Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince [Chapter 5] final chapter!
The two days passed in a blur, pushing you in a constant state or worry for Peterâs well-being. You were happy for him because he seemed to have found a sort of father figure in the latest superhero trend Midtown was going gaga over - Mysterio.Â
You didnât get what the obsession was about, Peter told you he was a friendly kind person so maybe there was that. The opera was about to begin and you had taken a seat besides Brad, who was waiting for MJ to join him but then gave up when she ran out behind Peter.Â
âThis is niceâ, he remarked nonchalantly, ânice dress, by the way."Â
You smiled at him politely, not touching the green thread that was wrapped around your wrist right now in case he was having any wrong ideas about you again. You remembered him once thinking you had kissed somebody just because you were the kind of person whoâd go about kissing strangers like itâs no big deal.Â
Ned and Betty had slipped out too, and you knew Peter had a fight with the fire elemental monster, but you didnât understand why he wouldnât let you follow him.Â
"Trouble follows me everywhere, Y/N - I canât risk you coming there and getting hurt.â, he told you pensively, âPromise me you wonât follow me out."Â
"No - no I canât have that on me, if anything happens to you - I wouldnât - it would -â, he fumbled, running his fingers through his hair, âUh - just get this, if something goes wrong, especially with you - I canât, not after Mr Stark and⌠And everything else. Please - "Â
He stared at you with glossy golden eyes, pain swirling in them, "Please donât do anything I might regret. Just stay in, watch the opera - yeah?"Â
You bit your lip, "I just want you to stay safe, Pete.â
He stared at the ground, the white shirt tucked neatly in his pants. You placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.Â
âThis whole trip - Iâve been so stressed, nothingâs going rightâ, you said in frustration, âIâm worried for you!"Â
"You donât have toâ, he mumbled, âIâm Spiderman, Iâll be fine."Â
"Youâre Spiderman for the world, you doofusâ, you joked, your voice cracking just a smidge, âI still see you as Peter Parker, and Iâm worried about you. I think I have the right to be worried tooâ, you paused, swallowing the lump in your throat, âas a - um, a friend."Â
"Right, yeah, a friend. I know, youâre right.â, he said, hiding his eyes from you, âBut trust me, I got this."Â
You leaned forward and hugged him then, giggling when his thread told you he was thinking about your perfume. "Iâll lend you some on your date with MJâ, you winked at him, âYou can smell like daisies all day then!"Â
He rolled his eyes, the corners of his lips stretching upwards. You then got serious, and kissed his cheek, lingering for a second more than you should have, and then pulling a few steps away from him.Â
You were itching to get up and dash out too, to check on him and see if he was fine but a promise was a promise and you knew Peter would hate you for breaking yours. So you stayed through the four hour long opera, dozing on Bradâs shoulder for the last hour, thinking about Peter.Â
There were casualties, you learned later but Ned told you that both him and Peter were perfectly fine. He even told you that Peter and MJ were about to have their moment right now, since the Paris trip was cancelled and you stayed in your room for the rest of the night.Â
The next day you found out Peter had left for a mission already and MJ was acting really weird. Did she find out? Yes, but she chose not to tell you.Â
Too bad you read her mind already.Â
You were all going to London now, and Peter hadnât received any single call or message from you, which only fueled your anxiety. You bit your lip, wondering if he was okay, if he was hurt physically or emotionally or if he was safe.Â
"Yo Y/Nâ, Flash nudged you, âwhereâd you go at homecoming party, huh? We were all looking for you!"Â
So the old group had gathered around in the bus, and everyone was chatting and playing games. You hadnât been interested but got roped in pretty easily with some coaxing.Â
"I - um, so I needed a little breakâ, you said awkwardly, âyou know - from the party, so I went out for a breather."Â
"Really? Just a breather?â, MJ added, âBecause I donât recall you walking back inside."Â
"Yeah, me eitherâ, Chloe said, âit was as if you just went home or something."Â
You scratched the tip of your nose, tangling all threads tied to you together, switching everyoneâs thought process. You added fake scenes of you being present at the party, practically inserting them in everyoneâs minds.Â
"What are you guys talking about?â, you said a little more confidently, âI was definitely there."Â
"Hmm, now that you say itâ, Leah muses, âI think so too, yeah - I think we shared fruit punch together at the end, right?"Â
You smiled at her brightly, "Totally!"Â
Of course, the only person you had shared a punch with was currently God knows where doing who knows what and it pushed you further down the negativity spiral. What was wrong with you, losing sleep over something like that?Â
In London, while sight seeing a little thing had happened, and all of a sudden the bus was in shambles, and you got separated from Ned, MJ and the other group in the middle of all the chaos. Brad was right there with you, and you both took shelter under a shady roof, hearing pebbles pitter pattering down the metal of the roof like it was raining.Â
âGodâ, Brad huffed, "I hope MJ and the others are fine!"Â
You nodded, catching your breath, "I hope so too, also is there any network on your phone?"Â
He fished around his pockets for his phone, checking it with a frown, "Nope, you?"Â
You clicked your tongue, "How do we contact them now? Should we go out?"Â
Just then a drone like machine fell through the roof, piercing the metal like it was nothing and crashed between Brad and you. You both jumped in opposite directions trying to save yourselves from the blow, letting out a gasp.Â
"I donât really think we shouldâ, Brad suggested, flabbergasted as more and more drones began falling down from the sky, âI donât even know whatâs happening!"Â
You gasped for air, going back to that breathless party hall, feeling far from what could be called safe. A spark of fear shot through you, and you figured that it was a solid possibility that Brad could be the one having those thoughts about you back then.Â
Peter wasnât even here to save you right now.Â
You tried to conceal your fear, turning away from him. But then another thought arrived to you, unbidden - what if tried to attack you when you werenât looking?Â
You turned back around to find he standing right where he was, exhaling in relief. He groaned in frustration, "Ugh, what do we do?"Â
"I - I think we should get to another safe spot firstâ, you suggested, âYeah?"Â
The drones had stopped a little and chaos seemed to have settled down a bit. You both ventured out of the roof, stepping over broken boulders and scattered stones, trying not to trip.Â
"Be careful Y/Nâ, Brad warned you as you almost stumbled over a cracked pavement, âyou alright?"Â
Bradâs question fell on deaf ears, because you were frozen in place, only one thing before your eyes. He soon followed you trail of vision and let out an audible gasp in shock.Â
"I really like youâ, MJ said with a smile, bashful and glowing, âIâm sorry I didnât say it before. But I do."Â
You watched as she leaned forward and stole a kiss from his lips, pulling back shyly only to do it again.
You could hear blood roaring in your ears when Peter pushed ahead and grabbed her neck, kissing her again, this time deeper and better.Â
His mask was off, a blur of red and black that you hadnât seen before. Busted lip, blood trickling down his chin - it was as if his bruises were pricking at your own skin. Strangely enough, there was a red thread linking his index finger to yours, mocking you in your face.Â
He was probably thinking of telling you how awesome his first kiss with MJ was, you figured. You didnât touch it.Â
"Holy shitâ, Brad exclaimed next to you, âis that⌠MJâs kissing Spiderman!"Â
Only when Peterâs eyes met yours, a flash of recognition going off in those dreamy hazel irises did you realise how blurred your vision was. Moisture ran down your cheeks, dripping from your chin just as Peterâs blood did, and your hand went up to touch it, expecting a bloody red tinge in your tears.Â
There wasnât anything, just plain salty tears. You didnât even want to breathe anymore.Â
You grabbed a hold of Bradâs clenched fist, pulling him in the opposite direction from Peter, twisting his threads to erase any recognition of Peterâs face from his brain lest his identity got revealed.Â
"Woah - relax Y/N!â, he mumbled, his face pale and red rims beneath his eyes, âI just..â, he chuckled bitterly, âI just got my heart broken."Â
You paused, staring directly in his eyes with a small smile on your lips, "I know, me too."Â
The plane ride back home was the worst, you had to endure Peter and MJ's stupid PDA for nine whole hours, but finally the plane landed and thankfully he still hadnât confronted you about catching you crying back when he kissed MJ.Â
You briskly walked ahead of the couple that was holding hands, drenched in love. Ignoring the elephant in the the room was easier than addressing your feelings for him to his face at least.Â
May received them both with big smiles and you turned your head, heading home quietly. Once again, invisibility felt like a luxury. Especially from Peter.Â
A week had gone by and Midtown was buzzing with news about the new couple, rubbing salt to your wound everywhere you went. Mr Hall even asked you once if everything was fine, and when you read his mind you learned that he had his suspicions about your crush on Peter.Â
You had, of course waved him off saying it was just stress because finals were approaching. And then you threw yourself into studies, scouring pages over pages day and night trying to relearn what you just studied because you were distracted by daydreams of Peter.Â
In lunch breaks, you gave them privacy by sharing the popular groupâs table again, sometimes having Ned join you, sometimes not because his breakup with Betty was still fresh. You stayed busy, working on something or the other nonstop so you wouldnât have to talk to Peter or MJ that often, and even when you did it was clipped and awkward on your part.
It was astonishing how they didnât even realise it. You guessed thatâs how occupied with each other they were.Â
But then one day Peter called you, about seven times before you picked the phone.Â
"Peter? Hey, sorry I was busy -â, you started nonchalantly, hoping you didnât sound rude but he cut you off.Â
âC - can you come over, please?â, he asked you forlornly, âMy place, I mean."Â
Your brows knotted together, a dread settling in your belly, "Hey, what happened? Are you okay?"Â
You shrugged, flicking the channelâs to get to the news broadcasting, shocked to see his photo circulating on the news with the headline, âPeter Parker - the real Spiderman blasts innocent people on London, murdering the brave hero Mysterioâ.Â
â What the -â, you murmured in surprise, your heart beating fast, "Oh my god, Pete - how did this happen?"Â
"I donât knowâ, he replied in a small voice, âI just - can you please come here? Nedâs on his way too."Â
You nodded in understanding, "O - of course, Iâll be there in a minute.â Your mom didnât even get a chance to complain before you had fled out the door.Â
You jogged over to his place, picking up some sandwiches on the way to cheer him up. There were a bunch of reporters swarming outside his apartment, and you managed to grasp all their strings and manipulate their minds to forget about the news.Â
It was a temporary solution, but itâll do for now. You took the stairs, seven floors flying by you in a jiffy, the strain on your muscles only burning once you pressed the doorbell.Â
MJ opened the door, making you recoil just a little, but you covered it up with a small smile. âHey, Y/N.â, she greeted you in a flat tone, seeming shaken too.Â
You nodded at her, walking in straight towards Peter, who sat with his head between his hands, May by his side trying to comfort him. âHi, Peter.â, you breathed, offering him a kind smile when he looked up.
He didnât even try to smile, beautiful brown eyes swollen and frown lines on his forehead. He stared at you with pursed lips as you took a seat next to him, scooting closer to him on the sofa despite MJâs scrunched nose at your action.Â
âHeyâ, you said again, placing a comforting hand on his knee, âPete, how are you holding up?"Â
"What am I gonna do now?â, he asked you with a heartbreaking quiver in his bottom lip, âTheyâre all coming at me."Â
You bit your lip, wanting to hug him tight just to take some of his pain away. You patted his knee, "Donât - donât worry about it too much, weâll figure out a way to -"Â
"Itâs out in the world, Y/Nâ, he interrupted you, face crumbled in defeat, âand everyoneâs thinking Iâm the bad guy! What do I do now?"Â
May gazed at you with a sympathetic look, "Heâs been getting hate mail nonstop, Iâm sure you saw the reporters down there too."Â
Peterâs face morphed into concern, "Oh right - did they harass you? Are you fine?"Â
You nodded, "Yeah, I - um, took care of them. Donât worry about me, Iâm always okayâ, you smiled weakly, âtry not to read all the hate comments, yeah?"Â
He rolled his eyes, âYouâd know better than to tell me that, wonât you?âÂ
You chuckled, looking at the other people in the room nervously, "I guessâ, you said, âbut still - I gotta say that, right?"Â
He nodded, probably reminded of all the times he had told you to just not focus on the negative thoughts. "Nedâs lateâ, he said, âI hope heâs okay."Â
Suddenly, an idea came to you, and your grip on his knee tightened. "Hey, I - I thinkâ, you trailed off, glancing at MJ pensively, âUmâŚ"Â
Peter got the hint pretty easily, and stood up. You stood up too, and MJ opened her mouth to say something but he stopped her.Â
"Weâll just - uh, be back in a second, is that cool?â, he directed the question at May, and the older woman nodded calmly.Â
Peter held you by your wrist, the red thread spooled between your palms as he led you to his room, shutting the door behind him. Your gaze cast around the room, taking in his uniqueness littered all over the bed and desk.Â
This was Peterâs room, you thought, as he sat you on his bunk bed. He crouched down, meeting you at eye level setting the pace of your heart beat higher.Â
âCan you -â, he swallowed with hope, âcan you do something about this?"Â
You licked your lips, "I can try. I mean - the whole world knows about this, so itâs not possible to erase everyoneâs thoughts.â, you went on, watching his faceâs light diminish.
âLook, Peteâ, you took both his hands in yours, squeezing them with care, âYouâre⌠Practically tied with like thousands of threads right now."Â
He raised a brow, "I am?"Â
You nodded, "Yeah, like, literally tied up in a bunch of them. I can change all those thoughts, but it only lasts as long as they watch the news and find out again."Â
His face became thoughtful, eyes pooling with several emotions. The red thread between his and your hand was glowing, different from all others. You didnât touch it, but kept staring at it.Â
"Do you think we should do that?â, he said finally, âI mean - is it even worth the effort?"Â
You sighed, "I donât know, to be honest. But letâs give it a try?"Â
He nodded, "So youâll just⌠Make them think that this didnât happen?"Â
You hummed in agreement, letting go of his hands and bending down to collect all strings together. Both your hands were barely enough to hold all of them together, and you purposely left out your red one in case it altered Peterâs mind too.Â
He was staring at you, dazed and you bunched the threads together. "Ready?â, you asked him, âHere we go."Â
You twisted the threads, your body hit by a million words at once, hitting your brain like physical, tangible needles all at once. You grunted in pain as your head throbbed, not letting go of the threads even though you really wanted to.Â
Peterâs hands came up to your shoulders in a futile attempt to comfort you. Dizziness came to you, your thoughts swirling together. It was as if you were floating, tiny black dots swimming in your vision.Â
He looked worried, you noted, before passing out on his bed. You stayed semi conscious, actually - registering Peterâs hurried movements around you and the burn of his gaze on your skin. Your head could be bursting like a giant firecracker, or so it seemed, but you knew one thing for sure.Â
You had successfully manipulated memories of thousands of people to save Peterâs identity.Â
A hot hand lightly tapped your cheek, and your eyes fluttered open. Peterâs face came to your mind, and then in your sight.Â
"Oh god, you passed out!â, he fretted, supporting your back and helping you sit up. âAre you fine?!"Â
You groaned, "Yeah, m'okay, I - I think it worked."Â
He blinked, "Y/N, I donât care about that right now - you just blacked out!"Â
You laughed, "Pete, I donât think thatâs a matter of concern right nowâ, you rubbed your temples, âit happens sometimes when I alter a lot of minds together."Â
"Well you should have told me that before, you dummy!â, he chided you, flicking your nose, âI was scared shit!"Â
You smiled, your heart brimming with your feelings for him. Now would be a nice time to tell him, no? His face was so close to yours, hand on your shoulder and you were both on his bed.Â
So of course, you decided to stay quiet and swallowed your words again.Â
Peter seemed to have felt the tension too, because he wordlessly backed away from you. You both sat cross legged on the bed, facing each other.Â
"Obviously, mind control is out of the question nowâ, he mused more to himself, âI guess - we donât have any other choice, hmm?"Â
You smiled at him, "I think you should face this, Peteâ, you said soothingly, âI mean - it wonât be easy of course, but thatâs the best way, isnât it?"Â
You reached out to hug him again, pressing a chaste kiss on his temple. Tears sprang to your eyes at his vulnerability, but the scene was cut short by the sound of the door banging.Â
"What are you guys doing in there?â, MJ asked with a slight edge to her tone, âAnd whyâs the door locked?"Â
You sprang apart, Peterâs face flushed and your cheeks flaming hot. He jumped out of bed and unlatched the door stopper, letting MJ in.Â
"We were justâ, he lied, âdiscussing what to do."Â
You nodded along, grateful that he didnât reveal your secret to MJ. MJ eyed you both in suspicion, but didnât say anything. "Anyway Nedâs here, he hasnât even checked the news can you believe it?â
You exchanged a knowing look with Peter, glad that your mind control worked. He smiled a little and you both came out of his room. Ned was waiting there, and it seemed that May had filled him in on what had happened.Â
â Hey man, Iâm so sorry â, he said, hugging Peter immediately, âI had no idea, weird right?"Â
You winked at Peter when he glanced at you, and then you all sat down again. May treated you all to lunch, and when you all parted goodbye to your Spiderman friend you wished him good luck to face the next day.Â
Unfortunately, the next day, present day now, came with a lot of surprises for Peter and you. First came the finals dates announcement, which to be fair wasnât that important in comparison to the other things.Â
Then came the pressing questions, all aimed at Peter - outrage, hate, pure ugly hatred directed at him for everything that he hadnât even done. Even the teachers were convinced Peter was the bad guy in this situation.Â
But worse was MJâs silence through the accusations. You nad Ned had been defending Peter nonstop since the morning, but MJ hadnât so much as uttered a word in his defence.Â
This came as a surprise, especially for Peter who had expected his usually wonderful and fierce girlfriend to stand up for him. MJ had her own point of view - one you couldnât argue with in fact.Â
"Peter, you need to give them timeâ, she tutted wisely, flipping a page of her textbook in the detention hall (neither of them had detention but, still), âLondonâs attack was pretty recent, you canât expect us all to just forget about it."Â
You had walked in then, to hand some papers to Mrs Hill then. "Oh good youâre hereâ, she said in relief, âwatch over those two, yes? I need a washroom break."Â
You nodded obediently, taking seat in a chair behind them. MJ turned to you, "Help me out here, Y/Nâ, she said, âDonât you remember what happened in London?"Â
You stiffened, remembering a lot more than you wanted to. "Um⌠Yeah, I guessâ, you said in a cringey voice, âbut then again - we canât just let everyone blame Peter for something he didnât do."Â
"Itâs not about Peter being right or wrongâ, she corrected you, âthis is just the mass reacting to a situation, and you cannot control this kind of opposition no matter how right you are."Â
You frowned, "MJ, weâre not talking about kingdoms and governments, this is Peter - our Peter!"Â
She sighed, "You wonât be able to convince everyone that heâs right. This works just likeâ, she searched for an example, âlike how celebrities do - none of them are free from hate, right?"Â
You nodded, at a loss of words. Peter had become somewhat of a celebrity after the whole fiasco. Spiderman had been a popular figure before that already, so that didnât help either.Â
"All I wanted was for you to just tell them not to come at me like vulturesâ, Peter hissed, âis that too much to ask for?"Â
"You literally cannot stomp over mass aggression, Peter!â, MJ argued back, both their faces tense and angry.Â
You gulped, wanting to stay away from the fight. It didnât feel right, them being twitchy and annoyed with each other.Â
âIt wasnât that hard for Y/N to shut them down.â, Peter grumbled, regretting it as soon as he saw MJâs face.Â
âWell thatâs because Y/N is popular in school, unlike some of us!â, MJ huffed back, her words sounding like stabs at you even though you knew she didnât mean to.Â
Thankfully, Mrs Hill was back then, and you quickly rushed outside, not wanting to create more conflict between them. Peterâs red thread was still latched onto your earring, but you didnât dare touch it.
For the whole day you received part of the hate from all people who had seen you defend Peter, and it got so bad that at one point you had to excuse yourself to the washroom in order to escape the guilt of snooping around in other peopleâs brains.
You had no idea Peter would follow you outside, but when you emerged from the girlâs washroom he was waiting out for you, arms crossed. You offered him a wobbly smile, and he seemed to have picked up the message.
âWanna get out of here?â, you said, his voice hoarse and face devoid of any emotions.
âSure.â, you replied, letting him guide you to the schoolâs back entrance.
His arm snaked around your waist and you both took a leap across the tall gates that were locked right now, landing on the other side smoothly. Dusting your jeans, you waited for him to decide where to go.
âLetâs go to Mr Delmarâs shopâ, he suggested, eyes twinkling, âI hope he doesnât kick me out.â
You smiled at him, âHeâd never kick you out, Pete.â
Indeed, Mr Delmar was kind to him, and listened to his rambling about being wrongly blamed with great patience. He even offered you two a free treat, and you spent the afternoon playing with Murph and munching on sandwiches. With Peter, the silence was always amicable.
A few days went by and finals were inching closer, and the relationship between Peter and MJ only went downhill. More and more fights, several of which were because of you, although you didnât really wish for that to happen, and then came the breaking point after three weeks.Â
MJ called it quits, realising that their friendship would get destroyed if they let their possessiveness and jealousy get the best of them. Thankfully, the arguments toned down a bit after the boyfriend - girlfriend actor was out of the picture and for a brief period you felt like you were back to normalcy, four friends who had unresolved feelings for each other.
At least, you knew for a act that MJ did. Peter, you werenât quite sure, because recently his moods had been fluctuating like crazy. The only resemblance of his past self came out when you both would stroll aimlessly about the town after school or sneak out sometimes.
The intensity of hatred towards him, both of you had gone down as well, but people hadnât forgotten Spidermanâs evil deeds in London yet. It took Happy a great deal of digging around to find evidence against Mysterio, and even after an official press conference and statement later which proved Peterâs innocence, majority of people still were dicey with regard to his credibility.
âDid you get hurtâ, Peter asked you out of the blue one day, âback at London?â
You took a swig of your juice, hanging out at his apartment with him and May, âNope, why?â
âWell, I swear I saw you cryingâ, he muttered, forehead lined with a crease, âIâm sure I did.â
âCookies? Anyone want some fresh cookies?â, May chimed in on purpose, âIâll get them, okay?â
You knew what she was hinting at, especially after that wink she sent you. But were you ready to confess to him just a few days after his break up? You didnât think youâd ever truly be ready for that.
âOh hey, didnât Brad see me as Spiderman back then?â, Peter mused, âHe didnât talk about it later though.â
You rolled your eyes, âThatâs because I made him forget that part to save your cover!â
His eyes widened in recognition, a grateful smile dancing on his lips. âYouâre a lifesaver, thanks Y/N!â
âNevermind thatâ, you mumbled shyly, âjust tell me if youâre prepared for finals or not, I badly need help!â
âIâm always here for youâ, he grinned, oblivious to the butterflies left rampant in your belly when he said that, âam I not?"Â
"Yesâ, you smiled, a bittersweet ache in your chest, âyou always are."Â
And so finals came around the corner, your evenings spent holed up in the library with Ned and Peter and occasionally MJ, who seemed to maintain a distance with him whenever possible.Â
Rumours were rampant during finals week, all sorts of things about your relationship with Spiderman. Speculations about you dating Peter had increased, and at least thrice you had been asked whether you two were together or not.Â
You were astounded by how unfazed Peter was when youâd tell him what everyone was thinking about you two. It was as if he didnât mind that at all, and it was excruciating because it gave you hope. You didnât want to dwell on hope, but the flame never burned out either.Â
Since people werenât completely trusting of him, you were often by yourselves, giving him plenty of time to learn everything about you and vice versa. Sometimes youâd both read random peopleâs minds, and then pretend you didnât out of guilt.Â
Peter stared at you a lot lately, to a point where you could feel heat radiating off your cheeks under his gaze.Â
"What are you looking at?â, you asked him once boldly, daring him to cross the line you had been dancing over for a long time.Â
âYou.â, he replied casually, pencil spinning between his deft fingers, âWhat else? Youâre pretty."Â
You tucked a strand of hair behind your hair, blushing, "Sure, okay.â, you said in a high voice.Â
âYou were crying back at London, werenât you?â, he said again, leaning impossibly closer to you.Â
You sighed, âYes, I was. What about it?"Â
Finals were over, and vacations were on, which meant more hanging out with Peter. Like right now, you were both hiding in his room, doodling and chatting about stuff.Â
"Why?â, he pressed on, his eyes darkening, âDid - did Brad do something?"Â
You paused, "No, of course not. Iâll admit, for a second I did think he would, but he really liked MJ so much I donât think heâd ever take a chance with me."Â
Peter hummed, face betraying no signs of jealousy over Bradâs obsession over his ex girlfriend. He crossed his legs, falling on his back on the bed. You cracked your knuckles, stretching your feet on his chair.Â
"So why were you crying?"Â
You huffed, "I donât knowâ, you lied, âjust because."Â
"I donât think soâ, he muttered suspiciously, âsomeday Iâll extract the truth from you."Â
You laughed, "You really wish you could read my mind right now, donât you?"Â
He laughed too, "Yeah, I do."Â
"Well, let me make it easier for youâ, you said slyly, âI am thinking of Murph right now."Â
He clicked his tongue, "I really didnât expect someone like you to like Delmarâs when we first hung out, ya know?"Â
You raised a brow, "Someone like me?"Â
He shifted, facing you, "You know⌠Popular, pretty - cool. I think Delmarâs was for losers like me.â
You glared at him, âI hate it when you say that, Pete."Â
He rolled his eyes, "I know, I know - Iâm not a loser, I love myself, weâre all super positive in this houseâ, he joked, âbut back then I thought youâd never be friends with nerds like Ned and me."Â
You scoffed, "I was friends with Flash, just think how desperate for friends I was!â, you groaned, âI was so pathetic it makes me cringe."Â
He grinned, "Flash really was a bad choice, Iâll admit. But I donât blame you for itâ, he said thoughtfully, the red thread between him and you hanging loosely, âI can imagine how tough it is⌠With the mind reading and all."Â
You hugged your knees closer to your chest, "I guess so, but itâs okay now. Iâve got you, eh?â
He smiled, âYep, youâve got me."Â
College applications and high school graduation sped past Peter and you, your friendship deeper and stronger. Everyone at school had predicted that if any girl could become a permanent partner for Peter, (who had miraculously gone from a loser to a Heartbreaking hero that girls flirted with), itâd be Midtownâs Princess - you.Â
It made sense that you could handle him without getting hurt in a relationship, like Liz and MJ failed to do. MJ remained close friends with you guys, but her choice of college was farther away from yours.
On the other hand, you ended up rooming with your two year long crush now, the domestic lifestyle feeling natural and easygoing with Peter. It was as if you were both meant for this kind of thing.Â
"Whatcha thinkinâ ?â, he whispered to you, flicking the channels of the TV. Â
You were both entangled on the couch May had gifted you guys for the new college year, the blanket messed between your limbs and an empty popcorn bowl strewn on the floor.Â
You shifted, nestling further in the crook of his neck, âMm, nothingâ, you murmured, âJust wondering how we got here. You and me."Â
He chuckled, eyes glued to the screen, "Yeah? I guess if you told me two years back that our schoolâs most popular girl would be my best friend and roomie, I wouldnât believe it either."Â
You giggled, "I know, right? I wouldnât ever have the idea that Iâd finally get Peter Parker to be my friend - an actual friend!"Â
He smiled lazily, "Why me? You had many friends.â
âThey werenât⌠Friends, I think.â, you said, âI mean yeah, the whole school knew me but you? You know me, you know what I mean?"Â
He nodded, "I guess so."Â
You stared at the red thread looped around your hands, pointing at it to him. "Youâre always thinking of meâ, you remarked, âthat threadâs always there."Â
He didnât deny it, "Yes, but youâre thinking of me too, arenât you?"Â
You nodded, a warm confidence bubbling in you. "Hey, remember when you said you wanted to read my mind?"Â
He sat upright, attention shifting on you, "What about it?"Â
You bent down, picked up the red thread and held it out for him, "I donât know if this will workâ, you said nervously, âbut Iâll give it a try."Â
His hand hovered over yours, and you guided the thread into his palm. Closing his fingers around the thread, you closed your eyes.Â
He blinked, fist tightening around the thread that was invisible to him. He gawked at you as you laid your innermost thoughts bare for him, exposing your state of mind at London, at homecoming and right now to him.Â
"Did you justâŚ?â, he reeled, voice barely audible and a deep red flush, akin to the string that always connected him and you blooming on his cheeks.Â
You nodded, your heart beating loudly. You didnât want to hide it anymore, simple as that. You tipped your head towards him, smiling when he did too. You released the thread from your grip, not needing to peer into his mind anymore. His eyes were enough for that.Â
He let go of the thread when your lips met.Â
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