#I guess like if Peter had a little hero group

[theshadowrealmitself]

I think it’d be funny if Aaron met Peter and his friends (like MJ and Harry) after he starts mentoring Miles, and realizes that somehow he’s the most well-adjusted out of all them

Especially funnier if he’s the Prowler in that situation

[evermoreness]

moonlight and mending pt. 3 | remus lupin

pairing: remus lupin x reader

summary: remus is letting himself be taken care of, only if it's you the one taking care of him.

obs: this is the third part of a series. here's part one and part four.

masterlist

The morning sunlight was filtering softly through the high windows of the hospital wing, casting a warm golden hue over everything. It had been a couple hours since you first arrived, since you had carefully patched Remus up and watched over him as he drifted into sleep.

Now, it was time for you to leave.

You glanced at the clock. Classes would be starting soon, and though you would have gladly stayed with him longer, you knew you had to go.

Still, you wanted to check on him one last time.

Remus was sprawled out in the hospital bed, his breaths even and deep. His face, which had been tense with pain just hours before, was now relaxed. The fever had finally broken. He wasn’t shivering anymore, wasn’t wincing in his sleep every time he moved.

You let out a quiet breath of relief.

He was okay.

With a soft smile, you leaned down and gently ran your fingers through his hair, smoothing out the messy strands that had been damp with sweat hours ago.

"Much better," you murmured.

He didn’t stir. He was completely lost to sleep, exhausted beyond belief.

You hesitated for a moment, then, before you could second-guess yourself, you pressed the lightest of kisses to his cheek.

"Rest well, Remus," you whispered against his skin.

And then, with one last fond glance at him, you turned and left for class.

You stopped by your dorm, quickly changing into your uniform. You skipped breakfast since you had less than ten minutes to get into your Charms class.

You had barely made it halfway down the corridor when a familiar group of boys practically ambushed you.

"There she is!" Sirius Black announced dramatically, spreading his arms as if you were some kind of long-lost hero.

"Finally!" James Potter added, crossing his arms. "We’ve been waiting for you!"

Peter Pettigrew, standing slightly behind them, waved awkwardly. "Uh… morning!"

You raised an amused eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"

"That depends," James said, looking at you seriously. "How’s Remus?"

Sirius leaned in, eyes scanning your face like he could read the answer before you even said it. "Is he alright? Did he wake up yet? Did Pomfrey give you the scary 'No Marauders Allowed' speech again?"

You let out a soft laugh, shaking your head. "Remus is okay, I promise. He’s still sleeping, but his fever is gone, and he’s not looking half-dead anymore."

The tension in the air immediately eased. James let out a relieved sigh, running a hand through his already-messy hair. Sirius dramatically clutched his chest. "Oh, thank Merlin—I was prepared to cause a scene!"

Peter smiled, looking genuinely relieved. "That’s good… he was in bad shape last night."

Your smile softened. "Yeah. But he’s strong."

James grinned. "He is. But we still want to see him."

You gave them a knowing look. "You do remember that you lot are banned from the hospital wing, right?"

Sirius scoffed. "Banned is a strong word."

James nodded. "I prefer… restricted."

"Madam Pomfrey literally threatened to hex us out last time," Peter reminded them.

Sirius huffed. "Well, maybe she should consider that we love Remus and just want to check on him!"

You laughed, shaking your head. "I don’t make the rules, boys. And Pomfrey was already giving me looks for staying there all morning."

Sirius gave you an exaggerated gasp. "You stayed all morning?"

James waggled his eyebrows. "Oh, Moony’s gonna love that when he wakes up."

You felt warmth creep up your cheeks. "I was just taking care of him! It’s my job, remember?"

Sirius smirked. "Yeah, yeah, of course. Totally professional."

"Still," James added, his gaze unusually soft, "it means a lot. He—Remus doesn’t let people take care of him easily. You must be special."

You shrugged, suddenly feeling a little flustered. "It’s what I do."

James nudged your shoulder playfully. "Did you at least tell him how wonderful and heroic we are while he was half-conscious?"

You rolled your eyes. "Oh, absolutely. The first thing I did was sing your praises."

Sirius gasped dramatically. "You mock us!"

Peter giggled, while James just grinned. "Alright, fair enough."

You nodded. "Well, I can assure you Rem is okay. Still exhausted, though."

"Not that we don’t completely trust Madam Pomfrey," James started, rubbing the back of his neck, "but we also know she likes to keep us from seeing him after—"

"After he gets sick," Sirius finished quickly, cutting James off.

You raised an eyebrow at that.

Sick. Right.

That was the excuse they were going with.

You had long accepted that whatever happened to Remus on those nights was something none of them wanted to talk about. He had given you some vague excuse about a "chronic illness," and the Marauders never elaborated.

You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could say anything, the bell rang loudly in the distance, signaling the start of the first class.

You glanced at the clock down the hall. "Well, I have class to get to, and so do you."

Sirius groaned. "Ugh, don’t remind me."

James sighed. "Fine, fine. But you’ll let us know when Moony wakes up, yeah?"

You smiled. "Of course."

"Good," James said. "We’d love to see our dear friend—"

"—even though Madam Pomfrey doesn’t love us," Sirius added with a wink.

Peter nodded. "Just tell him we asked about him, okay?"

You nodded. "I will. I promise."

And with that, you waved them off and hurried to your first class—your heart just a little lighter knowing how loved Remus truly was.

And by lunchtime, your mind was still circling back to him.

No matter how hard you tried to focus on your classes, your quill twirling mindlessly between your fingers, your thoughts always drifted back to the way you had left him that morning—still asleep, his breathing even, looking far too pale for your liking.

And, more than anything, you couldn't shake the unease in you chest.

Because this was the second time.

And the second time was no coincidence.

You sat in the Great Hall, your plate barely touched, thoughts still tangled in worry when the Marauders slid into their usual seats near you.

"Oi, looking a bit lost in thought there, love," Sirius quipped, nudging you with his shoulder as he plopped down beside you.

You blinked, snapping out of your daze. "Just thinking."

"Thinking about a certain sickly, scarred, and ridiculously stubborn friend of ours?" James asked knowingly, raising an eyebrow as he tore into a piece of bread.

You huffed. "Maybe."

Sirius smirked. "Knew it."

You turned to face them fully, your arms crossing over your chest. "Speaking of which… what exactly happened to him?"

The boys stilled for half a second. Not enough for anyone else to notice, but you did.

James, of course, was the first to recover. "Ah, well, you know Remus. Always finding himself in a bit of trouble."

You narrowed your eyes. "Remus doesn’t get in trouble."

"Sure he does!" Sirius cut in smoothly. "He, uh, wandered too close to the Whomping Willow, didn’t he, James?"

"Yep! Whomping Willow. Terrible thing. Nearly ate him." James nodded, voice far too casual.

You gave them a deadpan stare. "The Whomping Willow?"

"Yep," Sirius confirmed.

Peter, sitting across from you, fidgeted slightly. "Not the first time either," he mumbled under his breath.

Your ears perked. "What?"

James and Sirius immediately kicked him under the table.

Peter let out a small squeak and shot them a guilty look before shoving a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth as if that would help.

Your eyes narrowed further. "Not the first time?" You repeated, gaze now locked onto James and Sirius.

"Ah—what Peter meant to say," James said quickly, "is that, you know, Remus does tend to have bad luck. Falls down stairs all the time."

You scoffed. "Falls down stairs?"

"Oh, all the time," Sirius added, nodding rapidly. "Absolute menace to himself, that one."

"And yet, I’ve never seen him trip over anything in my life." You raised an eyebrow.

"He's very good at hiding it," James shot back.

You folded your arms. "And this always happens in the early morning?"

The three of them stiffened.

Peter suddenly found his soup very interesting.

James was pretending to be fascinated by a piece of lettuce.

Sirius, to his credit, managed to keep his smirk, though you could see the flicker of hesitation in his eyes. "Well, you see, mornings are dangerous. Whole castle is a death trap, really."

You let out a frustrated sigh. "Do you lot think I’m stupid?"

James, Sirius, and Peter all quickly shook their heads.

"Then why are you feeding me the most ridiculous excuses I’ve ever heard?"

James coughed. "Because they’re not excuses."

"They are," you shot back. "Remus never gets in trouble, he doesn’t just fall down the stairs or pick fights with the Whomping Willow, and this is the second time I’ve seen him like that." You leaned forward, voice softer now, but still insistent. "You’re hiding something. I know you are."

The three of them exchanged glances.

And for a moment, you thought—just maybe—they might crack.

But then Sirius leaned back, throwing an arm lazily over the back of the bench. "Listen, love, I get it. You care about him."

Your expression softened just a fraction.

"But," he continued, tone firmer now, "Remus is very good at taking care of himself. If there was something really wrong, don’t you think he’d tell you?"

You frowned. "I don’t know."

Sirius’ smirk twitched slightly. "Exactly."

You hesitated.

Because that was true, wasn’t it? If Remus wanted to tell you, wouldn’t he have done so by now?

After a long moment, you exhaled slowly, rubbing your temples.

"Fine," you muttered. "I won’t push."

James looked relieved. "That’s all we ask."

Sirius grinned. "Good girl."

You rolled your eyes but didn’t argue.

Still…

You weren't stupid.

They were hiding something.

And if they wouldn’t tell you, you would just have to figure it out yourself.

The second you had a free moment after lunch, you ran to the hospital wing.

It wasn’t that you didn’t believe the Marauders when they said Remus would be fine, but—well, actually, no, you didn’t believe them. Because how could you? They were clearly hiding something. And besides, you had left Remus in the early hours of the morning looking absolutely wrecked. Even if magic worked wonders, you needed to see for yourself that he was okay.

You burst through the doors of the hospital wing, slightly out of breath, your heart pounding in your ears.

And there he was.

Sitting up in bed, very much awake, staring horrified at a steaming bowl of something thick and greyish that Madam Pomfrey had placed in front of him. His hair was damp and he already had another set of clothes on. Which meant Madam Pomfrey made him take a shower in the hospital wing just moments before you got there.

You bit your lip to stifle a laugh.

Remus immediately perked up when he saw you. His tired amber eyes brightened just a bit, and his shoulders, which had been tense, visibly relaxed.

"You're back," he said, voice still a little hoarse but significantly better than before.

"Of course I am," you said with a small smile, walking over to his bedside. "You didn’t think I’d leave you to suffer alone, did you?"

Remus glanced pointedly at the bowl. "Clearly, you should have."

You did laugh this time. "That bad?"

He lowered his voice into a dramatic whisper. "Worse."

You peered into the bowl. "Oh."

"Oh?" Remus echoed. "That’s all you have to say? Not even mentioning how Madam Pomfrey wants to poison me?"

You raised an eyebrow. "It’s food, Remus."

He scowled. "That’s debatable."

Madam Pomfrey bustled over before you could respond. "Ah, good, you’re here," she said to you. "Make sure he eats all of it, will you?"

Remus gaped at you. "That’s cruel and unusual punishment."

Madam Pomfrey ignored him. "He needs the strength."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," you said obediently, though you were trying very hard not to grin.

The moment Madam Pomfrey turned her back, Remus pouted at you. Actually pouted.

"You like this, don’t you?" he accused.

You smirked. "A little."

"I thought you were supposed to be the nice one," he muttered.

"I am nice," you said sweetly. "Which is why I’m making sure you eat."

Remus groaned. "But this looks deadly..."

"You’re not going to die, Remus."

"I might," he argued.

"You won’t," you assured him. "Now, come on, open up."

He stared at you. "Are you actually going to feed me?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Would that make it better or worse?"

Remus sighed heavily, picked up the spoon, and dipped it into the soup-like substance. "I just want you to know that I’m doing this only because you’re here," he said before taking a reluctant bite.

You beamed. "Good."

Remus scrunched his face. "Merlin’s beard," he muttered, forcing himself to swallow. "That’s horrific."

You giggled. "But you’re eating it, which means it’s working."

"Debatable," he grumbled.

You sat down beside him, crossing your legs. "How are you feeling, though? Really."

Remus glanced at you.

You looked genuinely concerned, your brows slightly furrowed, your lips pressed together in worry.

And Merlin, if he didn’t already adore you before, he certainly did now.

He cleared his throat. "Better than this morning, thanks to you."

You huffed. "I knew you weren’t fine when I left."

Remus shook his head. "No, I mean it. You—you helped a lot." He hesitated. "You always do."

You softened. "Well, I like helping you."

That threw him off guard. "You do?"

"Of course." You smiled. "I like seeing you get better. I like knowing you’re okay. And besides, I think you make an excellent patient."

Remus let out a short laugh. "Liar."

"Alright, maybe you’re a bit difficult," you admitted playfully. "But still. You’re still my favorite one."

Remus paused.

Something in his chest warmed at that.

He swallowed thickly and tried not to let it show. Instead, he rolled his eyes, lifting his spoon again. "Flattery won’t make this taste better, you know."

"Just eat, Rem."

He smirked. "Yes, captain"

And as he took another begrudging bite, he thought—not for the first time—that you were the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Despite his very vocal complaints, Remus had somehow managed to eat every last bite of the meal Madam Pomfrey had given him. He looked a little put out about it, but you couldn't help feeling proud of him.

"There," you said, setting his empty bowl aside. "See? That wasn't so bad."

Remus gave her a deadpan look. "I suffered, and you enjoyed it."

You giggled. "I did not enjoy your suffering, Rem."

"Could've fooled me," he muttered, but there was a small, fond smile tugging at his lips.

You sighed and checked the time. Your heart sank a little. "I have to go."

Immediately, Remus’ expression shifted.

It was subtle—he didn't frown exactly, but the warmth in his eyes dimmed just a little, and his shoulders tensed.

"You do?" he asked, like he was hoping you would say you were joking.

"I do," you said regretfully. "I have more classes."

Remus exhaled through his nose, looking down at his hands in his lap. "Right. Of course."

He was quiet for a moment. He wasn't the type to ask for things—not affection, not attention—but the way he hesitated, the way his fingers idly picked at the blanket on his lap, the way he didn’t immediately say goodbye… It was the closest thing to asking you to stay that you had ever seen from him.

You softened.

"I’ll be back," you promised. "As soon as my last class ends, I’m coming straight here."

Remus glanced up at you, his eyes searching yours. "You will?"

You smiled. "I will."

His shoulders relaxed slightly. "...Alright."

"And," you added, "if you’re feeling better by then, I’ll personally escort you out of here. And—" you leaned in conspiratorially, "—I’ll even help you escape from Madam Pomfrey if she tries to keep you longer."

That earned her a quiet chuckle. "You’re going to help me break out?"

"Only if you're well enough," you teased. "Otherwise, I'll just keep forcing you to eat terrible food."

Remus smirked. "That's cruel."

"Mm," you hummed, standing up. "And effective."

He huffed a laugh but didn’t argue.

You swung your bag over your shoulder, getting ready to leave, when you suddenly paused. A thought popped into your mind, and you quickly rummaged through your bag.

Remus watched curiously as you searched. "What are you doing?"

"Ah-ha!" You exclaimed, pulling out a book.

Remus blinked. "You carry books around in your bag?"

"Of course I do," you said, handing it to him. "You never know when you'll have a free moment to read."

Remus took the book carefully, eyeing the cover. His eyebrows lifted in surprise. "I’ve been meaning to read this."

"I knew you’d like it," you said proudly.

"You knew?"

"Of course," you said easily. "I pay attention, you know."

Remus looked at you then—really looked at you.

You paid attention to him. You noticed what he liked, what he didn’t, what he needed before he even realized it himself. You saw him.

And Merlin, if that didn’t make his heart ache in the best way possible.

He cleared his throat, trying to keep his emotions in check. "...Thank you."

You smiled. "You're welcome."

He hesitated, then glanced at you through his lashes. "I'll, um... I'll be waiting, then."

"For me to come back?" You asked, amused.

Remus flushed slightly but nodded. "Yeah."

You grinned. "Then I’ll make sure to be back as soon as possible."

With that, you gave him one last glance—one last reassuring smile—before finally turning toward the door.

As you left, Remus stared down at the book in his hands, running his fingers along the worn edges.

He thought he couldn’t like you any more than he already did.

He was wrong.

Coming back to you.

The moment your last class ended, you all but sprinted toward the hospital wing, and you weren't alone.

"You know," Sirius drawled lazily as he strolled beside you, hands tucked into his pockets, "some might say you're a little too invested in our dear Moony’s well-being."

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. "And some might say you’re jealous because I actually care about your friend."

James gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "Sirius, she’s onto us."

Peter snickered. "What will we do?"

Sirius huffed. "I do care about Moony, thank you very much. I just prefer to express my concern in a cooler way."

"By getting banned from the hospital wing?" You teased.

"Exactly," Sirius said, as if it were obvious.

They all laughed, and James nudged you with his elbow. "But seriously, you're always looking after him. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like him."

You arched a brow. "Maybe I just like helping people, James."

"Mm-hmm," Sirius hummed. "And maybe you just like Remus specifically."

You didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, you quickened your pace, eager to reach the hospital wing. The boys exchanged knowing smirks but let you go.

By the time they arrived, James, Sirius, and Peter stopped at the door.

"This is as far as we go," James sighed dramatically, leaning against the doorframe. "Oh, how cruel the world is, to keep us from our dear friend."

"You literally got banned for setting off dungbombs in here," you reminded him.

"Technicalities," Sirius said, waving a hand dismissively. "Go on, go rescue Moony."

"Tell him we say hi!" Peter added.

You rolled your eyes fondly and stepped inside.

Remus looked much better than he had that morning.

When she walked in, he was already sitting up, leaning back against his pillows, flipping through the book you had given him.

The moment he saw you, he visibly brightened, a small smile on his lips. "You’re back."

She smiled. "Of course I am. I keep my promises."

He looked relieved, and the sight of it made your heart clench. Had he actually thought you wouldn’t come back?

You made your way over, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "How are you feeling?"

Remus closed the book and stretched slightly. "Better. Not great, but better."

Your eyes drifted over him, your hand touching his forehead slightly, then tucking away a strand of his hair, the faint exhaustion still lingering in his expression. "You look better," you said softly. "Fewer shivers, better color. No fever."

He chuckled. "Been inspecting me again, have you?"

"Of course," you teased. "I take my job very seriously."

He smirked but didn’t argue.

You clapped your hands together. "Alright, Rem. Time to get you out of here."

Remus blinked. "Really?"

"Really." You grinned. "I did promise, didn’t I?"

His shoulders sagged in visible relief. "Thank Merlin."

You laughed. "Hold on, don’t celebrate yet. You still have to get dressed."

Remus groaned. "Right."

You turned to grab his neatly folded uniform from the bedside table and placed it in his lap.

He hesitated. "...You’re not going to—?"

"Help you?" You teased, smirking. "Do you want me to?"

Remus’ face flushed, and he immediately shook his head. "I can manage, thanks."

You laughed, turning around to give him some privacy.

From the hallway, you could hear Sirius whispering way too loudly.

"Do you think she’s helping him put his pants on?"

"Shut up, Sirius," James hissed, though he was clearly holding back laughter.

"Maybe we should help him," Peter added, snickering.

Remus let out a deep sigh from behind you. "I hate them."

You giggled. "They love you, really."

"Unfortunately."

When he was finally dressed, you turned back around, only to see him struggling to get his tie right.

"Here, let me," you said, stepping closer.

Remus swallowed hard as you reached up, your fingers brushing against the fabric of his collar. You expertly fixed his tie, smoothing it out when you were done.

"There," you murmured, looking up at him. "Perfect."

Remus held your gaze, and for a moment, he didn’t move.

"Thanks," he finally said, his voice a little hoarse.

You nodded, stepping back. "Ready?"

Remus took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."

With that, you led him toward the door, where the Marauders immediately started cheering dramatically.

"Our hero returns!" Sirius declared, throwing his arms up.

James smirked. "It’s a miracle. We thought we’d lost you forever."

Peter wiped away an imaginary tear. "Such a tragedy averted."

Remus rolled his eyes, but you could see the fondness in his expression.

"Alright, alright," you said, shaking your head. "Let’s get out of here before Madam Pomfrey changes her mind."

And with that, they left the hospital wing together—Remus, finally free, and you, right by his side.

And as they walked down the hall, talking, laughing, teasing each other, Remus couldn’t stop thinking:

He was so glad to have her in his life.

They finally got into the Great Hall, it was already filled with the warm hum of conversation and the clatter of plates when they arrived. Long tables stretched across the vast room, glowing under the floating candles above. The moment they stepped inside, the Marauders beelined for their usual seats at the Gryffindor table, dragging you along with them.

Remus, still a little sore but determined to act like he was fine, slid into his seat beside you.

"Alright," Sirius declared as he dropped onto the bench across from you, grabbing a goblet. "Let me catch you up, Moony, on everything you missed during your tragic and untimely absence—"

"Tragic and untimely?" Remus repeated, a small smile on his lips.

"Absolutely," James confirmed, stealing a roll from Peter’s plate.

"You were literally gone for a day," you pointed out, amused.

"And yet, it felt like a lifetime," Sirius said dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "But fear not! We survived. Barely."

Remus snorted. "Go on, then. Enlighten me."

Sirius smirked. "Well, first of all, we had the privilege of sitting through Binns' lecture on the Goblin Rebellions—"

"Again," James added with a groan. "He said the exact same thing he’s said every single year since first year."

"Word for word," Peter said, shaking his head.

Sirius leaned forward. "You owe me, Moony. I had to keep James awake for you."

James gave a sheepish grin. "I may have… dozed off a bit."

"A bit?" Sirius scoffed. "You face-planted into your desk."

You giggled, and James pointed at you. "See? She gets it. Binns is unbearable."

"He really is," you admitted.

Remus smirked. "I actually don’t mind him."

Sirius sighed dramatically. "Of course you don’t. You’re an old man trapped in a seventeen-year-old's body."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Says the one who goes to bed at eight whenever it’s raining outside."

"That’s different," Sirius insisted. "Rain naps are sacred."

You chuckled, shaking your head.

The conversation naturally shifted from missed lessons to something else entirely—something much more relevant to their seventh year.

"Anyway," James said, stretching out. "The real excitement is this new stupid rule that we all have to help in the area we plan to work in after Hogwarts. Absolute nightmare."

"Not for me," Remus said. "I already do my job as a Prefect. And Defense Against the Dark Arts is hardly something to complain about."

"Of course you’d be in Defense," Sirius said. "Classic."

You turned to Remus, intrigued. "You want to be a Defense professor?"

Remus hesitated. "Maybe. If, you know… things work out."

You tilted your head, noticing the slight shift in his voice, but before she could question it, James jumped in.

"As for me," James said proudly, "I’m working in Quidditch Training."

Sirius groaned. "As if he needed an excuse to spend more time on a broom."

"Oi," James shot back, grinning. "I like Quidditch. And McGonagall practically forced me into it. Said I needed ‘structure’ or whatever."

Peter looked nervous. "I got put in Herbology Assistance, but I don’t know if I’m cut out for it."

"You’ll be fine," Remus assured him. "You’re better at Herbology than you think."

Sirius took a long sip of his pumpkin juice. "I, personally, refuse to be tied down by such nonsense."

You raised an eyebrow. "So… you’re doing nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing," Sirius confirmed proudly. "No one needs me anywhere."

Remus sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don’t need to help out anywhere. I already know what I’m doing after Hogwarts."

James snickered. "Ah, yes. A life of crime."

You giggled. "Is that really your plan?"

Sirius smirked. "Nah. But I do plan to be wildly successful at something. No clue what yet, but I refuse to do anything boring."

"You could always be my assistant," James joked. "I'll be a professional Quidditch player, and you can be my personal hype man."

Sirius gasped. "Brilliant. I’ll stand on the sidelines with a banner that says, ‘GO, PRONGS, GO!’"

James grinned. "Now that’s friendship."

They all laughed, and for a while, you just sat there, listening to them bicker and joke, enjoying the energy they always carried.

But Remus noticed something.

You were listening, only listening. You hadn't really talked about your day.

And that didn’t sit right with him.

He nudged you gently with his knee under the table. "You’ve been quiet," he murmured.

You blinked, surprised. "Have I?"

Remus tilted his head. "Yes." His voice was softer now, more thoughtful. "How was your day?"

And just like that, your heart fluttered.

It was such a simple question, but the way he said it—the way he meant it—made your chest tighten.

He cared.

You hesitated for only a moment before smiling. "Tiring," you admitted. "Long. But... not bad."

He studied you, like he was making sure you were telling the truth. "Classes alright?"

Your eyes met, and for a moment, everything else seemed to fade.

You nodded. "Yeah. Potions was awful, as usual. Slughorn paired me with a Slytherin who exploded our cauldron."

Remus chuckled. "Again?"

You groaned. "Again."

He smirked. "You attract chaos."

"You're one to talk, Mister Hospital Regular," you shot back playfully.

He laughed—an actual, genuine laugh.

And Merlin, you loved that sound.

"Alright, lovebirds," Sirius cut in, smirking. "Wrap it up before I vomit into my pudding."

You and Remus immediately turned red, and James and Peter howled with laughter.

Remus groaned. "I hate you all."

Sirius just winked. "No, you love us."

James grinned, ruffling Remus’ hair. "Feeling better now, Moony?"

Remus sighed, glancing at you for just a second before looking back at James.

"Yeah," he murmured. "I think I am."

You kept talking about your day as Remus listened attentively, with a smile on his lips.

James and Sirius were still joking around, Peter was still stuffing his face, and the Great Hall was still buzzing with life—but for a second, it felt like it was just the two of you.

While paying attention to you, Remus was actually eating for the first time since the full moon. And that was a rare sight. Usually, after a transformation, his appetite would take a while to come back, but here he was, finishing a plate of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and even some vegetables.

You watched, satisfied. "Eating isn't so bad, is it?"

Remus huffed. "I was going to eat anyway, you know."

Sirius scoffed. "No, you weren’t. You hate eating after full moons."

Remus shot him a look, but before he could argue, James leaned forward, smirking. "But now, suddenly, you’re finishing your whole plate? Hmm, wonder what could have possibly changed."

Sirius gasped dramatically, slamming a hand against the table. "Oh, I know! Could it be our lovely, caring, sweet friend here, who gently forced him to eat earlier?"

Peter grinned. "Definitely that."

You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms. "Oh, please. As if making him eat is some impossible miracle."

"It is," Sirius said seriously. "You have no idea how many times we’ve begged him to eat after full moons."

James nodded. "We practically have to force-feed him."

"Not true," Remus muttered, stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork.

"It is very true," Peter insisted.

"And yet," Sirius said, tilting his head dramatically. "One bat of her eyelashes, and suddenly, Moony is devouring his dinner."

Remus sighed, setting down his fork. "You lot are insufferable."

James smirked. "But we’re right, aren’t we?"

Remus didn’t answer, which only made them laugh more.

You, on the other hand, was still watching Remus, a small smile tugging at your lips. "I am proud of you for eating properly, though."

Remus glanced at you, something soft flickering in his expression. "Thanks."

James clutched his chest dramatically. "Merlin, did you hear that? That was the softest ‘thanks’ I’ve ever heard!"

Sirius gasped. "He's gone, Prongs. Completely gone."

"Absolutely pathetic," James agreed.

You turned to them, raising an eyebrow. "Are you two really the ones to talk?"

James and Sirius exchanged a look.

"Good point," Peter mumbled.

"Hey!" Sirius frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

You smirked. "Just that you both turn into a pile of mush for the right person."

James turned red. "That’s—that’s—not—"

Sirius grinned. "Oh, she’s got you there, mate."

James cleared his throat. "Moving on!" He turned to Remus. "Since you’re all healed up, you’re joining us tomorrow, right?"

Remus sighed. "Depends on what ‘joining you’ actually means."

Sirius smirked. "We may have a small plan involving Filch’s office, dungbombs, and a very detailed map—"

"No," Remus said immediately.

"Moony," James groaned. "Come on."

Remus shook his head. "I just got out of the hospital wing. I am not risking detention because you two are bored."

Peter turned to her. "You should come too!"

You laughed. "Do I look like someone who would help with dungbombs?"

Sirius grinned. "No. But you do look like someone who could distract Filch while we do it."

You scoffed. "Absolutely not. I have actual responsibilities."

Remus smirked. "See? Someone reasonable."

James sighed dramatically. "You two are so boring."

Sirius leaned in, smirking at Remus. "And yet, Moony, you love being around her. Don’t think we haven’t noticed."

Remus choked on his pumpkin juice. "I—"

You raised an eyebrow at Sirius, amused. "And what exactly have you noticed?"

Sirius grinned, glancing between them. "Oh, just that our dear Moony seems much happier lately. Coincidentally, right around the time he started spending all his time in the hospital wing with you."

Remus sighed. "Merlin’s sake."

James nudged him. "Just admit it, mate. You like having her around."

Remus rolled his eyes, but he didn’t deny it.

You smirked. "And I like having him around. What of it?"

The Marauders gasped.

Sirius placed a hand on his chest. "Moony, she likes having you around. Did you hear that?"

James grinned. "What a revelation!"

Peter nodded sagely. "Truly groundbreaking."

Remus groaned. "Merlin, help me."

You laughed, nudging him gently. "Come on, Rem, admit it. You like me too."

Remus hesitated, but then he sighed, shaking his head with a small, soft smile. "...Fine. Maybe a little."

The Marauders howled with laughter.

James pounded the table. "We got him!"

Sirius leaned back, smirking. "That’s it, boys. Moony’s done for."

Peter grinned. "Absolutely pathetic."

You just smiled at Remus, amused. "That wasn’t so hard, was it?"

Remus sighed. "I regret everything."

Sirius clapped him on the back. "Too late, Moony. We all heard it."

Remus just groaned again, but despite the teasing, despite the laughter, despite everything—he still stole a glance at you, his expression softer than he probably meant for it to be.

And you noticed.

And maybe—just maybe—you liked it.

Just the two of us.

After dinner, the sounds of laughter and hurried footsteps filled the corridors as students scattered, eager to enjoy what little free time they had before curfew. James was already scheming to sneak into the girls’ dorm to see Lily, while Sirius and Peter had run off in the opposite direction, cackling about some new prank they planned to pull on Snape.

You, however, stayed behind with your own Marauder.

Remus walked beside you through the dimly lit hallways, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his pants, his pace slow and unhurried. The castle felt calmer now, quieter, and you both seemed to enjoy the peacefulness that settled between you.

It was always like this with him. Comfortable. Warm.

Remus liked listening to you talk, liked the way your voice filled the silence without demanding anything from him. You told him about your day, every little detail, even giving him a quick summary of all your classes. And though he wasn’t much of a talker himself, he liked that you never seemed to mind. You just talked to him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He wasn’t used to this—having someone care so much, someone who paid attention to him in ways that weren’t just surface-level.

His hands fidgeted slightly in his pockets. He wasn’t sure why.

“And then,” you continued, walking a little closer to him, “Professor McGonagall gave us an extra assignment—oh, and you won’t believe this, but I managed to turn my book into a cactus instead of a flower.”

Remus chuckled softly, glancing at you. “A cactus?”

“Yeah,” you said, laughing. “I have no idea how it happened. Maybe I have some subconscious aggression I need to work through.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” he teased, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small smirk.

You nudged him playfully with your shoulder, and he barely had time to react before your hand brushed against his. It was brief, accidental, but you didn’t pull away. Neither did he.

It just... happened.

Neither of you acknowledged it, but as your fingers slowly curled around his, your hands now intertwined, there was an unspoken agreement between you. Neither of you would let go.

Remus’ heart was hammering in his chest, but he did his best to keep his expression neutral. If he said something—if he even so much as looked down at your hands—he was afraid you’d let go. And he didn’t want that.

Not even a little.

“Thanks,” Remus said suddenly, his voice quieter, more thoughtful.

“For what?” You tilted your head slightly, glancing up at him.

“For... always taking care of me,” he admitted, his thumb brushing absently over the back of your hand. “Especially after... you know, when I’m not feeling great.”

“Of course,” you said softly. “I’ll always take care of you, Remus.”

His breath hitched slightly, and the blush that crept up his neck was almost immediate.

You grinned. “You’re blushing.”

“I am not,” he muttered, but the deepening color on his face betrayed him.

“You are,” you teased, squeezing his hand slightly. “It’s adorable.”

His face went completely red. “You— I— I am not adorable.”

“You so are,” you said, grinning as you looked up at him. “It’s actually kind of unfair. You’re all tall and broody, and then you go and get all flustered, and suddenly you’re just the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Remus groaned, tilting his head back slightly. “Merlin, help me.”

He huffed, shaking his head, but there was no real frustration behind it. In fact, he kind of liked it—the way you teased him, the way you looked at him like he was something special, like he was worth your attention.

You giggled, and Remus swore he felt his heart stutter.

The two of you reached a window where the moonlight streamed through, casting a soft glow across your faces. It was only a sliver of a moon tonight, nothing like the full moon that always left him battered and exhausted.

You turned to face him fully now, your hands still clasped together between you. “You know, I like this,” you said softly.

Remus swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. “Like what?”

“This.” You gestured vaguely between the two of you. “Spending time with you. Just... being with you.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that without making a complete fool of himself. He could feel his ears burning, and he was certain that if James or Sirius were here, they’d be relentless with their teasing.

But they weren’t here.

It was just you and him.

And he liked that.

“I, uh—” He cleared his throat, attempting to compose himself. “I like it too.”

You smiled, tilting your head slightly. “You’re nervous.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“I—” He sighed, closing his eyes for a brief second before opening them again. “Okay, maybe a little.”

You let out a soft laugh, your thumb brushing over the back of his hand absentmindedly. “It’s okay. I’ll try not to make fun of you... too much.”

He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. “Thanks, i guess.”

There was a beat of silence, but it wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful, like the two of you could just exist in each other’s presence without the need for words.

Remus knew he should say something else, maybe tease you back or change the subject before his feelings betrayed him any further. But before he could even think of what to say, you shifted closer, leaning your head against his shoulder.

His entire body tensed for half a second before forcing himself to relax. He wasn’t used to this kind of affection, wasn’t used to the gentle intimacy of it all.

But with you?

With you, he wanted to get used to it.

His free hand hesitated before slowly resting on top of yours, his fingers barely grazing your skin.

You hummed in contentment. “See? Not so bad, right?”

Remus let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “No,” he admitted. “Not bad at all.”

—— 🌙 ——

A message from the author:

Hello, lovelies. I hope you loved reading this part as much as i loved writing it.

Thank you for all your love in this series, your comments always make my day! 🤍

The next part will be totally fluff, promise! No wounded and sick Moony. Our boy needs a little bit of love.

Here's to all the people that asked me to tag them (or were just waiting for the next part): @iloveremmy @jjamjamie @breakawayfromeveryday @oursweetmoony @whimsical-mistakes @froggiedragon @sophie-0012 @deathmybride @mischievousmoony

If you want to be tagged in the next ones, just let me know! 🤍

See you guys soon!

[gingerlee-holds]

OK SO!!! I had the cutest idea :3 Peter (one) and reader are either silly besties or dating or both :3 and they are both crazy tired drunk considering it’s past 3 am and because of all the silliness they get into a tword fight! (Possibly more Lee reader cause I feel like Peter would be feral when hyper and sleep deprived 🤣) and eventually Tony comes in and is like wtf is wrong with you two idiots?? GO TO BED!!! (Secretly loves seeing his kids all giggly and adorable :3 🥺❤️) and then they both end up crashing and getting sleepy but they are still a little giggly about some jokes/moments which leads to more tickles and it’s like sleepy cuddly giggly tickles 😭❤️ and then they both get supppperrrr sleepy and end up falling asleep in each others arms with smiles on their faces and tony comes back in cause he’s scared the children are dead 😂 and sees the adorableness and proceeds to post it to the avengers group chat and it ends in them waking up being like WHO THE FUCK TOOK A PICTURE OF US!? 🤣 (ok definitely mutal pining/idiots in love but they just don’t admit it yet 🥹)

okayokay so this was kinda just written with you in mind teddy xD i love ya and i hope you enjoy this silly lil fic!!

Feral

Words: 1,275 Pairing: Ler!Peter1, Lee!Reader Warnings: whoooole lotta fluff heehee

“Uno!” you called out. You grinned to yourself as you glared playfully over your final card at Peter, who had somehow collected fifteen cards throughout the game. His eyes squinted suspiciously as he hesitantly placed down the yellow three before he jolted backward in shock when you slammed down the red three, winning you the game.

“C’mon!” Peter fell sideways onto the carpet with a groan. “We’ve been doing this for five hours! How have I not been able to win even once?”

“I’m just too good!” You giggled as you playfully hit his shoulder. Looking over at the clock on the wall, you saw he was correct: it was past three in the morning, and not another soul was stirring in the entire Avengers tower. Both of you had been blinking sleep from your eyes for a while, but neither wanted to go to bed. Most of the other heroes had missions they were absent for, but the few still at the tower were fast asleep.

Peter yawned, bringing your attention back to him. It was so rare that you two spent so much time with each other. You missed the messy-haired hero a lot when he wasn’t around, and now that you two had the weekend mission-free, you were utterly adamant that you would make the most of it. You yawned, too. The stubbornness that made you such a valuable addition to the team was matched only by the spiderling. Grinning, you picked up the cards and began to reshuffle them.

“No, please, no more,” Peter whined sleepily, smiling despite his tone. “Can we play something else?”

“Like… Battleship? You know I’m always down to beat you again,” you giggled and stuck out your tongue. The two of you may have been on par with stubbornness, but you had him and everyone else soundly beat when it came to board games, to the degree that Tony insists you’re somehow cheating. 

“Absolutely not! I’d rather take a hive of wasps,” Peter grumbled, sitting back up with a huff. He hummed in thought before grinning. “I know a game we can play.” 

You tilted your head a bit, interested. “What did you have in mind?”

“Close your eyes for a second.”

Doing as you were told, you closed your eyes, sitting perfectly still and trying to guess what Peter was doing. Unfortunately for you, Peter was among the stealthier Avengers, something he demonstrated when you felt his hands grab you from behind, scribbling over your tummy. 

“We should have a tickle fight!” Peter giggled into your ear as you erupted into bubbly laughter. “This is a game I know I can win!” 

“YouhuhU LihIhihIttle ShihihIhihit! GehehEHet OhohohOFf!!” You kicked your feet, sending Uno cards flying all over the room. Peter wiggled his fingers up to your ribs, and your laughter kicked up a notch as you thrashed about in his grasp. 

“I’ll do no such thing! I’m stronger than you, little cutie!” 

Your face instantly began heating up. Whether or not the tease was intentional, it was extraordinarily flustering to hear from Peter Parker. You swatted at his hands as you squeaked, and, so experienced to losing tickle fights, Peter knowledgeably grabbed one of your wrists and held it up so he could scribble in the hollow of your underarm, making you shriek in surprise. 

Suddenly, you both heard the unmistakable sound of a middle-aged man clearing his throat in disapproval. Looking over, you both saw a very grumpy Tony Stark leaning against the doorway. 

The silence hung in the air for a while before Peter whispered, “You can almost see the smoke coming out of his ears,” and the two of you burst into hysterical giggles. 

Tony groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose in fond agitation. “I would ask what you two kids are doing awake this late at night, but I don’t want to know. Bedtime is now-time.” He pointed to the two twin beds in either corner of the room, then folded his arms over his chest. “You two have got to start going to bed on time.”

Peter giggled a little more, saying, “But that would be such a stark difference from what we usually do!” His pun made you both again dissolve into sleepy, senseless laughter. 

Sighing, Tony again cleared his throat. It was very obvious to all the other inhabitants of the tower that Tony utterly adored the two youngest members of the team. He was clearly struggling to speak seriously before the two giggly children on the carpet. “Peter,” he said firmly, giving him that look that the spiderling instantly took to mean he had reached the limit.

“Yes, Mr. Stark. Sorry, Mr. Stark. We’ll go to bed right away, Mr. Stark.”

Tony grinned wearily and nodded. “I’ll check back in half an hour. If you two aren’t asleep by then, I’m changing the Wifi password.” With that, he left and shut the door behind him.

It turns out the two young heroes didn’t even have the strength to make it into their beds. Still in a clingy mood from your tickles, you held onto Peter’s arm tightly, and both of you made a concerted effort to reach his bed, but in the end, collapsed onto Peter’s bean bag. You both yawned simultaneously, giggling about Peter’s bad jokes. 

The spiderling smiled, encouraged by your giggles. His hand slowly reached down and began tracing up your side. “The itsy bitsy spiderrrr…” Peter mumbled, slurring his words in exhaustion. 

You felt your face heating up again and scooted away from his hand, inadvertently snuggling closer to Peter. “Dohohohon’t!”

“Dohon’t what, cutie?”

Whining, you were too sleepy to squirm away as he continued gently tracing your sides. “Tihihickle meeee…” you mumbled.

“That’s what I’m doing, silly~!”

You huffed and buried your face in his shoulder. “Jeheherk!” Although you didn’t say so, the tickles were very relaxing, almost lulling you to sleep -more than almost. When his breath finally evened out to sleep, you didn’t stand a chance. Both of you were out like lights. 

Tony walked back in, expecting to deal with more patented Peter Snark. To his surprise, he saw the two little heroes tuckered out on the beanbag, holding each other tightly with big cozy smiles on both of their faces. Tony pressed a button on his glasses, taking a secret photo, before pulling it up on his phone to send to the official Avengers group chat, followed by a heart emoji. He yawned and shut the door behind him. Going to sleep sounded like a pretty good idea.

The chipper chirps of midday birdsong were interrupted by a shriek of embarrassment. “Wake up. Peterpeterpeter, wake the hell-!” You shoved at his shoulder frantically, not looking up from your phone.

The spiderling jolted awake, mumbling a Star Wars reference that was quickly cut off by a gasp when he looked at his phone. It was noon - they were supposed to be awake for combat training five hours ago! But that wasn’t the worst: the Avengers group chat had been active. He looked back through the messages, his face redder and redder as he read through the messages filled with the other Avengers gushing over the adorableness of the two young heroes. Peter finally reached a message from Tony, and upon seeing the image of the two of them snuggling together, he looked up, wide-eyed, at you. You looked at him right back. 

A heartbeat.

Cuties.

You both cleared your throats and stood, quickly running to prepare for training. However, you not-so-subtly saved the image to your camera roll, making you smile every time you saw it. 

[writing-house-of-m]

Welcome to the Team

Wanda Maximoff x Reader x Jeff the landshark

Summary: Jeff meets the team

A/N: Here is part 2 of my Jeff AU. In celebration of today being a year since I first posted a fic there will be a double bill of Jeff! The final 1 year celebration request includes Jeff too so you can expect that later on. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this part, it's practically a crack!fic 😂

It is unusual for everyone to be sitting in the lounge area on a random Friday afternoon. But you have put it off for long enough so it is time to finally rip off the band-aid.

You are standing facing the group of heroes who are all looking at you expectedly with Wanda standing right behind you. You look over your shoulder and see her give you an encouraging smile, waiting for you to start talking.

Taking a breath, you begin. "Okay. I know you're all wondering why we've asked you here today." And before you can get anywhere the Avengers must think this is the cue to start a guessing game.

"Wanda's pregnant!" Tony exclaims.

Some of the quicker thinkers widen their eyes and reflexively look at you.

You point at him to quickly shut down the thought, "No."

"Really? There have been some weird noises coming from your room lately," Sam thinks aloud.

Once again you are stopped before you can comment.

"You're moving out together?" Bucky asks.

You're about to decline the accusation but then they all come flooding in.

"You finally proposed?" Natasha questions.

"Wanda proposed?" Steve opposes.

"Oh wow, I really thought it would be you to pop the question, Y/n. What a twist," Carol, who you don't even know why she is here, says.

"You got a dog?" Peter speaks with a hopeful look in his eye.

"A cat maybe?" Bucky decides to add his own input. Along with Bruce who follows with, "Perhaps a rabbit?"

You turn to see Wanda amused by the whole thing. Turning back around, you have to raise your voice to be heard, "QUIET!" This manages to restore some order to the meeting you called.

"Thank you," you relax. "None of you are right. Actually I guess Peter, Bucky and Bruce were close."

You see Peter raise his hand for a fist bump but Bruce mistakes it for a high five so it turns into an awkward closed hand around a fist situation. Bucky is too far from either of them to celebrate the small victory.

"There is a new addition to the compound, his name is Jeff," you announce.

"Who names a hamster 'Jeff'?" Peter asks.

"No way, it's going to be a parrot. Or some kind of bird right?" Clint 'The Hawkeye' Barton guesses.

Once again this starts off a new guessing game - What animal could it be?

"Monkey," "Raccoon," "Fox," "Guinea pig," "Chameleon," "Duck!"

You begin to question your life choices, how did you ever end up in this situation? Maybe you should have set this gathering up like a game show at least then it might have been fun for you too.

Instead of stopping them this time you take a seat until they hopefully tire themselves out.

"No, no. From the noises I heard it's definitely a goat," Sam remarks.

You decide it's hopeless when the discussion doesn't look like it will cease. Giving up the waiting game you nod your head to Wanda rolling your eyes, you can tell she is holding in her laughter for your sake.

She leaves the area and after a few moments she returns with Jeff. It is only when the pitter patter sound of footsteps close in do they realise you are no longer standing directly in front of them. Instead you are next to Wanda with a new being between you.

You could hear a pin drop now that everyone's gazes are fixed to the little guy.

"Everybody, this is Jeff," you introduce your new roommate.

The attention seems to make Jeff nervous, you don't know if he has ever had this many eyes on him. Possibly when he was captive in the lab. You realise this could be traumatic for him so you guide him to step behind you.

His two front feet grip your leg as he peers round to see everyone still looking at him.

Wanda sits on the floor close to him with a hand resting on the fin on his back. "It's okay Jeff, they're all friendly," she reassures him.

"Is that a fish with legs?" Clint asks, "Oh man, I was way off."

"He's a shark," you say matter-of-factly. When you see everyone's expression change to a worried or frightened one you clarify further in hopes to calm their nerves. "A landshark!"

It doesn't work.

"Y/n, what the hell is a landshark? You better start explaining and fast," Natasha all but threatens you. You can see one of her hands has disappeared behind her back meaning she is defensively readying a knife behind her.

"He's not harmful, he's really friendly," you say. Then you remember some things you have read about sharks so are quick to add, "Also sharks are misconstrued as being vicious when they're actually not. They get a bad rep even though they're basically puppies of the ocean. Did you know, more people are killed each year by coconu-"

"Y/n!" Natasha interrupts.

"Right," you say, gathering your thoughts and glancing down at him. "He's nice and friendly and really playful. A bit of a clutz too. We've had him hidden in our room for about two weeks now."

This seems to bring Tony's attention away from the shark to you, "Oh really? And you didn't think to mention this to the person who pays for everything around here?"

"We were going to tell you after the first night he stayed but didn't bother because we didn't think he would be here for this long. Dr Cho was trying to get a specialist in to take a look at him but there were delays," Wanda momentarily takes over for you.

"Oh, so Cho knows. That's great," Tony comments sarcastically, "as well as the specialist, right?"

"Yes. Plus two others who work with the specialist," you add much to Tony's dismay.

Jeff seems to be a bit more comfortable because he has come out from behind you. He tugs on your pant leg wanting to be picked up by you so you oblige and feedback to the group what you have found out so far.

"They finally looked him over a couple of days ago. No one knows where he has come from or why he looks the way he does. The working theory is that he was experimented on which fits with what Wanda saw in a flash the first time she came in contact with him."

Jeff starts squirming in your arms so you nod to Wanda to continue while you try to settle Jeff by whispering words of affirmation to him. Telling him none of these people will hurt him as you rub up and down his back.

"From the tests and interacting with him so far he seems to be able to understand us and in addition to being able to breathe air he can breathe underwater too. The more time we spend with him the easier it has been to communicate," Wanda finishes, while she scratches under Jeff's chin which helps calm his nerves.

Everyone looks on in silence as Jeff pulls away from you slightly. You speak in a low tone asking if he wants to say hi to the team. Which, reluctantly, he agrees to.

There is a strong bond between you, even if it hasn't been too long since you found him, so he knows he can trust anyone you want to introduce him to.

You go to place him on the ground but he whines a little while clutching your shirt. Instead, you stand back up and he turns in your arms facing the expecting crowd.

He raises his little hand in a wave speaking in a small voice, "Mrr."

In a second everybody's eyes soften and you hear a collective 'aww' sound out.

Maybe you should have started with this.

They are all about to rush over but you stop them from doing so with a hand out in front of you while taking a step back. Wanda moves swiftly standing between the incoming horde and Jeff.

"One at a time," she requests.

Peter makes his way over first and greets Jeff introducing himself.

It definitely must be a sight, all of this.

A young couple holding a shark as if he is a baby. It is only inevitable that someone asks, "So, is Jeff like your child then?"

And of course that person has to be Natasha.

…

The Jeff you are looking at now is unrecognisable to the Jeff from half an hour ago. He has lossened right up.

After everyone introduced themselves Peter decided to show Jeff his web slingers and, against yours and Wanda's wishes, hung Jeff upside down from the ceiling. The excited noise and wide smile was enough to make you step back. But not too far back just enough, in case you needed to catch him.

After that he spent some time with Carol who showed him a glowing fist. Natasha smirked at Wanda and you as she twirled a knife around her fingers, Bucky doing the same which turned into a contest.

When they weren't looking you picked him up and moved him away from the crazy movements.

As the only member with kids Clint simply spoke to him like he was a baby, Steve said he didn't have any tricks for him but maybe one day he would show Jeff his shield. Sam asked Jeff if he wanted to pet Redwing which he happily did.

Even now Tony has been playing tricks with him, making a coin disappear then reappear from behind Jeff's ear. He had to borrow a coin from someone first, it would have been more surprising if Tony had any small change on his person to begin with.

Next is Bruce who tells Jeff there is someone else he should meet then transforms into the Hulk. Jeff looks at the green giant in wonder then puts his arms up to be picked up so he can be the tallest in the room. When Hulk sees Jeff he crouches down so he is eye level with Jeff, sniffing and surveying him. He chuckles, calls Jeff 'a puny baby' then picks him up and places the landshark on his head.

Shortly after everyone takes their leave. Clint is on his way home to his family, Natasha goes to train with Bucky following behind her. A Hulk-less Bruce returns to the lab with Tony. Steve, Sam and Carol are discussing a mission they are assigned to lead and Peter says he has some homework he needs to finish.

"What a day huh Jeff?" You breathe out, exhausted. Jeff looks at you like a small child while trotting around, jumping on the couches and back onto the floor excited about all the new friends he has made.

"I think Jeff is going to be just fine here," Wanda says to you as you both watch him, side by side.

"Hello good people of Earth!" You hear a familiar loud voice sound from the entrance disturbing your peace. And when he makes it in front of you, he is his usual happy self.

"Hi Thor... What are you doing here?" You ask, confused.

"I'm here for the meeting, of course," Thor says in his cheery voice.

"I didn't know you were on the mailing list," you say a little tiredly trying to think back to the email you sent out.

"I didn't know he knew how to check his email," you hear Wanda's side comment next to you.

"Well, I am the strongest Avenger after all," Thor boasts, "I should be here for all the little talks and what nots."

"Right," you say a little unsurely. "Err, the meeting is over now but it was to introduce a new resident to the compound."

You see him spot Jeff who peeks his head over the backrest between you and Wanda. He is looking at Thor in awe with his mouth agape much like he did when he saw Hulk.

As he climbs over the back rest you stand and Jeff stands next to you in front of Thor his head tilting back as he trails his eyes upwards from the hammer Thor is holding to his face.

"This is Jeff," Wanda says.

"Jeff the landshark," you add.

Thor has seen plenty of creatures in his lifetime so it's no surprise he doesn't react in a negative way. "Oh, how wonderful! Welcome to the team, little landshark!" Thor's voice booms excitedly.

You don't get a chance to tell Thor that Jeff is not a part of the team, only that he is staying with you in the compound because, before you know it, he lifts Jeff onto his shoulder and walks away with him.

Sighing heavily you place your hands on your hips when you hear Thor talking about a battle, going into excruciating details about how he killed a group of enemies. You are a little wary of how Jeff is going to respond to the gory details of war.

Wanda stands and moves behind you. She wraps her arms around your waist, kissing your shoulder. "He-" Wanda was about to say something but is cut off short when you both hear an excited squeal from Jeff in the distance so she rests her chin and giggles against you instead.

"I was going to say he's going to love whatever story Thor brings up, but that's kind of obvious now," she says, smiling into your shoulder.

You sigh again, "I know. But now he's going to want us to talk about all the fights we've endured and I don't think it's good for him."

Next, you hear some scuffling making you cringe because it sounds as though some equipment has fallen and crashed to the ground. Not long later you hear the sound of fast little footsteps making their way in your direction.

Then you hear Thor shout, "JEFF! GIVE THAT BACK."

Well this can't be good.

Before you can move from your spot Jeff runs past you with Mjolnir clutched in his mouth. Wanda has stepped beside you and when you glance at each other you see she holds the same shocked expression as you.

You both then turn to see Jeff's figure running out of the entrance doors. Wanda is clearly amused but you speak aloud the question on your mind, "How is he worthy and I'm not?" You ask, insulted.

Wanda wraps her arms around your neck, her fingers playing with your hair, "It's okay honey, you don't need a hammer telling you anything I don't already know."

She is leaning in to kiss you but a new voice enters your ears.

"Sestra! Come look! There's a dog in a shark costume out here!" Pietro exclaims, "And he's holding a fake hammer too!"

It is official.

Jeff has met the whole team.

[nitewrighter]

I had a crazy idea; What if Livewire ended up becoming a Spidey rogue instead of a Superman one, and as the result of one of Peter's experiments at S.T.A.R Labs going wrong? Get a little bit of that Spectacular Spider-Man style Electro origin, but still largely keeping that "Jerk turned Supervillain by complete happenstance" origin inherent to most interpretations of her character?

Honestly, just how many DC villains and villainesses could reasonably work as Rogue transplants, assuming we don't also decide to transplant some of his more iconic villains as well? I feel like plenty of Flash rogues fit his vibes, but at the same time, I feel like he can also handle some considerably grittier DC villains.

On the flipside, who among Spidey's own Rogues from Marvel would make for decent antagonists for what DC heroes?

Sorry this has languished in my inbox for so long!!!

I mean like, at the end of the day, the big differences between Marvel and DC in terms of the development of their rogues and their respective relationships to their heroes lies in that whole, "DC started before WWII and that heavily influenced its heroes and Marvel wasn't really major competition until the Lee-Kirby double whammy in the 60's" timeline thing I've mentioned in other asks. But like, as both of their continuities have been done and re-done, and as both publishers have swapped artists and writers over the years (Hi, Jack Kirby, Hi, Walt Simonson, Hi, Ram V) you've had like... less and less of an... I guess ideological/narrative gap between the two titles? I mean in theory you could slap any villain with any hero with the right writer. Heroes always represent an aspect of ourselves we want to root for and villains represent an aspect of ourselves we want to confront and conquer--once you figure out those core mechanics of the characters and adjust them accordingly to a narrative logic, you can do anything. It's like cooking, really.

That being said, like, Flash villains definitely come to mind in terms of both their campiness and how they've managed to scale up both their threat level and their humanity over the years.

Piper and Trickster: *bickering that is midway between buddy cop-but-evil and old married couple*

Spider-Man: I can come back later. Do you want me to come back later?

But I also like the Steel Family monsters of the Week for Spidey a lot, too. They're often very tech-y and very involved with whatever sciencey nonsense the Irons family is digging into that week. There was this one comic issue, I forget which one, where Natasha was fighting physical manifestations of AI mimicking internet trolls, and that just seems like something delightful for Spidey to deal with.

...I'd like to see Wonder Woman fight Doctor Doom--I dunno if that seems random, but just on a vibes level that really works for me.

As for Spidey's rogues--I mean I'm going to be honest, I've never been very impressed/attached to most of Spidey's rogues--I have a soft spot for Green Goblin, but that's because I was 10 when the first Tobey Maguire Spider-Man came out. That being said, Spidey's rogues gallery could be a great recurring villain cast for the Teen Titans. I feel like the Teen Titans often get too much space to be smartasses with their villains--there is a certain narrative scrappiness to Spider-Man villains that could work out really well--if they make the threat environmental as well as villainous. I mean like, "Raven, you don't have time to psychically lobotomize this guy, you gotta quell the crowd so people don't get trampled" sort of stuff. Scale up the environmental threat of Spidey's villains and you could have some really spectacular Teen Titans group fights.

[winniethewife]

Jewels made of stardust 

(Poe Dameron x OC! Rhoswen Jewelace.)

Holiday special: And why can't we just hold on?

A/N: An Extra Update for the Holidays! Takes place in the same universe but out of the story order.

Words:  889

It was Life day, and Roshwen had forgotten. She had her hands full with everything that was happening, the forming of a new form of Galactic government, All of their friends scattered to the edges of the galaxy, it had just slipped her mind. Well that’s what she was probably subconsciously telling herself. But her Husband Poe Dameron who was watching as she busied herself with a hundred things on a day when nothing would be open, and no one would be replying to her messages, He knew exactly why she had forgotten. Her family was gone. It was just the two of them. He knew “forgetting” about life day was just a way to cope with the absence of her parents, uncle and brother, maybe if she had friends and found family around her she would be more likely to have remembered but with everyone busy these days, she had no reason to remember, no reason to feel the joy of the holiday. Except for him. He walks over to her from behind and slides his hands around her waist.

“Hey.” He murmurs into her neck as she stood at the window of their home on Yavin 4. “what are you thinking about?”

“Hm…Oh nothing really. Just…I feel like something is missing here. I’m forgetting something.” She says softly as her emerald eyes scan the horizon. She leans into his embrace.

“Are you? I can’t think of anything” Poe says, No point in antagonizing her with the forgotten holiday.

“I guess not.” She chuckles and rests her head back on his chest. “Do you ever wonder, when will the good times run out? When will the Galaxy find itself at odds again?”

“Do they have to end? I was just starting to get used to a little peace and quiet around here.” He runs his fingers through her long hair as he holds her close.

“You know how it is Poe, its only a matter of time before something happens, another group of dissatisfied Imperial or first order remnants show up to ruin everyones day.” Roshwen sighs. “but you know this time…this time we wouldn’t be holding up someone elses legacy, we’d be defending our own.” She doesn’t even have to say the other part, the part where there are no Rebel hero’s from the time before to show them the way. It would just be them, and everything they had learned the time before. Poe rests his head on her shoulder and lets out a sigh of his own.

“Why don’t we just, hold on, to this, to now? Let’s not worry about that, just keep the good of today to last throughout the rest of our lives.” He suggests, ever the optimist. Roshwen smiles and reaches her hand up to caress his face.

“I like the Idea of that. Just…” her voice trails off as she closes her eyes. Her stomach does a flip and she feels nauseous, leaning back on Poe to keep balance. “Woah. Not that again.”

“You alright Red?” He asked holding her closer. “You coming down with something?”

“Maybe…I don’t know I’ve just been feeling kinda off lately, probably just stress. I missed a cycle too.”

“You what?” Poe felt his heart skip a beat as she said that. Roshwen had been so busy she hadn’t even taken a second to realize the implications.

“I…I missed my Cycle.” She says more slowly this time, turning to look at him.

“Maker…Ro…Do you think?” He holds her shoulders as his dark doe eyes meet hers.

“I…I have no idea! I can’t…I haven’t…Oh…Poe…” Rhoswen felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. This…this was something else.

“Maker…I…this would make a difference. A baby, Roshwen!” Poe laughs and lifts her, spinning around before kissing her softly, gently placing her back on her feet as he kisses her. She pulls away after a moment.

“Wait…we don’t know for sure…we should…” she couldn’t even finish her sentence before he’s kissing her again.

Poe mangaged to get a pregnancy test despite the holiday by finding the local general store owner who he had known as a child, and begging him to keep it a secret. Rhoswen took a second to breathe before using the small device to prick her finger, then they both watched as the small device measured the HGC in her blood. It only took a moment for the test to flash a green light. Positive… they both look at each other.

“It’s…” Poe could barely speak

“Yes…My love…it is.” She smiles at him. He pulls her into a tight embrace.

“This has to be the best Life day in all my life!” Poe says softly

“Wait! Its life day? And you didn’t even tell me??” Roshwen Laughs taking a step away from him to look at him with a smirk on her face.

“Uh…It slipped my mind?” He tried to come up with an excuse on the spot.

“Uh-huh. Right.” She rolls her eyes and Shakes her head at him as he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. She stands on tip toe to kiss his cheek. “Happy life day Poe.”

“Happy Life Day Red.” He says before pulling her in for another kiss, his hand gently grazing her abdomen.

A time to be joyful when all is calm and all is bright.

~

Masterlist

@femmeanonymelives

[seriousbrat]

hi this may be long so sorry in advance but

i always loved hp and when i got into the marauders i started caring about sirius, remus, and james more (peter hater till i die unfortunately i can’t get behind him) and like every marauders stan i despised despised severus, i thought that since he was in a known death eaters friend group and called muggle borns mudblood he was unredeemable. but then i saw more and more pro snape content and it made me feel bad for him, james bullied him (which i’m still not even sure if it was classified as bullying because james didnt have any power over him and it wasn’t even 1 vs 4 it was 1 vs 2 so i’d like to know your opinion on that as well) and he had an abusive parent, but then i saw snily shippers (i am a major jily shipper fyi) saying how james basically manipulated lily into marrying him by not telling her he still bullied snape, how the prank was the best thing to happen to james because their “fights” wouldn’t be seen as bullying but as a teen rivalry, how james was the rich boy who got everything he wanted and he got the poor girl as well, how it was him constantly asking lily out and her always saying no etcc, so ik this may sound stupid but i love ur takes like ur always sooooo fucking real so if u want to share your opinions on these like if u think any of these things are wrong 🙈 id be glad bc i dont know how to feel about severus and idk how to feel about jily either which is just making my small world inside of my head crumble bc i used to love them so much

Of course and thank you! First of all as I've been saying I don't think it's necessary or even really a good idea for us to base our preferences or interests in fiction with our moral beliefs. so we can accept that snape or james did bad things and still like them. Fiction gives us that freedom to delve into aspects of humanity that in real life we might try to avoid. So I don't think you should feel bad for liking james or severus or jily or whatever. Ok, that being said let's get into it:

First it's normal to feel sympathy for Severus, he's a sympathetic character in many respects! That's what makes a good anti-hero (or even villain. we're even supposed to feel sympathy for voldemort and barty crouch jr at certain points)

what james and the marauders did was definitely bullying. there's no way around that. you say james didn't have any power over him but he did; social power. You touched on economic class, which is a big factor, but James was a popular student and Sev was deeply unpopular. whether it was 1v4 or 1v2 or 1v1 doesn't really matter in terms of whether it was bullying, though tbh it was really 1vthe whole school because the spectators also participated in Sev's humiliation.

However, in my mind there's almost no way that Snape wasn't instigating just as much, possibly more, in seventh year. Like you think he was just going to sit around and accept that his worst enemy was dating Lily? lol. I tend to believe Sirius when he says that Sev "never lost an opportunity to curse James" like good for him get his ass. But I think it was definitely a different dynamic in 7th year than in 5th. there's this tendency to portray Sev as being a meek little helpless victim his whole life but personally I feel that's a disservice to his character-- this is the guy who invented sectumsempra 'for enemies' like three guesses who 'enemies' was.

re: jily, I really doubt that James manipulated Lily into anything, I think that's such an overdramatic reading lol. We don't know much about the way they got together-- although many fic writers have taken it upon themselves to fill in the gaps-- but everything points to them having been happy and in love, that clearly was the intention by the author. If James didn't tell her about duelling Snape that isn't great, but there are a lot of things that can be imperfect in a relationship without jumping to manipulation and abuse which require a specific pattern of behaviour that we have no evidence for. We also only have the external perspective of Sirius and Remus, which is likely incomplete.

(also James 'always asking Lily out' is fanon, we see him ask her out ONCE albeit spectacularly badly. it seems more likely to me that lily 'you make me SICK' evans simply saw james grow into someone she rly liked rather than gave in and gave in so fully that she married him bcause he was pressuring her. idk she didn't read like a pushover to me.)

So no need for world crumblage! It doesn't sound stupid at all, but I think it's important to keep in mind that we can enjoy fictional characters/relationships that aren't perfect, in fact those are the ones that I find more enjoyable. It's totally possible to be a fan of snape and james and jily and snily all at the same time, fandom tends to create conflicts or 'shipping wars' or whatever lol but idk if that's necessary. I don't see it as a moral debate or an either/or, I just find all the characters and the dynamics between them interesting.

For instance, you mentioned the class differences between Lily and James, and I always thought that was probably a point of contention in the relationship; but to me it's one that makes it more compelling to explore. Relationships irl are rarely perfect and evenly-matched from the start, they take work. Similarly people are never perfect- they learn and change and grow. James did, Snape definitely did. otherwise they would be boring and unrealistic as characters.

[therummonster]

My brain won't let me sleep so heres a 2 am ramble about kinda similar characters/parallels between characters in Rockymedia and Ybamedia/Horrormashfriends

Luke(Mc heroes) and Henry(Panik & Henry) are somewhat similar. Luke has a Alien inside of his head that gives him wish magic powers, and Henry seems to have magic seeped into his body some way (he also can understand and talk to a wand). Henry is a magic based character, Luke is a magic based superhero. Both have concepts where they could likely be taken over by their magic (Henrys due to the fact that it's very unstable, and Luke due to the fact that he could snap). Henry has a best friend he cares about, so does Luke, however Henrys best friend is insane and is more of an anti-hero, while Lukes is sane and is a hero. Henry has been the cause of something bad happening, and (technically) Luke was also the cause of something bad happening (peter being injured.). The two would likely get along in a calm setting.

Now Panik(Panik & Henry) and Dr Ostrich(mc heroes) are very similar. Both have a main kind of gun (Atomizer & TFG 10k) and have one/multiple henchmen of sorts (Dr ostriches ostriches and stink and stench, n panikbot and the demodog). The two could be classified as clinically insane. Panik relies on science a lot and thinks magic is dumb, Dr ostrich does the same but kinda leans into the 'magic is cool but should be tested' area in my mind. Panik actually has a friend he cares about, meanwhile Dr Ostrich has some yeetable henchmen, though I guess that may be equivalent since Panik does throw Henry places often. These two would probably be nerdy as shit together when sciencing, but otherwise would probably try to one up eachother.

Sabre (daycare) and Dark (13 st/Wither hill/Etc) act similar in some ways. Both say stupid shit at times, and it makes the others laugh or look at them weird. Both have very specific food preferences/a main food thing about them, Dark doesn't eat pork(irl and he doesn't eat it in Mc either [not sure if for religious reasons or what]) and Sabre likes cheese a lot! Both try to one up a character but also follow the lead of another (For Sabre is Unicorn mann and Ryan, and for Dark it's either Hooper or Action and Rickutto). Both get called nicknames (Dark=Dark Kelly & Sabre=Chicken face/Chicken man/Chicken gizzard/etc). The two would probably get along nicely with eachother in good circumstances.

Ryan(daycare/daycare academy) and Rage(Block city/Pixel town/Haunted neighborhood/Cursed town of tor/etc) are somewhat alike, not very but heres some of the ways that they are. Both take a leading role in their series (Daycare/Daycare Academy/etc & Block city). Both have a friend group and a live interest (Tina & Ashley. Sabre, Ucm, Shark, Goldy & Panik, Henry, Noah, Natasha, Frosty). Both experience a lot each episode/day in their respective places, some could be life threatening some could be just plain weird. Both consistently get confused or forget things. Both have had a mentor at some point. They'd probably get along with some tea and coffee, given to each respectively.

I consistently think about "what if henry/luke/ucm's magic corrupted them" and i love thay concept, cause it opens room for like so many things. Anyways yeah that's my little parallel thing- hope you liked reading it :D Ima sleep now 👍

ooooooo~

yes, this was a very nice read. 10/10, would read again.

[madness-on-the-milano]

Milano's Trailer Breakdown Vol 1 Part Two

Sigh. Props to Chris Pratt, he really does look like a man whose girlfriend came back from the dead just to kick him in the babymakers twice. That's simplified of course, but you get my point. He's so beautiful but he's married and I have my own hero IRL. In another life, Chris.

I do find it interesting that Mantis is the one to share the wisdom that is staying true to your roots and not forgetting where you come from. I don't know her history - yet. Was she taken from her mother as a newborn baby? Do her species hatch from eggs? Was Ego always her home and family or did she have a life before? God, I can't deal with Mantis feels. Pom Klementieff just has this incredible, perfect delicate balance between soft, fragile innocent and steely badass for Mantis that I don't believe any other actress could duplicate.

Oh hell no. Oh hell no. This was what I was both eagerly anticipating and dreading. Baby Rocket. Those ears! Soft fluffy baby raccoon fur!

That motherfucker. I hate James Gunn. I just know that sadist picked out the cutest little baby raccoon he could find. I bet he had a big warehouse full of them and spent half of production choosing the cutest one just to torture us. That bastard.

He looks like he's just had a flashback here. Background shows people, so I'm thinking he's in Knowhere, perhaps reminiscing? Whatever is going on, he looks sad. Once again, I am torn between hating and loving James Gunn for this.

Who's the murderer? God knows but I think this must be the home or even breeding ground of the interdimensional beast that's coming up shortly. It's very similar to the creature itself.

Gamora!!! I would kill to see what's on that Polaroid. I hope it's a family photo. She's so cool about whatever's on there. Zoe Saldana has a really cool storyline here - her other life had it all. Sister, family, boyfriend, a little tree baby, free from abuser. But that other self is dead, now there's a group of people who love you, but you just do not know them at all and one in particular is seriously broken up about it. And you're a good person, you're a kind person so you feel bad for him but you've been through enough crap that you need to protect yourself, even and especially if he loves you. Zoe's playing a different Gamora for sure, but as always, she's just so perfect for the character.

See that wistful, yet focused look? Whatever was in that photo, Gamora longs for. My guess is, this is around the midway point of the movie, where she starts to make peace with what's gone on and maybe reconsiders Quill.

God this cracks me up. Nebula carrying Peter like he's a kid who is fell asleep in the car, Cosmo trotting eagerly along, Mantis distractedly staring around...

And let's not forget Rocket's smoothie. On a more serious note, it's sad that they're acting like Quill getting blackout drunk is completely normal. Which it most likely is due to the everything that went on.

[rosekillerismylife]

A few things about Lord of the Rings (the books, obviously):

It took me ages to finish all three of them because J. R. R. Tolkien is a genius and imagined a whole new world with many different landscapes and unfortunately, the characters needed to travel very far and very long to get to the final destination.

I HATE GANDALF! Like, what do you mean he just comes and goes as he pleases, dumps metaphorical shit on you that is meant to be wise and thoughtful and then disappears all of a sudden and trusts you to make the right decision and if you make a wrong turn, he appears again and scolds you. What the fuck, man! You are not the center of the earth, fuck of!

Oh my God, Legolas and Gimli are so gay for each other. They are literal soulmates. And you can't disagree with me because have you noticed that they trust each other more than they trust the rest of the travel group? Have you noticed how they always think about each other and always have the urge to tell each other important news like how many creatures they killed during a fight? Have you noticed the conversation they had about Gimli wanting to show Legolas the Caves in 'Helms Klamm' and Legolas wantinf to show Gimli the Fangorn forest and they are going to go there even though Gimli doesn't like the forest and Legolas isn't comfortable with the caves? THAT IS LOVE, MY FRIEND. (even if it's just platonic)

I think Frodo was the inspiration to Harry Potter as a character because he has the same hero complex and the same 'oh no, I should've left my friends and should've taken care of the problem myself. Oh wait, now I have an opportunity, I might just go alone' behaviour. It annoys me! Also, both (Frodo and Harry) had the same situation: If Harry had killed Peter, the second war could have been avoided. If Frodo had killed Gollum, he wouldn't have been captured by the Orks.

Sam is so dear to me. He is a little like Ron (because he doesn't trust Gollum etc.) but the more I think about it, he is like Hira in My Beautiful Man which means (drumroll please) Frodo is Kiyoi and they are in love with each other! If you have watched the series, you know that Hira thinks of Kiyoi as a king and also treats him as one and doesn't think that he deserves someone like Hira. Basically, Sam is the same: He follows Frodo wherever he goes, he protects him, he cares for him, he cooks for him, he abandons his sleep to watch out for him and so on. I love him.

The Hobbits are so funny. I can't with them. They are so unbothered by everything, like little children or even teenagers. As long as they can eat and sing, everythings fine. Like, what do you mean there's no food in this dark tower during a war that may cost us our life?

Éowyn is slaying! She's mostly the only woman and she is so cool! I mean, she disguises herself as a man and fights even though she's not supposed to. Tolkien wrote the series in 1954 and the things Éowyn did were really progressive for that time, I guess. He was ahead of his time.

I love the language Tolkien uses, just because all of it sounds so fancy and special and the way he describes things, gives me chills. There's a reason why he's the father of High Fantasy.

Has anyone of you watched the movies? Do you recommend them?

[primroseprime2019]

Through the Spider-Verse: Chapter 2- The Spider-Man HQ

"Hobie! Pavitr!" Gwen called out as she, Miles and Polina walked down to the main living room.

Polina looked around in amazement. 'There's so many... Spider People,' she thought nervously.

"Was wondering where you guys were!" Pavitr exclaimed as he ran over to them with Hobie and Jess following.

"Miles!" Pavitr exclaimed as he hugged Miles, surprising the other boy who laughed.

"Hello to you too," he chuckled. Hobie looked at Polina, "who's this?"

"Remember when I told you about Polina? She lives in Earth-777," Gwen said. Polina smiled shyly and waved.

Pavitr zipped up to her, "nice to meet you, Polina!" "H-hi," Polina stuttered with a small giggle.

"Hi, newbie," Hobie chuckled. Polina smiled, "hi."

"Gwen! Miles!"

She looked over to see Peter B. Parker and his daughter, Mayday.

"Hey, Pete," Miles chuckled. Mayday cooed and giggled happily, clapping her hands. Miles smiled and gently shook her hand.

"Hello to you too, Mayday," he chuckled. Polina smiled softly.

"It's great to meet you, Mayday," Polina said warmly.

Mayday reached out her tiny hand again, as if wanting Polina to hold it. Polina carefully took her hand and Mayday squealed with delight.

"She likes you," Peter B. Parker chuckled. "You must have a good aura."

Polina blushed and laughed. "I guess so."

As everyone got settled in the living room, Gwen turned to Polina. "So, Polina, what do you think of our little Spider-Verse here?"

Polina looked around at all the different versions of Spider-heroes and smiled. "It's incredible. I never imagined there could be so many different Spider-People. I feel honored to be among you all."

Gwen and Miles exchanged glances of pride. "We're glad to have you here," Miles said sincerely. "We can learn a lot from someone who's seen multiple dimensions."

The room fell into conversation, with everyone sharing their stories and experiences from their respective dimensions. Polina listened intently, impressed by their bravery, strength, and camaraderie.

As the evening continued, Polina felt more and more at ease with her new Spider-Verse friends. She knew she had found a special group that she could call family, no matter what dimension they came from.

"Do you guys have a leader?" Polina asked. Hobie huffed and chuckled, "not by choice."

Polina looked over at Pavitr, curious. "Why isn't it by your choice?"

Pavitr sighed. "Miguel has this... superhero complex. He's convinced that he's the superior Spider-Man and should be in charge of everything. Most of us don't really agree with him, but he's a good guy deep down. It's just his ego that gets in the way sometimes."

Gwen rolled her eyes playfully. "He's definitely a handful, but we've learned to deal with him."

Miles nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he means well, he's just overly confident."

Polina furrowed her eyebrows. "So, is he here right now?"

Hobie chuckled again. "Nope, luckily he's off on some other dimension hopping adventure. Probably bragging about how he's saving the day all by himself."

"Typical Miguel," Gwen muttered.

Just then, the interdimensional portal in the living room crackled with energy, and out stepped a tall figure in a futuristic Spider-Man suit. It was Miguel O'Hara.

"Speak of the devil," Miles muttered under his breath.

Miguel strutted into the room, a smug grin on his face. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? A new addition to our little group?"

Polina tensed up, feeling the weight of his scrutinizing gaze. But she stood her ground and smiled politely. "Hi, I'm Polina. Nice to meet you, Miguel."

Miguel's grin softened slightly, and he extended a hand towards Polina. "Welcome to the Spider-Verse, Polina. I hope you're ready for some Spider-fun."

Polina shook his hand, relieved that he didn't seem as intimidating as she had expected. "I'm excited to be here and learn from all of you."

The room resumed its usual lively chatter, with Miguel joining in and regaling them with his exaggerated tales. As Polina listened to their banter, she couldn't help but feel a sense of belonging, even with Miguel's eccentricities. She was becoming a part of something much bigger than herself, and she couldn't wait to see where this Spider-Verse journey would take her.

After a while, Polina decided to do some exploring and she found herself in the bridge of HQ.

She looked around curiously before she saw Miguel looking over some orange screens.

Polina approached Miguel cautiously, not wanting to startle him. "Hey, Miguel. What are you working on?"

Miguel turned around, a faint smirk on his face. "Ah, Polina. Just analyzing some interdimensional data. Trying to make sense of the multiverse is quite a task, I must say." He glanced at her curiously. "What brings you here?"

Polina, a sense of adventure in her eyes. "I wanted to explore the HQ a bit more."

Miguel hummed softly but nodded his head before he looked back at the screens.

Polina tilted her head again before she hopped onto the railing and looked at the screens too. They were all of different dimensions. Even the ones that Miles, Gwen, Hobie and Pavitr were from.

"Which Earth are you from?" Miguel suddenly asked and Polina looked at him. She stared at him for a moment.

"Earth-777," she said cautiously, "why?"

He looked away, his eyes landing on another screen. "Curious, I suppose," he said.

Polina frowned a little and she fidgeted a little. She silently exhaled through her mouth before she jumped down from the platform.

Miguel watched her go out of the corner of his eye and he waited until she left the bridge. Lyla appeared beside him.

"You know you can't hide your curiosity when it comes to that one. You didn't do the same with Miles," she said.

Miguel sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I know, Lyla. It's just... there's something about Polina. She's different, you know? And she's from a dimension... a dimension I thought was lost."

Lyla tilted her head slightly, processing the information. "I understand your curiosity, Miguel. But be careful, the multiverse is a delicate web. We mustn't interfere too much with it."

Miguel nodded in agreement. "You're right, Lyla. I'll try to keep my distance. But if there are answers to be found, I can't help but wonder what they might reveal."

Lyla gave him a knowing look before fading away into the digital interface. "Just remember, sometimes the answers we seek may lead us down unexpected paths. Be prepared for what you might find, Miguel."

Miguel took a deep breath, his mind filled with questions and possibilities. He returned his focus to the screens, determined to continue his analysis. But a sense of unease lingered within him as he wondered about the secrets that Polina's dimension might hold.

[bitchysoulwasteland]

Steve Rogers x Queen Frontwoman reader

Coming Back Home Part One

This will be the first instalment in what may become a series

You had worked for years to get to this point. You breathed a breath you didn't know you were holding on to as the rest of Queen walked onstage. Yes, Queen, as in the 1970s rock band Queen. Plenty of people thought that you shouldn't be all owed to play with the four legends, but, being John Deacon's 20 year old daughter, they couldn't really say anything, especially as your godfather was the one and only Freddie Mercury himself.

Over the years, you had herd plenty of things, from random people on the street to critics you had never even herd of. They had all said the same thing. 'Y/n Deacon lacks the talent to be in a group like Queen.' Needless to say, the four members had nearly sued the newspaper that had allowed that to be printed.

You were pulled from your thoughts by Freddie's hand on your shoulder. You gave a nod as you looked at him, the opening bars of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' filling the sold-out arena. You and your godfather began to sing in harmony as you both sat at the piano.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve watched in awe as you moved around the Wembley Stadium stage, in sync with the music. Bucky smirked from beside him as more of the Avengers joined them to watch the TV.

"Damn, she's good." Natasha stated, voicing Steve's exact thoughts.

"You think this is good, wait until her solo in Seven Seas Of Rhye. She absolutely kills it." Peter stated from his place. Being the one that put the concert on, it didn't surprise anyone that he knew what he was talking about.

An hour later, the group of super heroes was still mesmerised by the performance. You had, in fact, killed it in your solo.

The show came to an end as the band did their bows. The entire group clapped and cheered at the screen as Tony came bursting in.

"Guys, you will never guess who I've just been on the phone with." He didn't eave anyone time to answer him "All I can say is, be ready for nine thirty tomorrow, or be left here. It's an hour's walk." with that, he was gone.

"What the hell got into him?" Bucky asked as he and Steve moved to sit at the kitchen island.

"Who knows, it's Tony. Probably something with alcohol." Steve shrugged to his friend.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You got changed out of your costume and sat on your sofa as Miami knocked on the door.

"Come in." you said as he opened and closed the door behind him.

"I've booked Queen a concert in a special location. Be ready and in the Rolls Royce by six thirty tonight. Sound check is at eight tomorrow morning. We touch down at half past twelve." he simply stated and walked out again, leaving you exceedingly confused.

"Where the bloody hell are we going that's gonna take nearly seven hours to get there?"

Little did you know, that, seven hours away, Steve was wondering practically the same thing.

[paleghostinthecorner02]

I was going to make my own post about this and now I don't have to! (⁠~⁠‾⁠▿⁠‾⁠)⁠~

I will note a few things though.

There actually is SOME comic precedence for Miguel being the dimension hopping/ time travel guy. He's the Spider-Man that had a stint in the Exiles, a group of people who travel to different dimensions meeting variants of well known characters and fixing problems to save different universes, and his entire second comic run involved him travelling back and forth through time to fix problems threatening his home time period. He wasn't the leader of the Exiles or anything and I'm not sure how much the writers even know about Miguel, but this isn't his first dimension hopping rodeo.

Being bitten by a spider is just an assumed Canon Event by the fandom, and it's weird that people assume specifically being bitten by a radioactive spider is the first canon event when it could be a more general "becoming a Spider hero" event. The fact that many of the members weren't bitten (Miguel was spliced, Pavitr got his through magic, Margo uses an avatar and Lady Spider, who's seen in the background a few times, just uses Steampunk era gadgetry based around a spider) makes it clear that nobody in universe actually thinks being bitten is the only way to be a valid Spider.

Springboarding off that, the amount of people claiming that Miguel isn't really Spider-Man because the powers he has are different. "He has fangs and claws? He doesn't have Spider Sense? How can he call himself Spider-Man!" Admittedly, this is an attitude that partially present because Miles hypocritically has this attitude in the movie, BUT, having fangs and claws as part of his power set makes him MORE Spider like than other spider people because SPIDERS HAVE FANGS AND CLAWS. Like, do people not realize that Miguel is literally one of the only spider people whos method of wall crawling is accurate to how actual spiders cling to surfaces? They don't have some nebulously explained static cling, they have tiny little paws with tiny little tarsal talons that grip into surfaces. It's absolutely rich that stans of a character who makes fucking lightning swords have the audacity to gatekeep how worthy Miguel is to be Spider-Man because of his non standard power set. Show me the spiders that electrocute people before you run your mouth about talons and fangs.

And not mentioned at all is the absolute dumbest reason I have seen that these people use to delegitimize Miguel's status as Spider-Man: He uses laser webbing.

I am not even shitting you, I have seen people on YouTube that claim Miguel's high tech webs means he isn't a REAL Spider-Man. I mean, it makes sense I guess, because how can someone be considered Spider-Man if they have to rely on an outside means of creating their webs instead of creating them organically? Well, except for Peter, who uses web shooters. And also Miles, who uses web shooters. And Gwen who uses web shooters. And literally most Spider people in existence. The lasers are just an upgraded form of the web shooters most Spider people use that have advantages over them like being able to branch off a single line, being able to bend as Miguel needs and not being affected by wind velocity or gravity. And having them doesn't mean Miguel doesn't actually have his organic webbing, but why use that when you can use something that's probably easier to control (Miguel has to flex his arm muscles as certain way to shoot it) and has all the advantages listed above.

It's just astounding to me that people are so blatantly hypocritical that they'll use "Anyone can wear the mask" to defend Miles in one breath while saying Miguel can't be Spider-Man for XYZ stupid reason.

"Miguel isn't Spider-Man"

[A short essay where I explain why I think this theory doesn't make sense - and why believing it CONTRADICTS ourselves]

The idea that Miguel isn't Spider-man is erroreous in my eyes for one reason: it's hypocritical.

Miguel's biggest error and problem is that he doubts Miles is Spider-Man.

Miguel puts strict limitations on what Spider-Man is and isn't, and because Miles falls out of the definition, he treats him differently. That's a problem.

By questioning if Miguel is Spider-Man, you're doing the exact same thing.

By saying 'Miguel isn't Spider-Man because x,y,z' (he wasn't bitten, he has different powers, he needs shots, etc, etc) YOU are putting strict limitations on what Spider-Man is - and treating him differently for it.

That's why Miguel was chosen as the Society Leader.

In SM2099 Miguel is a geneticist - there's really nothing in his comic books that suggest he could time travel of all things.

The writers chose Miguel as the leader because fundamentally, his story makes him different from all other Spider-people.

That difference invites you to question Miguel's authenticity, effectively tricking you into making the exact same mistake he is.

Miguel is an outsider looking into Miles story, questioning his legitimacy, and trying to determine his personality and destiny based on that.

By questioning Miguel, you BECOME Miguel. You become the outsider looking into Miguel's story, questioning his legitimacy, trying to determine his personality and destiny based on your limited idea of what a Spider-Man is.

The entire point is : ANYONE can be Spider-Man regardless of their story, the way it came about, or the powers they have.

Many people question that if Miguel wasn't bitten never consider the question:

Was MARGO bitten?

Margo, like Miguel, uses technology to acquire most of her powers. Her powers are fundamentally different than most Spider-people. She can teleport and directly interact with technology in a way others can't. We have no idea whether she was bitten or not, but from the looks of it, the answer might be 'no'.

But no one ever questions her legitimacy. Only Miguel's.

Because questioning Miguel confirms their bias against him.

The same way Miguel questioning Miles confirms his bias against him.

Miguel thinks Miles is the universal anamoly, so he begins to pick apart why he's not really Spider-Man. When you theorize that MIGUEL is in fact the anamoly, you begin to pick apart why he's not really Spider-Man - effectively putting you in Miguel's position, turning you into the same thing you were judging him for to begin with.

The whole point of ATSV is that anyone can put on the mask.

PLUS with the inclusion of the trans!Gwen hints throughout the movies - questioning Miguel because he takes shots in order to confirm his identity as Spider-Man becomes even more questionable.

Just because he needs an outside force like shots to confirm his identity, doesn't make him any less of that identity. People who are 'biologically/naturally' Spider-people aren't 'more' of a Spider-person than Miguel. The same way cis guys aren't more 'manly' than trans men who take shots.

But Miguel's story being an allegory for transness is another conversation for another day.

The point of the movies isn't 'Miles is Spider-Man'. The point is 'Anyone can be Spider-Man. No one can decide your story or identity for you.'

By questioning Miguel's identity as Spider-Man you're ignoring the message Miles keeps trying to hammer home.

When you question Miguel, you become Miguel.

In short: Miguel is Spider-Man, Miles is Spider-Man. They're all Spider-Man. There is no one definition of Spider-Man.

MIGUEL IS SPIDER-MAN AHHHHH

I rest my case.

(actual photo of me defending Miguel in court. I am his lawyer.)

This isn't me trying to shit on people who believe this theory, but it's just my personal two cents of why I think it doesn't add up in the general scheme and message of the movies. 💖

ANYWAY here's Miguel

BYE.

[kwaggysshardmindemporium]

So I was in a slightly different work situation where I couldn't be on my phone much, and that means I'm like a week behind on albumposting. So here's a huge one:

Apparently where I left off was The White Stripes according to my site history, so that makes the next one So by Peter Gabriel. Was good. Has his ginormous hit "Sledgehammer" on it, which is a ginormous hit for a reason. This was like a week ago at this point so that's about all I remember, but I gave it a 4/5.

Next up, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, no points for guessing the artist. I *like* the bits after each track of audio from a classroom where a teacher talks about what the next topic is gonna be, but it definitely gives the album a kind of weird pace because you'll be listening to a fun song and as it fades out and you're eagerly awaiting the next one you instead get a minute or two of only kinda related whatever. Still though, the tunes are good and unlike most albums I've listened to through this that had between-track skits they had a clear POINT and also none of them were painfully awkward audio of the artist getting their dick sucked. (I'm reasonably certain Lauryn Hill doesn't have a dick anyway, but I'm even more confident that if she did she STILL wouldn't have put audio of her getting sucked off on this record as a skit.) Cannot overstate how refreshing that is because LITERALLY every album this list has given me so far with inter-track skits includes one or more of them being the artist getting blown. Aaaaanyway tangent over 4/5 it's good.

Next! The Age of Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets. Never heard of this one before, but man did it whip ass. It's basically a lost Arctic Monkeys record, and damn did it rock. 5/5. Probably my favorite thing in this grouping here.

Now, Fuzzy by Grant Lee Buffalo. Little bit like the Pixies' softer stuff. Very calming and nice. Not a lot to say about it. 4/5

Like Water For Chocolate, by Common. I just didn't really vibe with this one. It's certainly not bad but it didn't really do much for me. "A Song For Assata" was good. 3/5

Then yesterday was Slanted and Enchanted by Pavement. It's another album where it's the sonic equivalent of sticking your hand in styrofoam packing peanuts, and thus earns the same rating every one of them gets: 3/5.

Today, finally caught up, was Black Holes and Revelations by Muse. An album I'd actually heard a bunch of songs from already from back when I used Pandora in my late teens and got a lot of Muse. Some of it I like a little less than I did then, some a little more. "Knights of Cydonia" I like a LOT more because I was introduced to it through Guitar Hero and it just isn't a super fun song in those games. Listening to it all with fresh ears really makes me appreciate that Muse is such a good fucking band man. 4/5, plus an apology to KoC for having the misfortune of meeting me in an unfortunate method shine on you good little song you.

[simpforboys]

in another dimension (3)

she/her pronouns

mentions of no way home spoilers!! proceed with caution!!

summary: y/n and peter go on their first date

warnings: swear words, mentions of past death.

last part , next part

thank you for 800+ followers:)

after peter changed into some actual clothing, him and y/n decided to meet at a diner by central park. 

y/n was the first to arrive as she grabbed a table for them. she waited five minutes, each ring of the door making her eyes dart to the entrance. 

her posture straightened when peter finally came walking in, flowers in hand and a rushed expression on his face. 

“sorry it took me forever- the line at the flower shop was longer than expected,” peter said. 

y/n felt her lips curve into a smile. “thank you, peter. they’re beautiful.” 

“they’re kinda... you know,” he tried to hide his blushing face. a couple flowers were falling over. 

y/n laughed. 

“they’re still pretty.” 

“like you,” peter blurted. 

y/n felt her own face grow heated as she grinned. “thank you.”

the pair ordered their food and leaned back in the booth. “i still can’t believe the multiverse is real- i mean the fact there’s other versions of me is insane.”

y/n had to stifle a giggle. “i know! i always believed there were other dimensions but the fact that it actually happened is crazy. wait- is the avengers here?”

“peter was telling us about the avengers on top of the statue of liberty. i thought that was a band.”

peter felt his heart beat quicken when y/n laughed at his guess.

“the avengers would be a cool band name, huh? no, it’s a group of people. tony stark, who’s a billionaire playboy genius that supplied most of the tools is known as iron man. unfortunately he passed away saving the universe from thanos.”

y/n continued telling peter about earth’s mightiest heros. he listened intently, taking in every word she said like a breath of fresh air.

“i wish i could fight an alien. the most i’ve ever gotten was a russian man in a rhino machine.”

“i bet that must have hurt tho, right?”

“well considering he was probably ten feet tall and guns were installed in his arms, yeah, i would say so.”

y/n laughed at his sarcasm.

“it was so cool, i gotta tell you. i showed up and this little boy was standing there in front of him, his own spidey suit on. i felt like a proud dad.”

“i could never do that, in my opinion. do you want kids someday?”

“well… maybe. i dunno, it’s definitely something i want but i wouldn’t ever want to put my child at risk. you just never know what can happen.”

y/n nodded at his words.

“do you?”

“i haven’t really thought about it. maybe one would be nice,” y/n shrugged.

peter nodded. the waitress brought their food over as they dug in.

more laughter and awkward flirting was filled as they ate their meal. an old couple kept looking their way, smiles on their faces.

peter paid the check and y/n grabbed her flowers. y/n exited the diner, but turned around to see peter being stopped by the old woman.

y/n watched intently, questioning what was being said. peter came walking out with a small grin on his face.

“what was that about?” y/n asked.

“nothing,” peter shrugged.

“oh, come on! you can’t just do that to me!” y/n whined. peter chuckled.

“maybe i’ll tell you one day.”

“so not fair.”

“shhh, don’t worry about it.”

y/n bit her lip. her cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

“where to now?”

“well… if you’re okay with it i can swing us up to my favorite spot? i promise it’s a fantastic view.”

y/n sucked in a deep breath. “yeah, okay.”

peter grinned. “good.”

peter lead her to an empty alleyway, a place he can start swinging with privacy. he grabbed y/n’s waist, seeing her close her eyes. “ready?”

she nodded against him, burying her face into his shoulder. peter webbed onto the building, both their bodies flying upwards.

he began discreetly zipping above people, avoiding crowded streets and signs since he was unmasked.

his stomach turned to knots when he felt y/n grip him tighter.

eventually, he landed on top of an apartment building.

“you can open your eyes now,” he whispered.

y/n peeked her eyes open, taking in the gorgeous view in front of her. the sun was setting and it casted a golden glow over the city.

“wow,” she breathed out.

peter smiled. “beautiful, huh?”

“very.”

she sat down on the building, feeling peter’s presence come next to her.

“is this where you take all your hook ups?” y/n joked. peter laughed.

“only the ones i like.”

y/n shook her head with a grin.

“i’ve only- never mind.”

“you can talk about her, peter. i know she was special to you.”

peter rested his elbows on his knees. he stared out at the skyline, and y/n wanted to know what so badly he was thinking.

“it was hard for awhile. i- i still haven’t quite forgiven myself for what happened to her. i’ll never forgive myself for the person i was after her death. that’s why i got so emotional- seeing you falling from the statue of liberty brought back some flashbacks.”

y/n listened to every word he spoke, watching his unreadable face. fortunately, his eyes said everything. they watered slightly and she could tell he was trying not to cry.

“i wouldn’t know what to do if i lost you too, y/n.”

he finally turned to face her. she was already looking at him, her facial expressions soft.

and peter was so thankful he found someone so like him.

after gwen died, he never truly forgave himself.

but he kept pushing himself because he knew that’s what gwen would have wanted.

he never thought he would meet someone and love them the way he loved gwen.

but when he saw y/n, his heart rose and he felt his mouth grow dry for the first time in ten years. and all those memories of him meeting gwen came back.

he knows she would have wanted him to move on and find someone that loves him the way she did.

“you’re not going to lose me, peter. i literally swapped dimensions for you,” she tried cheering him up.

peter stifled a laugh, wiping away his fallen tears.

“i’m always going to be here for you.”

“thanks, y/n.”

peter felt her hand’s presence next to his. he could sense she was nervous about making the next move, not knowing if it was right or not.

but peter knew. so he closed the gap, letting their fingers intertwine.

-

@padf00ts-l0ver

[a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all]

My Hero

Fandom: Marvel, Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker

Word Count: 4535

TW: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Lies, Explosion, Danger

“Peter! You have to watch this!” You pulled your best friend over to your laptop and hit play. “Can you believe it? Spider-Man took out six armed bank robbers and saved a group of hostages all by himself last night. Oh, oh! Watch this…. Bam! He stopped that guy right before he could harm that lady!” You looked up from the screen and turned to Peter. “Isn’t he amazing!”

But Peter didn’t seem to be as fascinated with the web-slinging superhero as you were. He kept glancing away from the screen and rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know, he’s okay, I guess. But can’t we do something else? I mean, I thought we were going to study for the chemistry final?”

You scoffed. “Like you need to study. You know more about that stuff than Professor Franklin does. And what’s so wrong about Spider-Man? He’s a hero! He’s saved this city more times than I can count. And have you seen the way he just swings through the city almost like he’s flying? God! It looks like so much fun!” When you noticed Peter’s still not really listening to you, you swatted him on the arm. “What’s your problem with him? You always change the subject when I bring him up.”

He shifted uncomfortably. “Nothing, I just don’t, uh, keep up with him, that’s all.”

“How can you not keep up with this! Here, I have a bunch of videos saved of his top rescues, his most daring acts, and his coolest moments. One sec.”

You opened up your list of saved videos and felt the blood rush to your face immediately when the first three to pop up were all related to the hottest Spider-Man shots. You tried to play any other video as quickly as possible but ended up clicking on “Spider-Man’s Best ASSets” and the screen soon filled with quick shots of the hero’s backside in his tight costume. You slammed the lid shut on your computer as quickly as you could.

Taking a deep breath, you slowly turned to face Peter, expecting him to look just as embarrassed as you felt. Instead, he had a smug, almost cocky expression on his face. “So, that’s what you like about Spider-Man, huh?” He raised his eyebrows at you as he took a drink of his juice.

“No! That’s not….I mean…that’s not the only reason.”

Peter sputtered, inhaling half of his mouthful of drink which soon had him doubled over in a huge coughing fit. When he was able to compose himself, he stared at you wide-eyed. “Wait…. Are you serious?”

Keep reading “I mean, just because I admire him for his heroics and selfless acts doesn’t mean I can’t admire him for his more…physical attributes too.”

“Wait, so Gigs…. Do you have a crush on Spider-Man?”

You glanced down at the floor. “Maybe… just a little.” You quickly tried to elaborate. “But it’s like a celebrity crush! You know, the kind when you know, realistically, you’ll never meet the person or whatever but it’s just nice to imagine.”

Peter suddenly looked rather uncomfortable again and you sighed in frustration. “Oh, come on! You gush about your little crush on Gwen all the time, but I’m not allowed to talk about my crush on Spider-Man?”

He gave you a one shoulder shrug as he mumbled, “That’s different. Could we, uh, just maybe talk about something else?” He glanced at his watch and grimaced. “Actually, it’s getting late. I should probably be heading home.”

“What? But I thought you were staying for pizza tonight?”

“I want to…but I – my aunt needs me to, uh, help her tonight.”

You groaned loudly. “Peter, you’ve used that excuse every night for the past week! I get your aunt needs extra help around the house since your uncle died but come on! And every time I offer to go over and help you, you have a different excuse why I can’t! Do you… do you just not like hanging out with me anymore?”

“What? No, Giggles, of course not. I just… some stuffs been going on and I’ve been going through… changes lately that I’m trying to figure out. I’m sorry, I just need…I need some time. But it’s not you, I swear!”

You just stared blankly at him for a moment. “…. Is that a weird euphemism for puberty?”

“Yes! I mean, uh, yeah, that’s– that’s what I meant.”

You didn’t believe him for a second. For one thing, you and Peter had already navigated the worst of the strange and magical hell that was puberty a few years ago. His six-inch growth spurt in 10th grade was proof enough of that. Besides, you both had been surprisingly open with each other about stuff like that. And for another thing, after almost 13 years of friendship, you could tell when Peter was lying. And, boy, was he lying now. But if he felt this was something he had to deal with on his own, you had no choice but to respect that.

So, you just nodded softly at him. “Okay, but Peter… you know you can tell me anything, right? No matter what it is, I’m here for you.”

His face softened a little as he gave you a small smile. “I know, Gigs. And I’m always here for you.” Yet as he grabbed his skateboard and headed out of your room, you couldn’t help but wonder if that was still true.

Over the next week, you barely saw Peter outside of school. Every time you tried to make plans or just hang out, he came up with some excuse for why he couldn’t. You could feel your best friend slipping through your fingers and you still had no idea why.

And the worst part was, he was more than a best friend to you. Even though you had never said anything to him or tried to make a move out of the friend zone, you had been head-over-heels for Peter for years. What had initially started out as a genuine friendship between two little kids, had grown and developed right alongside them, until it was now at the point that it almost hurt how much you cared about him. But you knew you were nothing more than a friend to him. His constant rants about the perfect Gwen Stacy had made that abundantly clear. Yet you would prefer Peter in your life anyway you could get him to not at all, which was why his constant avoidance of you hurt so much.

But miraculously, the following Monday, you managed to convince him to walk with you to your favorite bodega to pick up some sandwiches.

Afterwards, as the two of you headed back to the subway, food in hand, you finally got up the courage to address the growing distance. “Peter, we need to talk about something.”

He glanced nervously at you. “Uh, sure, what’s up?”

“I don’t know what's been going on with you lately but something’s different. You’re pushing me away and I can’t figure out why. You keep saying it’s not me but how can I think it’s not when you barely talk to me anymore?”

“No, it has nothing to do with– Gigs, I– I mean, I can’t–” Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes growing wide, and he tackled you to the ground.

Seconds later, the building halfway down the block exploded. Rubble and dust rained down, but Peter’s body above you blocked most of the debris. You looked up at him with wide eyes, vaguely wondering in the back of your mind how he knew to push you down, but you were more focused on the chaos around you. People were screaming and running, but you saw a few bodies closer to the explosion lying motionless on the ground. Horrified, you scrambled to your feet, tightly grabbing onto Peter’s hand.

“Go!” He yelled above the noise, “Go!”

You took off running, Peter close on your heels, hand still firmly locked in yours. A second explosion sounded and a fresh wave of people pushed past you. In the commotion, your hand was wrenched from Peter’s. Desperately looking around, you couldn’t spot him anywhere. Even screaming his name at the top of your lungs did nothing to help locate your best friend. You tried your best to hang back, scanning the crowd for him until you were one of the last people still upright in this part of the street.

Suddenly, a third explosion sounded from directly above you. Looking up, you watched in horror as a large chunk of the building you were standing next to came hurtling down at you. All you had time to do was squeeze your eyes shut and brace yourself for your inevitable fate.

But just before you were crushed, you felt something slam into your side, sweeping you off your feet. An arm wrapped protectively around your waist, and you opened your eyes to stare into the familiar mask you had seen on in videos for the past six months.

“Hold on, I got you.” Spider-Man said. You glanced down and for the first time noticed you were soaring high above the street. Frantically, you wrapped your arms and legs around your savior and held on for dear life. You could feel him chuckling under your grasp, even as the sound was lost behind the wind and his mask.

Finally, once he was a safe distance away, he lowered you both to the ground. As he set you down, you collapsed to the sidewalk as your legs turned to jelly. He bent down next to you, carefully cupping your cheek in his covered hand as he examined your face. “Hey, hey, are you okay?”

“You-you’re Spider-Man. And you just– you saved my life. Oh my God! Than-thank you!”

“Yeah, don’t mention it. Now, are you alright?” He turned your face to meet his orb-like lenses in his mask. His voice seemed oddly familiar though muffled and slightly distorted through the fabric covering his mouth, and, for some reason, it put you at ease instantly.

“I’m fine, thanks to you.”

He nodded. “Good. Now, you’ll be safe here until someone can come check on you, but I have to go stop whoever’s behind this. I need you to stay right in this spot, okay? Can you promise me that?”

“Yes, I mean, sure.” You were still a little shaken from the previous ordeal and slightly starstruck from meeting your hero, but you grabbed his arm just as he was about to leap into the air. “Wait! My friend. He was right next to me, then I turned around and he was gone. Please, you have to make sure he’s safe. I can’t – I – Please, don’t let anything happen to him.”

Even though you couldn’t see the eyes behind the mask, you could feel his eyes boring into you. “I promise, your friend will be fine. Now, stay here.” And with that, he was gone.

You sat on the curb for almost an hour, somewhat in shock, as you waited for any news about Peter. An emergency worker came over to see if you needed help, but you waved him off, muttering, “I promised I would stay right here.” After a few minutes of trying to coax you to get checked out, he finally left to help someone who actually wanted the assistance.

Finally, you saw a familiar, lanky form rushing towards you. He was limping almost imperceptibly, and he had a large bruise on his face, but besides that, Peter looked perfectly fine. When he saw you sitting alone, he sped up, only giving you just enough time to stand up before he was crushing you in his arms.

“Hey, are you okay?” He released you just enough so that he could look you over.

But you tore yourself from his embrace, tears building up in the corners of your eyes. “Where the hell were you?”

“I was– I tried to go find help. I thought…I-I figured you would be safe where you were.”

“I turned around and I couldn’t find you! I was all alone, and I was so scared!”

“Aw, Giggles, it’s alright. You’re okay.”

Peter tried reaching out to pull you into another hug, but you jerked away from him, tears now streaming down your face. “I wasn’t scared for me, you idiot! I didn’t see you and I was so scared something happened to you! Now it turns out you just ran away and left me there! What the hell, Parker!”

He looked stunned as he tried to find any words that could explain his actions, but of course, there were none. “I didn’t– I mean, no of course– well, I did but not– you don’t understand!”

“You’re damn right I don’t!” He tried to gently touch your arm, but once again you yanked it from his grasp. “No! Don’t touch me! Peter, I needed you and you left me there. If Spider-Man hadn’t shown up….. We always promised to have each other’s backs and when I needed you most……Just stay away from me.” You rushed past him and hurried down the street. And even over the commotion and noise, you could still hear him calling after you. But you didn’t hesitate as you rounded the corner and disappeared from his sight.

The next 36 hours go by in a blur. When you got home and explained to your parents what happened, they demanded you go to the emergency room to get checked out even though you insisted you were fine. And five hours later, you were headed back home with a piece of paper proving that fact. Thankfully, your mom let you skip school the next day, so you slept in until well past noon.

When you woke up, your phone was full of texts and missed calls from Peter, but you ignored them all. And when he stopped by after school to see how you were doing, your mom sent him away per your instructions. You hadn’t told her exactly what happened with him, but she trusted you enough to listen to your request without explanation.

The news was saying that some lunatic had set off the explosions as a diversion to rob a medical facility a few blocks over. Once Spider-Man had rescued as many people as possible at your location, he had swung over and nabbed the guy before he could get away. You spent the whole afternoon devouring any and all news coverage, cell phone footage, and firsthand reports you could find. You even caught a few glimpses of Spider-Man rescuing you seconds before the building fell on you. But that part was a little harder to watch.

However, that was this afternoon and now it was night. You were laying on the roof of your apartment building staring up at the stars. You and Peter had built a little lean-to up here a few years ago where you stored a few blankets and pillows for just such an activity. However, it felt strange being up here without your best friend. Or former best friend. Or whatever he was now.

Suddenly, you heard a thud nearby, followed by a slightly muffled, “Hi there.”

Sitting up quickly, your eyes grew wide in astonishment as you stared at the person who had just landed next to you. “Sp-Spider-Man! Hi! I mean, wh-what are you doing here?”

“I just happened to be swinging by and saw you up here all by yourself. I recognized you from yesterday and wanted to see how you were doing.”

You felt heat rising in your face as you stammered, “Y-you remembered m-me?”

“Sure. You made quite the impression.”

“Really? I’m sorry, I just can’t believe it! I love you!” The heat in your face grew more intense. “I mean, I don’t…not like that, but, I-I just think you are amazing! The things you do for the people of this city! You’re a hero!”

Now it was Spider-Man’s turn to seem flustered. “Well, I mean, kinda I guess, but…Hey, uh, did you ever find your friend?”

The wild grin instantly fell from your face. “Yeah. He was perfectly fine.”

“Oh…Well, it doesn’t sound like you are. Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No………………Peter has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. We’ve done everything together, shared everything together. I can’t even remember the last time he used my real name! It’s always been my dorky nickname he gave me when we were 8. He’s my person, or at least….I thought he was.” You looked sadly down at the gravelly roof beneath your feet.

“Lately, he’s been pulling away from me and then yesterday he left me on my own when I needed him most. He means so much to me, he means everything to me, but I just…” You glanced up to see Spider-Man watching you with his unblinking eyes and you were instantly mortified. You whirled around so your back was to him as you tried to wipe away the tears forming in your eyes. “I am so sorry! I’m sure you’re incredibly busy and you don’t need to be listening to some stupid teenager’s drama.”

“Aw, Gigs, it’s alright. You’re okay.”

You froze, tears instantly drying up before they can fall. Only one person in the world called you Gigs or Giggles, and that phrase was exactly what he had said to you yesterday. Slowly, you turned around to face the masked hero and in a voice that wasn’t much more than a whisper, you asked, “Peter?”

You watched him tense up as he realized his mistake. “What? No. I’m, uh, not…No! I don’t even…know any Peters. Maybe, ah, Peter……Pan. Th-that’s a Peter, but not, not me!”

“Peter.” You said again with a little more force, slowly stalking towards him.

“Ha, well, uh, I think it’s about time for me to, um, be swinging away now. Lots of…. crime to stop and, uh, such– such things.”

You stopped directly in front of him, glaring furiously up at his covered face. And before he could stop you, you reached up and tore the mask from his head, revealing the anxious face of your best friend. A million emotions flowed through you at once and you weren’t sure how to react, but as soon as he smiled sheepishly at you and muttered a small, “H-hi, Gigs.” it set you off.

“Are you shitting me right now! That’s all you have to say for yourself! You’ve been lying to me for months, if not longer!” You turned and stormed off to the other side of the roof still ranting the entire way. “Like really Peter, how could you not tell me! You’ve been Spider-Man this whole time and you didn’t say anything! Even when I would show you videos or photos, you just sat there and let me go on like an idiot, while the whole time it was you under the mask!”

You opened your mouth to scream some more when a realization hit you. You froze in place and all the anger instantly left your body. Turning slowly to face him, you whispered, “And… you saved me. You saved me yesterday and all I did was accuse you of abandoning me.”

“Gigs, I would never have left you if I didn’t think it was the best way to keep you safe. I swear, if I didn’t think I could protect you there, I would have immediately swung you away. I don’t care who would have found out who I am. I never meant for you to think I didn’t care about you, or I didn’t have your back. Because I do…. I always do.”

“Peter,” you weren’t even sure how to put how you were feeling into words. “I’m so sorry. I should never have doubted you. Of course, you wouldn’t have just left me there. I should have known that. And I’m sorry I got mad just now. It would have been nice if you had felt like you could trust me with your secret, but, honestly, I get why you didn’t.”

“No,” Peter took a few steps in your direction, closing the gap slightly between you. “I trust you with my life! I was just afraid if you knew, it might put you in danger. And I would do anything to keep that from happening, even if it meant you losing your faith in me.”

Chuckling softly, you shook your head as you looked at the ground. “I feel like such an idiot. As many times as I watched all those videos and news coverage, I never realized it was you behind the mask. Though, leave it to me to get a crush on two guys just for them to turn out to be the same guy.”

Peter’s face shifted, his mouth hanging open slightly and his brow furrowing as he stared at you. “Get a crush on two… but…”

The slow realization of what you had just said creeped over you and you buried your face in your hands. “Oh my God. Peter, I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean…you weren’t supposed to find out… especially like this. Just forget I said anything.” You turned your back on him again, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. “Please, don’t let this change anything between us. You’re my best friend and I don’t want to lose you and that’s why I neve-”

Mid-sentence, you hear a whip and something sticky grabbed at your hip. Before you could react, you were twirled around as the sticky substance yanked you backwards. You collided with Peter, ending up nestled snugly in his surprisingly muscular arms. As you stared up into his eyes, he reached up a hand and wrapped it around the back of your neck, pulling you in closer to him as he crashed his mouth into yours. For a moment you allowed yourself to fall into him, savoring the feeling of his lips on yours.

But then, you pulled back, breathless and confused. “But what– Peter, I don’t understa–”

“Just shut up. I’ve wanted to do this for way too long.” And then his mouth was on yours once again. This time, you don’t fight it. Instead, you leaned into the kiss just as furiously as he did. As his hands grasped your face, yours threaded through his tousled hair as you let out a small moan of pleasure. You had been dreaming of this moment for so long, you could scarcely believe it was really happening.

Far sooner than you would have liked, the two of you broke apart, each struggling to catch your breath. As Peter rested his head against yours, he muttered, “I should have done that years ago.”

Nudging his nose with yours, you asked, “So, why didn’t you?”

“I– I didn’t think you felt the same way.”

“Yeah, neither did I. Especially since you’ve been talking about Gwen so much lately.”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve had a crush on you since we met! I only started thinking about Gwen because I figured I’d never have a chance with you. But it’s always been you, Gigs. Always.”

You leaned forward and once again captured his lips with yours. This time, the kiss was not as heated, but more tender, drawn out. It was unlike any kiss you had ever had before, and you couldn’t get enough. Because it was Peter. And no one else would ever make you feel the way he did. Especially now that you knew the truth.

As you pulled away from the kiss, you whispered. “Peter, I want you to know, this doesn’t change anything. I meant what I said before. You are a hero. You’ve done so much for so many people, and I am so proud of you.”

He ran his thumb across your cheek. “Gigs, I only know how to be a hero because you showed me how. You’re the one who taught me to be brave and strong and stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Ever since that day in kindergarten when you pushed Flash down on the playground and told him to stop picking on me, you’ve been my hero.”

Your face grew warm as you listened to his words. “Peter, that was nothing.”

“No, Giggles, it was everything.”

“Well, I guess we'll just have one pretty heroic relationship then, huh.”

Now it was Peter’s turn to flush slightly as he ran his hand nervously through his hair. “So, yeah, about that… What does this mean for us, uh, now? Should-should I ask you out? On like a date? Are we still just, um,….friends? Something more?”

You laughed, wrapping your arms around his waist. “Peter, we’ve been practically dating since we were five. We spend every free moment together, we’ve experienced all of life’s ups and downs with one another, and we know everything there is to know about each other. Let’s not ruin that by trying to force the awkward beginning of the relationship stuff.” You thought for a minute then said, “How about this….we both admit to liking each other for years, so why don’t we just make tonight our one-year anniversary?”

He scoffed softly. “You can’t just retroactively decide we were a couple for the past year.”

“Why not? Besides kissing and…other such things… tell me one thing couples do that we haven’t done for each other this past year? We go to movies, hang out, buy each other gifts, talk or text constantly when we’re not together, support each other through the bad times. That sounds like a relationship to me.”

“Damn,” Peter muttered. “I guess you’re right. We’ve been dating and not even realizing it.”

“Told you! So, if we’ve been going out for the last year, what was our first date?”

He thought for a moment before a wide smile stretched across his face. “When we went to that horrible scary movie, and you spent the whole thing with your face buried in my shoulder.”

“And you wrapped your arms around me and whispered that you would protect me.” You nodded with your own smile. “I like it. It’s the perfect first date.”

“So, then, what was our second date?”

You don’t even hesitate. “When we went to Coney Island and rode rides all day until you puked.”

“Of course, you would pick that.” Peter chuckled. “But then on the subway home, you let me lay my head in your lap while you stroked my hair and told me you had me. I was so mad when we reached our stop and we had to leave.”

“Well, it sounds like we’ve had some pretty romantic dates.”

“Yeah, it does. And I still can’t believe I never noticed until now,” he said, staring deeply into your eyes. “So, if this is supposed to be our one-year anniversary, how are we celebrating?”

“Well….I’ve always wanted to see the city from above.” You slung your arms around Peter’s neck as you jumped up, wrapping your legs around his waist. Pulling his mask back over his face, you whispered, “Show me what you got, Spider-Man.”