๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ - ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ซ
peter parker x fem!reader
summary: peter finds you at a party, years after the world forgot him
contains: angst, ex-relationship, reader forgot peterย
word count: 1.75k
song rec: mr. brightside - the killers
It was something you and Peter discussed often, the both of you both being homebodies. But in the four years since Peter Parker was erased from the world, that seemed to have changed. Otherwise there was no reason why Peter wouldโve been standing in some cramped apartment where the stench of bodies and blasting music were giving him a headache. The constant popping of bottle caps, the shuffling of feet, and the stingy, warm air sent his spider senses crazy. He felt like he was in a constant state of paranoiaโ or maybe that was just the new powers he seemed to be developing. Organic webs, heightened sensesโฆhe didnโt know what was happening to him, but he did know that if he was still yours, you wouldโve made it all better.
So Peter shuffled through the mob, scanning the crowd for your face. He had heard about the party from a friendโa classmate really. Peter didnโt have friends anymore, it was too dangerous. After all, there was a reason you had been forced to forget him. He was starting to give up and prepare to go home when he heard the sweet melody of your laughter cut through the air. He turned in the direction of the sound and followed it into the kitchen.ย
Peter swore he felt his heart stop. You had only gotten more beautiful since he last saw you. Youโd grown into your features more and your hair was a little longer, maybe a bit lighter too from sun exposure. Peter felt self conscious, he didnโt feel like heโd changed all that much. Maybe put on some more muscle, and his own hair was longer and curlier too, but he was still just plain old Peter Parker. You, however, were something out of this world, a work of art that'd escaped from the MET. But that wasnโt what had made Peter fall in love with you. No, you were so much more than just raw beauty.ย
Peter could remember the day he realized he loved you. The two of you were barely fourteen and you had gone out to get ice cream to celebrate finals being over. You were sitting in a park in Queens, exchanging jokes while ice cream dripped down your wrists. A young girl, no more than six, ran across the pavement before you. She had tripped and scraped up her knee and was laying at your feet crying. Peter watched as you instantly knelt down to help the girl up, dropping your ice cream in the process. You looked for her mother, but once you realized the girl was alone you scooped her up into your arms and set off for the nearest water fountain to clean the cut. Peter had been instructed by you to try and find the girlโs mother while you fixed her up. By the time Peter had returned with the girlโs frantically worried mother, the young girl was sitting next to you laughing with a fresh cone of strawberry ice cream and a Hello Kitty Bandaid. The girl was whisked away as her mother thanked the two of you profusely.ย
Peter wished he could go back to when his biggest trouble was finding a girlโs mother and figuring out how to tell you he loved you. He hadnโt known it then, but just one borough over in Manhattan, Dr. Strange was safeguarding one of six infinity stones that would turn Peterโs life upside down.ย
The boy looked at you now, six years older and effortlessly beautiful. You sat on a countertop chatting with MJ and Ned. Peter was glad the three of you were still friends, there was still a sense of normalcy in that regard. Gathering his nerve, the brunette started to make his way over to you. He threw down the last of his drink (not that he could get drunk easily, a Spiderman side effect) and strided towards the kitchen. His heart skipped a beat as you caught his gaze, offering the friendly smile you always gave to strangers. Peter opened his mouth, beginning to call your name when his voice caught in his throat.
You had turned away from Peter and towards a man he had never seen before. The man put his arms around you and brought you into a kiss. You were touching him the way you used to touch Peter: tender and caring, full of love in a way that was so natural to you. Because thatโs how you were, loving and kind without a single ounce of malice in your body. Peter knew he shouldnโt stare and he had to force his eyes to tear away from the scene before him. His body was on fire with jealousy. He felt so betrayed, even if he knew that wasnโt fair. As far as you were aware, the two of you had never met in your life. But Peter knew the truth. He knew about the nights spent on your roof stargazing, the dinners he brought you to at the Avengersโ compoundโ a place now scrapped for parts as the deaths of Tony and Natasha had killed what was left of an already fractured team. Peter hadnโt seen Bucky or Sam in years โ not that they would know him anymore โ but you were always a favorite of the pair. He turned away from you, not able to bear seeing you kiss someone that wasnโt him, when he heard someone call his name.
โPeter?โ It was MJโs voice. Could she have remembered himโฆ?
He met her gaze and she smiled. โIโm MJ, we have Stats together, right? Thanks for coming to the party.โย
โUh, y-yeah, we do,โ he stuttered out, his gaze fixed behind the girl.
MJ smiled uneasily, turning her head to see what Peter was looking at. You had jumped off the counter now and were laughing at his jokes. Peter couldnโt help but think how that shouldโve been him making you laugh.ย
โDo you know her or do you just like to stare creepily at people?โ MJโs voice snapped him back to reality. He couldnโt help but crack a small smile. MJ was still the same.ย
โOh- uh, she just looks really familiar. Trying to figure out if I know her is all, yeah.โ Peter winced at his bad excuse.ย
โCoolโฆwant me to introduce you? See if she recognizes you?โ MJ offered.ย
Like thatโs even possible, Peter thought.ย
He was about to decline MJโs offer when he saw that she had already called you over. Your familiar scent hit him and all the memories of your teenage love came flooding back to him. You hadnโt changed your perfume since you were sixteen, and if Peter didnโt love it so much, he wouldโve cursed you for it.ย
โHi! Iโm Y/N,โ you smiled brightly at him.ย
โPeter.โ He watched your face, searching desperately for any sign of recognition at the sound of his name. Nothing.
โOh, well itโs nice to meet you Peter! Do you go to ESU too?โ You took a sip of your drink. Peter couldnโt help but glance at your lips and think about how it used to feel to kiss you. How much love you put into every touch, how you always made him feel seen when the world made him feel invisible.ย
He was going to answer when the man who had kissed you before came back. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, dark hair sliding into his face. He was slightly taller than Peter, but not by much. Peter couldnโt help but notice how the man looked a bit like him. At least he was still your type.ย
โHey, babe. Whoโs this?โ he asked, his voice rough like a smoker. You hated smoking.
Peter flashbacked to a conversation the two of you had shared on the roof of the Avengers compound upstate. You had told him how you hated the pet name โbabeโ, how it felt shallow and insincere to you. You explained how the term was too surface level and how it felt like the same concept as one-night stands. Peter had laughed at that, thinking it was extreme at the time, but he saw how it meant something to you. โBabe isnโt a loving term. Watch any Hollywood movie and youโll see them call skinny girls in tiny tops โbabesโ. I donโt want to be a โbabeโ, I want to be someoneโs love.โ Peter had told you that you were his love.
โThis is Peter! Peter, this is Matt, my boyfriend,โ you spoke softly.
Peter flinched at that word: boyfriend. He was supposed to be your boyfriend. The word he once associated with the best time of his life now sparked an unsettling amount of jealousy in him.
โNice to meet you, man.โ Peter shook Mattโs hand politely. He felt himself tense at how unintentionally harsh Mattโs handshake was. How could you let a guy like this touch you?ย
Peter suddenly felt the urge to throw up just from looking at the two of you. Rashly, he said, โListen, I gotta go, but it was nice meeting you guys.โย
โOf course,โ you smiled warmly at him. Matt clapped his shoulder in a friendly manner and MJ raised her eyebrows, silently bidding him goodbye.ย
Peterโs gaze lingered on you a second longer before he headed to the door. He turned around one last time, eyes flicking back to where you stood hanging onto Mattโs arm and chatting with MJ. Peterโs arm lit up with the ghost of your touch and he could remember the time when you would wrap your hands around his bicep, always preferring the close intimacy of it over holding hands. He watched you laugh, but Peter could tell it was fake; practiced. You hated parties, you hated small talk, and you hated crowds. Peter missed your deep conversations, the hours you spent exchanging questions because you believed conversation was the deepest form of intimacy. He missed all of it: the jokes, the secrets, the kisses, the philosophical discussions, and the movie nights. He missed how you nerded out about your favorite movies, how you couldnโt help but whisper facts about them in the lulls of scenes. Most of all, he just missed you.
As he stepped out the door of the cramped apartment, Peter met your gaze one last time. And this time, he swore he saw an ounce of recognition in your curious eyes, if even for just a moment.
