"I've seen worse, but I'm sure I can fix this." He smiled, loosely holding your hand as you locked eyes with one another.
There they were. Those chocolate brown eyes that glistened, even under a dim hallway light. Your smile slowly unraveled as your eyes slightly squinted, heat rising to your cheeks. Air passed through your nose, trying to hide your giggle and it made him chuckle.
"What?" He asked, chuckling along with you.
You nodded, "Nothing."
The two of you walked in quietly before Peter shut the door behind you with ease, hoping it wouldn't wake up May. The lights were off so you both carefully walked between the furniture until you reached the hall where Peter's room was at the end of. With Peter escorting, you both took careful steps until your foot eased into a loose board. The noise was loud enough to stir May out of her light slumber because she was already awake enough to wait for Peter to get home.
"Peter, is that you?" Her voice carried through the cracked open door, making you and Peter freeze.
"Uh- Yeah, May." He said, you could hear how nervous he was. It made it a little hard for you to believe that he was Spider-Man.
"Okay, goodnight!" May said before turning off her side table lamp.
You and Peter reached his room, entering and Peter leisurely closed the door. You hadn't seen his room in so long, but nothing had really changed except there were more Lego figurines on his dresser. You sat on his bottom bunk, hearing the springs of the bed squeak. Peter searched his room quickly, trying to find his spare first aid kit that he kept stocked, usually used after his heroic duties.
It wasn't till he searched under his bed and found it behind a few of his clothes. He pushed himself out, kneeling on one knee and asking for your hands. He used hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound, watching it sud up your blood and scrapes before he applied ointment before bandaging around your palms.
"There, you look like some MMA fighter." He joked, sliding the first aid kit back under his bed before sitting next to you.
You slowly closed your hands to make fists, your hands starting to feel much better. You looked down at them, but really you were a little spaced out from the whole night.
"You alright?" Peter asked and you nodded.
"Yeah, just- this night has been crazy." You pinched your lips.
"I know what you mean." He joked, leaning back on his bed.
"No.. It's like- I don't know. I thought I was gonna find you doing something.. Else. I guess." You shrugged and Peter laid back up, his eyebrows furrowed and mouth slightly gapped. He remembered on the rooftop when you told him you were "following a friend".
"Were you.. Following me because you thought I was Spider-Man?" He asked, tilting his head at you.
"What? No. You disappeared out of nowhere.. For months. I thought you just.. Didn't wanna be friends anymore. So, I saw you walking and.. I don't know. I was being stupid." You shyly explained, tapping your foot against the floor out of being anxious.
"Again, I'm.. so sorry. I didn't mean to let you think that. Trust me, I didn't want to push away from you but so much happened at once and it's been.. Crazy." He nervously chuckled, cracking his knuckles.
"Well.. your excuse was good enough for ditching me." You playfully elbowed him.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll make it up to you. Maybe I can take you swinging through the city one day." He smiled, both of you chuckling.
"Eh, after almost splattering me on the pavement, I think I'm fine with just taking me out for pizza." You jeered back.
Everything felt naturally suddenly, like those months of not talking hadn't even happened. You weren't gonna hold it against Peter, but kept it in mind in case. But, deep down you knew he could and would never hurt you on purpose.
As winter turned to spring, you and Peter got closer every single day. Instead of bike rides through Battery Park, it was swinging through Times Square, getting used to the adrenaline rush you got after went between buildings. You went to planetariums and space exhibits, supporting him at his science fair while he walked you home from school to get Delmar's sandwiches. It was fun hanging out again and him being Spider-Man just happened to be a perk.
Since you were spending a lot of time together, feelings sparked more and more so it seemed right to finally say something with how right the timing seemed after renewing your friendship. So, Peter invited you to meet him at one of his school trips to the Met and you both could sneak away from the group on your own personal tour.
As you were on your way, Peter texted a picture of him and Ned, signing it off with a smiley face.
You giggled, quickly texting back as you walked through the crowd of people on the busy New York street. The breeze felt amazing which was weird with how closed off the city was, making you look up toward the sky and seeing the sun in the middle of it. You hovered your hand over your eyes, continuing to look up until you heard a series of yelling and screaming from behind.
You quickly looked behind you, seeing some sort of circular aircraft flying above the city. People began to push and shove past you as cars were being tossed up in the air and street signs were being pulled from the ground. Along with everyone else, you ran with them toward where the Hudson River was.
Tears streamed down your face, panicked because you had no idea what was happening as everyone around you didn't know either. While you tried to rub your tears away, you tripped over something that made you fall back from the group of people you were in. The wind was knocked out of you, trying to roll on your back to catch your breath. When you put support on your elbows, you try to get back on your feet before you hear a series of car alarms go off as they were rolling into each other from the strong breeze.
It was like your feet were glued to the pavement, so in shock that you couldn't move from watching what you were, feeling the breeze getting stronger and the cars coming closer till you were forcefully pulled away and into the air. Peter swooped you up quickly, pulling you onto his side as he swung away from the disaster. Your arms tightened around him, looking over his shoulder at how the city's dirt made it impossible to see between the buildings.
Once you landed in the park, you let go of Peter and ran your hands down your body to make sure you were still alive.
"Y/N, are you okay?!" He asked, panicked.
"Yeah! What the hell is happening?!" You quickly asked, brushing your hair behind your ear.
"I don't know! Something with a wizard, I'm not sure, but I'll be back!" He said frantic, but you grabbed his wrist.
"Peter, this is too dangerous! You don't even know what's going on!" You said, scared for him.
"I know, but I'll come back. Just- go home and stay safe. Okay?" His sweet voice was muffled through his mask but he moved his hands onto your face, holding it loosely.
You nodded against his hands, his thumbs brushing over your cheekbones before he took a few steps back and he swung through the trees. Listening to Peter's words, you raced home and locked the door behind you, rushing into the living room and turning on the news. You and your family huddled around the couch, watching the news coverage of the unknown alien spaceship and how the Avengers were figuring out what to do.
Hours passed, not knowing what was happening up there and anytime you thought of Peter getting hurt or even dying, your heart skipped a beat. You bit your fingernails, pacing the room as your family tried to keep calm as well. You quickly went to your room, shutting the door behind you and pulling out your phone to call Peter.
Ringing. Ringing. Ringing.
"It's Peter, leave a message!" The recording said and you quickly hung up.
You didn't know what to do except to keep calling, believing he would answer sooner or later.
After the fifth time the call went the voicemail, you gave up and sighed loudly. You closed your eyes, tears tracing over your cheeks and falling off your chin. The corners of your mouth seized up a bit, scared from not knowing what was gonna happen next. As you slowly paced your room, there were a few thuds from the other side of your door. You furrowed your eyebrows and opened the door, seeing an empty living room that your family was just in.
"Hello?" You asked, confused.
You stepped further into the room, furrowing your eyebrows at the dust traveling through the open window by your balcony.
"Mom? Dad?" You cried out, your eyes searching the room and rotating around, hoping this was some kind of nightmare.
Before you took another step, you felt a tingling throughout your hands. You quickly looked down at them and watched your skin slowly turn into specs of dust, as if you were dissolving and you thought your heart was going to burst inside your chest. Your skin continued to sprinkle apart till everything went light and you felt yourself falling but not feeling the contact with the floor.