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alittlepudge-neverhurtnobody · 1 month ago

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kinktober #6

Ocean's Delight 🌊 / Possession 👻

Rey peers over the side of the pier and dangles a fistful of corn dogs over the ocean. Bits of fried potato sprinkle down into the water in a burst of tiny ripples. “I don’t see anything.”

“Okay, well, give him a minute,” says Finn. “It’s not even raining yet. I he comes out more when it’s raining.”

“Well, yeah, less people. Can I eat a corn dog?”

“Yeah, you can eat a corn dog.”

Rey takes a ferocious bite off the end, sending another cascade of potato bits onto the salty, sunbleached wood of the pier. They’re both recent San Francisco transplants, but Finn’s pinballed from the Midwest to a big-shot Silicon Valley tech job he lasted two weeks at before deciding he hated it to a gig teaching gym to a bunch of elementary schoolers, which he adores. Rey meandered up from the Arizona desert in a VW van she takes a lot of pride in having fixed up herself, and Finn basically bribed her into friendship by finagling her a parking spot in the lot near his apartment and sharing the discount his coworker Rose gives him at the Vietnamese restaurant her parents own. There are a lot of reasons he’s grateful for Rey, not least that he doesn’t have to spend every evening walking the beach alone in an attempt to appreciate the weather, but he also hopes that she’ll help prove he isn’t nuts.

Because uh, Finn has seen something out there, something no one else seems to have noticed. Something big and brownish-gray and suspiciously humanoid. Not a seal, like Rose suggested. Way bigger than a seal. Which is why they’re posted up on the pier today, waiting for the ominous gray clouds to give way to rain so the beach will clear out.

“Are you sure he likes corn dogs?” Rey asks with her mouth full.

Finn shrugs. “I thought we should bring something to offer him, like, we come in peace. And who doesn’t like corn dogs?”

Rey shrugs back. They watch the waves roll in and out. The sky sags under the weight of the unshed rain.

“There!” yelps Finn finally, and Rey tucks the corn dogs back into their cardboard container and crowds next to him to follow where he’s pointing. She smells like warm sand and aloe, like she’s carrying some of the Arizona sun inside her.

Out in the surf, there is definitely a guy. He’s way farther out than Finn’s seen anyone swim, and he snatches the binoculars he borrowed from the school science center to be absolutely sure: yes, there are the clear lines of his head and shoulders, his light brown skin, his mop of dark, wet hair. He’s a long distance away, yeah, but Finn’s pretty sure that it's a guy.

He lifts his arm and waves. He’s not a hundred percent sure — the guy could just be pushing his hair back from his face — but he thinks he might wave back.

“Let me see!” says Rey, and he tries to keep his eyes trained on the guy as he passes her the binoculars. “Oh my god, what’s he doing out there? Do you think he needs help?”

Finn turns and stares at her. “Can you even swim?”

She doesn’t even do him the courtesy of replying before she dives off the pier.

“Oh, god damn it!” Finn yowls. Ten summers’ worth of lifeguarding on Lake Michigan are about to finally pay off saving Rey’s ass.

To say that Rey can swim is being generous. She can dog-paddle and thrash, and maybe more importantly, she has the hell-bent determination of someone about to drop a net on Bigfoot. Finn’s gaining on her when he realizes that he’s not the only one coming to her rescue: the guy is, too, coming up for air a lot less frequently than any human would.

“Hey!” Finn yells the next time the guy surfaces. “Hey! You! Hi!”

The guy cocks his head, confused, but keeps swimming toward them. A few feet ahead of Finn, Rey bobs and spits out a mouthful of salt water. It slows her down just enough for Finn to catch up to her.

“Grab on,” he instructs her, and she must realize that she’s out of her depth, because she doesn’t protest as much as she normally would. “No, don’t argue with me, girl! I’m fatter than you, I’m more buoyant. Just hold on to me, got it?”

The guy watches all this, treading water a couple yards away. “Sorry to bother you,” Finn calls, and he feels Rey’s movements as she waves from his back. “We just wanted to, uh, say hi, I guess.”

To his surprise, the guy breaks into a grin. A very cute grin, which is definitely a normal thing to think in this situation. “Hi,” he calls back. “Race you to shore?”

“Oh, come on, man,” groans Finn. “That’s not a fair fight. We have corn dogs on the pier, we’ll share if you come back with us.”

“You’re on,” says the guy, and Finn trawls back to shore with Rey hanging on around his waist.

“I don’t think he’s a merman,” she says into his ear. “His movements are different.”

“Yeah? You seen many mermen?”

“I’ve seen a lot of things,” she says indignantly.

“Yeah? Like mermen?”

“I camped in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago! There’s merpeople there. I tried to get to know them, but they all speak indigenous languages so we couldn’t communicate that well. But they’re more … I don’t know. They move more when they swim. He’s different. He just torpedoes. Have you seen his arms move at all?”

Finn casts a dubious look over his shoulder at her, and she uncouples from him as they hit the shallows. The guy stays a little farther out, treading water where it’s slightly deeper, and he hesitates when Finn beckons.

“Go up to the pier,” the guy says. “Unless you happen to have a towel, or something?”

“I do!” says Rey, hitting the sand and racing for her backpack. “One second.”

The guy pulls himself out of the water beneath the pier, and Finn watches, gaping, as his lower half emerges: not two legs, but a fat gray body and tail, speckled with darker spots. But after a moment, his gray skin falls away to the same smooth light brown as his face, and his tail slips away to reveal two legs. For a moment he just sits in the sand, panting a little and rolling his shed skin (?!?) into a neat little loop he slips over his pudgy wrist, and Finn stares.

The guy is hot all the way down. He’s very fat, to start, as if his seal blubber has been transmuted to human adipose. His pillowy belly heaps in his lap, rolls upon rolls, and his ample thighs are dimpled with cellulite. His thick, dark hair looks curly even wet, and his dark eyes are deep and soulful. He’s got a face like a classical statue, if more classical statues were fat, and his upper arms look so plump and lush that Finn wants to bite all the way down to the rolls at his elbows.

“Need a hand?” Finn manages finally, as Rey returns with her backpack and Finn’s, plus the corn dogs and promised towel.

“Oh,” she says. “Oh, wow.”

The guy nods, his double chin bobbing, and Finn steps closer and grasps his hand. He’s heavy, not that that’s a shock, and he stumbles against Finn for a moment like he’s still on sea legs. Finn steadies him, hands sinking into the lush flab of his waist.

“Hi,” he says, barely breathing.

“Hi,” says the guy. “Come here often?”

Finn stares. The guy adds, “Also, the towel would be great.”

Rey hurries it over. It’s not wide enough to completely circle the guy’s generous hips, but it at least gives him some semblance of modesty.

“Thanks,” he says, easing down onto a sizable rock. The waves lap over his chubby feet, and Finn catches a grayish glimmer of speckles across his wet skin. Then, turning to Finn, the guy says, “Hey, I’ve seen you before, right? You come here a lot?”

“Yeah,” says Finn, warmth washing through his chest. He chooses a drier rock nearby and perches on it, and Rey tucks her tiny ass next to him. “I’m kinda new here, and the beaches where I’m from aren’t this nice, so I’ve been trying to appreciate them. My name’s Finn, and this is Rey.”

“I’m Poe,” says the guy. “You’re not … intimidated?”

Rey scoffs. Finn shakes his head. “Nah, man, I’m just glad I’m not losing it. I keep thinking I’ve seen something way out in the surf, but it’s too far out to be a person but it looks like a person. So your, uh, whole thing here honestly makes a lot of sense.”

“Are you a selkie?” asks Rey, popping open the cardboard food container. “And do you want a corn dog? They’re Korean-style.”

“Yes and yes,” says Poe, leaning over to pluck one out of the box and crunching in. His body wobbles with the movement, and Finn makes a concerted effort not to stare. “Have you seen one of us before?”

“No, but I’ve seen merpeople,” says Rey. “Off the coast of Mexico.”

Poe nods, looking pleased. “My clan is originally from Guatemala, but we’ve migrated up here over the years. I used to spend more time on land, but then rent went up, and it’s honestly just a lot easier to stay in the water.”

“So you can stay on land?” asks Finn with interest. His brain, totally independent of logic or sense, is deep in a fantasy where he takes Poe to one of the boardwalks, shares a lot of human food with him, and maybe makes out with him.

“As long as I’m not completely dry for too long,” says Poe. “Sleeping in a bathtub usually keeps me hydrated enough. The real challenge is finding a bathtub that’s big enough for me.”

He says it totally without embarrassment or self-deprecation; if he’s poking fun at anything, it’s the inadequacy of the modern bathtub. Finn can’t disagree. Poe’s probably got a couple hundred pounds on him, but bathtubs are no picnic for Finn either. He wonders if selkies think about fat differently. Obviously it serves a purpose, keeping them warm in deep, cold water, so maybe more is better?

Poe finishes his corn dog and sighs contentedly. “Hey, thanks. It’s been so long since I’ve had something fried.”

Above them, rain begins to patter on the boardwalk. Finn ventures, “If we could find some clothes for you, would you want to hang out with us sometime? To lunch or the boardwalk or, like, anywhere, really, Rey’s van will fit all of us if you’re a little wobbly. I mean — if you’re not steady on your feet yet. Like, on land.”

Poe grins. “I would love that. It’s hard to maintain a social life from the ocean. I’d tell you what size I wear, but I have no idea.” He hefts his belly; it overflows both of his hands. “I haven’t worn a t-shirt in years, and I tend to pudge up a little in the winter.”

“We’ll manage,” Finn stammers.

Poe’s eyeing the last corn dog, which is technically Finn’s, but Finn has never thought about food less in his life than he is right now. “Have it,” he says, and Poe swings to look at him.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, man! I can get a corn dog whenever I want. Eat ’em while you can.”

“How can we find you?” asks Rey, squeezing water from her hair. “So you can hang out with us, but we could also bring you food here sometimes, so you don’t have to get out of the water if you don’t want to.”

Poe nods. “It’s a lot of work to make the transition onto land, but I think it’d be good to get out more. It’s just a lot of — adjustment.” He shrugs. Everything jiggles. “You know, getting used to walking around, getting used to my center of gravity, it’s a lot. Uh, traditionally you can summon a selkie’s attention by shedding seven tears into the sea, but that’s kinda binding, and it’s also kinda inconvenient if you’re not already crying. I think if you poured in a little homebrew salt water, I could tell the difference between that and the ocean. Use a flavored salt or Epsom salt or something. I’ll figure it out.”

Poe swallows the last of the other corn dog and rinses his hands in the ocean, pale gray spots appearing as he does so. “The rain’s stopping,” he notes, “and I don’t want to be seen down here, so I’m gonna head back, but — come back soon, yeah?”

Finn and Rey bob their heads. “For sure,” says Finn.

“Definitely,” says Rey.

They watch as he heaves his big body off the rock and wobbles back into the waves. He wades in until his plump shoulders are just above the surface, then dives forward so that his tail flips up for just a moment.

“I’m pretty sure I’m ace,” says Rey after a long moment, resting her head on Finn’s shoulder. “But is that what people mean when they say someone’s hot?”

“Yeah,” says Finn, patting her knee sympathetically. “That’s what they mean.”

#feedist kinktober #feedist kinktober 2024 #my fic #my writing #star wars #rey x poe x finn #chubby poe #fat poe

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vegan-nom-noms · 1 month ago

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Crispy Tofu Summer Rolls

Note: If you don't like coriander, use mint instead! It goes perfectly with Vietnamese spring rolls (aka summer rolls). I never make them without it anymore.

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urlocalnonbinarybastardwrites · 4 months ago

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hii! saw your matchmaker-thingy js now and instantly KNEW I had to try it out lmao. I’m kinda scared

I’m abt 156cm tall (5’1” I think), have brown eyes n brown hair and am mixed (Vietnamese-Swiss-English), I got like a short wolf cut. I have some scars on my hands and legs, some sh scars on my forearms and stretch marks on my thighs.

Uhh idk I can talk abt literally anything (deeptalk>>>) & am an animal lover. my first language is German, I also speak Swiss German and English (obvi) but also a bit Vietnamese and Norwegian. I grew up with mostly Asian culture, together with European culture and really love rice, duck, seafood and summer rolls. My social battery goes low rlly fast but I love being around the ppl I trust, my love language is physical touch. If not lazy, I can do absolutely crazy shit but I don’t like illegal stuff or shit o could get in serious trouble for.

I’m bisexual n female (she/they) but rather lean towards men, I love to draw and sketch and paint and all that stuff, also like crystals and taxidermy (only non-animal abuse (idk the word) stuff yk) and books. My hobbies r drawing, reading, writing, and I wanna start with boxing or some other martial art soon. I used to play hockey, and also play the guitar (acoustic)

Also I self-diagnosed w autism n probably(?) social anxiety since my parents would never let me get tested 👍. If u take me on walks, I WILL take any cool shit that I find and take it home. No, this old cassette is not trash, it is a treasure.

My music taste is absolutely everything but the stuff that I don’t like, but my fav artists r the Neighborhood, The Weeknd, Lil Peep, TJ Beastboy, the Crane Wives, Alex G, TV Girl, Flawed Mangoes, McCafferty and the Front Bottoms

My fav colors r black, green and blue, also I think with the ppl I’m comfortable around I WILL constantly be touching em in some way like hand on shoulder or elbows/knees touching yk. Sometimes energetic, but when my social battery has run out you can drag me through a hangout.

DC, sbg, tadc, spider-man and CoD fan, also if you’re racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic or transphobic, please go fuck yourself 🫶🏼, I support/accept furries and therians and cosplayers, Satanists and pagans/wiccans as much as Muslims and Christians, Jews as well as Hindu or Buddhist ppl

I LOVE js going outside to hangout n do dumb shit, play fighting>>>, n maybe pick flowers

Soo that was it lmao idk if this is informative or just bs

Also ty<333 if u actually make a match for me

(Also because you write so much you get an analysis)

Your DC Universe Ship: Jason Todd

Explanation: starting off with your appearance, I think that he would find you very attractive and I think as kind of a head canon of myself I think that he finds shorter people attractive because I don’t know. I feel like he just likes to kind of feel like he has that power maybe or I don’t know. I just think he makes it think it makes you look adorable even if you can very well kill someone I just I don’t know. I think he really likes having a shorter partner, additionally I don’t think he would mind Scars because he has plenty of his own. I think he would definitely find stretch marks that might be an unpopular opinion, but I think that Jason Todd would definitely stretch marks attractive. He thinks it’s insanely cool that you can speak multiple languages and would probably want to try and learn some of them that he doesn’t know himself. I also think that he can maybe speak a little bit of German aside from English and I don’t know I just think he seems like the type of guy that would learn like a little bit of language like German or Russian. You can talk about anything and you talking about things with him out the opposite he doesn’t really talk as much about that kind of stuff and I don’t think that you guys would be really compatible in that way because you could get him to talk about anything which is something that not a lot of people can do so congrats. He loves it whenever you make food for him or whenever you can recommend different restaurants or things because I think he’s definitely a foodie and would appreciate having different culture food. I think that he’s has a pretty high spice tolerance. He gets the social battery thing but he’s slightly hypocritical, because whenever he wants alone time, he gets it. But if you want it…. He may just follow you around and hope you don’t notice. but in terms of your social battery running out for other people he would completely understand and most likely you would have trouble dragging him to Social events. I think that he would find your hobbies fascinating, and I think that he would love watching you do taxidermy and the whole process of it. He would ask a lot of questions about or is Benny as he’s interested in asking and I feel like he would also love the fact that you’re an artist because he’s never really been much of an artist himself. I feel like he’s more if he would be anywhere in art I feel like he would be more musician and, he loves the fact that you can play the guitar and thinks that it’s really cool. If you ever expressed interest in martial arts several and is the equivalent of a belt and most of them because he was shoved so much martial art training whenever he was trying to become Robin so I’m sure that he would be happy to teach you, but he would totally make fun of you if you messed up like in a teasing, friendly, loving way, but still. He would think he was as if you could somehow win against him in a fight. He probably let you win, but I don’t know. I think he’d find that hot. He also really likes reading and writing. I think he likes reading way more than writing but I think he’s probably written poetry before that he’s never really shown anyone and he’s like embarrassed of it but you know I think he really does love reading and would totally like read the same book with you if he was interested in it and talk about it with you. I think he thinks it’s pretty cute and also pretty cool that you find just random stuff off the street and it’s like treasure to you. I just think that he really values that in a person, especially because he grew up on the street and knows more than anything that materialism isn’t always where you find your treasure. I think he wouldn’t mind your music taste, and like some of it, but he definitely is more leaning into like Dad rock type of things and I think that he could still enjoy some classic TV girl though I don’t think he’d be like super big about music, but I definitely feel like if you were playing a song that he didn’t like as much he would instantly turn on like the rock station or something.

He’s definitely a “ I’m driving so I can control the radio” type of guy. I think it would take him a while to grow comfortable with touching in a relationship, but you’re usually the one exception to someone who will he allows to touch him and you’re the one person who quickly gained his trust to which is an unusual trade for him, but I feel like you would be kind of the one exception as to a person he would feel comfortable with being physical because he knows how much you enjoy physical contact, and that it’s your love language. I don’t see him as a generally like physical person, but I feel like you could change that like with you it’s different. He also thinks that the fact that you pick flowers is very very, very, very cute and would probably be reluctant and say that he doesn’t like it, but he very secretly likes it whenever you make him like a flower crown or something or put a flower in his hair. He also arguing over shit and I feel like you guys definitely have a lot of arguments turning into make out sessions type of relationship and play fighting with. Also turn into make out sessions. I mean, y’all are just like all over each other all the time and the rest of the family has to stand there like 😑 but you guys don’t like flirt with each other you guys like tease each other and that’s how you flirt so that’s that’s just the vibe I get from your relationship anyway I ship it

and I’m so sorry for taking this long to complete this. I’ve been really really really really really busy and yeah, I had to shut down my shit asks for a bit because of the fact that I was getting so overwhelmed and getting so many so I really hope this did it justice!!! Much love Pookie bear ♥️♥️♥️♥️

#the bat boys dc #dc #dcu #dc characters #dc comics #Jason Todd #red hood x you #red hood #Jason Todd Robin #dc Jason #dc Jason Todd #Jason Todd dc

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morethansalad · 1 year ago

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Fresh Summer Rolls Bowl with Peanut Dip (Vegan)

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slyersky · 2 years ago

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Peter Parker x Reader - Dumplings

A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this! :) Wasn’t quite sure how to end it but after I read it to my friend they said it would be perfect to just end it there. So that’s what I’m doing.

Summary: Reader has a totally-not-date with Peter. Peter doesn’t come. When they leave Spider-Man suddenly takes them home. Things seem to unfold from there.

Content: fluff, MCU!Peter, slight miscommunication(?), more like keeping secrets, mutual pining, Peter trying to wingman himself

Word count:~7.100

The cold autumn wind tore at your body as you walked down the street. Your arms were wrapped around your torso in an attempt to keep yourself warm. The jacket you were wearing wasn’t made for this kind of weather and you had not thought of bringing a scarf when you had left the house. It was easy to tell that winter was near, perhaps there would be snow in a few weeks.

Luckily, the destination you had was already in sight. The bright neon sign sticking out from the side of the building clashed with the grey clouds above you. A huge window at the front of the building provided a quick look into the establishment. Only a few people were sitting at the tables, the interior looked welcoming and the daily special had been written on the window with red window marker. You had wanted to try out this new Vietnamese restaurant for weeks now and had taken the opportunity to invite a certain friend of yours along with you.

Finally reaching the door to the restaurant, you stepped inside and were immediately engulfed in warmth and the smell of food. You walked over to one of the free tables near the wall, one with a seat that faced the window, so you could see when your friend, aka Peter Parker, arrived. You took off your jacket and hung it over the back of your chair, and then you sat down. A small Asian lady in her 40s walked up to you but you quickly informed her that you were still waiting for someone. She left again and you stared out the window for a few minutes.

It wasn’t long until your phone that was in your pocket buzzed, someone had sent you a message. You took it out of your pocket and the screen lit up. The device in your hand buzzed once more and you read the messages quickly.

Two new messages from Peter :):

hey! sorry but i’m gonna be late

you can go ahead and order us some starters tho ;)

You let out a small sigh. Peter was late to almost everything you would plan these days. You wondered if this was just the case with you or Ned as well. You had to ask him tomorrow. Hopefully, it wasn’t just you, it would make you worried that you did something wrong.

After a quick look at the menu, you decided what to get as a starter. Raising your hand and looking out for the waitress, you called her over to order. As a drink, you ordered (favourite drink) and for the starters some dumplings and summer rolls. The dumplings were more for yourself than for Peter, he probably wouldn’t even have a chance at snagging himself more than two. You could eat them every day of the week if you actually had the money for it. Usually, you bought them at another Asian restaurant near your home but maybe that would change today...

20 minutes went by. No sign of Peter. The waitress stopped at your table to deliver your food. You looked at your phone, no other messages from your friend. With a sigh, you took a sip from your drink and began bouncing your leg up and down.

Another 20 minutes passed. You didn’t dare touch the food in case Peter arrived. It would be rude to start eating without him. Once again you checked your phone that was laying on the table. Nothing.

Five minutes later, still no Peter. You tried to call him but no one picked up. Cursing to yourself, you sent him a quick message: Hey, Pete! Where are you? Are you okay? Still waiting for you…

The people around you, the waitresses, the other guests, they all started staring at you. Some of them gave you sympathetic looks. One of the waitresses even came up to you and gave you a free cup of tea. Her reasoning was so you wouldn’t be as upset for getting stood up. But you weren’t being stood up...right? Peter was just...extremely late.

You finally gave in to your desire to eat, you had been hungry ever since you had arrived here. The dumplings were already cold. You couldn’t even enjoy them properly, the thought of Peter just ditching you was upsetting. What was supposed to be a nice afternoon with your friend had turned into you sitting alone and munching on cold, mediocre dumplings. The summer rolls were alright, at least they weren’t served hot as well. You angrily stabbed at them with your fork, your appetite was gone but you didn’t want to waste the money you were spending.

Over an hour had passed since you had come to the restaurant and no signs or texts or calls from Peter had reached you. Saying you were disappointed was an understatement. You had had enough. It was dark already, you didn’t want to risk anything while you were heading home, so you called over the waitress to pay for your food.

With a sigh, you pulled your jacket closer to your body. You had only been walking for a minute and you were already cold. With one hand you got out your phone. Another attempt to call your friend only sent you to his voicemail. You typed out another message: I’m going home now. Sad that you couldn’t make it.

That wasn’t true. You weren’t sad, you were pissed and disappointed, but you weren’t going to tell him that.

You put your phone back into your pocket and continued to head home. It was kinda scary walking alone in the dark, without any protection, and in one of the more dangerous parts of town too. Cowering into yourself a little you sped up your pace at the thought of getting into trouble somehow. The way home wasn’t that long, you could just take a shortcut and be home in a flash.

Deciding to do just that, you walked into an alleyway. There were no lights there, one could barely see anything. Making out the shapes of trash cans was hard enough on its own, you almost walked into one, focused as you were on being as fast as your feet allowed without running.

A loud thump came from behind you, making you freeze in place. This was it, some dude was gonna rob you and you were not gonna be able to get help. What if he had a knife and tried to stab you with it? The sound of footsteps made its way towards you. Oh, you were so done for. You felt like your life was flashing before your eyes. You would die right here and-

“Hey!”, a red mask popped into your field of vision, you let out a short scream, both out of fear and surprise. On instinct, your hand moved to smack the probable attacker in the face. It was caught just before you were able to hit.

“Woah! Cal-“, the person cleared their throat, their voice sounding a little deeper when they spoke again,-“calm down there. I’m not here to hurt you.”

Now that the initial fear was subsiding, you recognised who was in front of you.

“You’re… It’s just you, Spider-Man…”, you breathed, scanning the hero from head to toe. You weren’t unfamiliar with him, he had helped you a few times before, though you doubted that he remembered something so small in the hero lifestyle. “Man, you scared me half to death. Don’t do entrances like that on civilians…”

He let go of your hand and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, apologising.

“I was just on patrol and saw that you were walking around alone. You looked kinda scared, so I thought that maybe you would appreciate it if I- someone��accompanied you.”

“…That’s…very nice of you, thank you.”, you were kind of baffled, yet you gave him a warm smile and started walking again. He followed suit.

There was a short amount of silence. While you didn’t, the hero kinda seemed to mind it.

“So…uh… If I may ask… What are you doing out here all alone?”

“Oh, I was…supposed to meet up with a friend… Turns out that he… didn’t show up at all.”, you mumbled, unsure if you should really tell a stranger about your teenage problems.

“I’m sorry… Maybe there was something important that got in the way…?”, the hero suggested as the two of you exited the alleyway and took a left turn.

“Maybe… But he could’ve texted or called me about that… That way I wouldn’t have waited for him for like an hour.”

“Wait- An hour?!”, his voice cracked during the sudden outburst. Why did he sound so shocked? You nodded. Once again he cleared his throat and tried to pick up more of a joking manner. “Man… That guy… must really be a douchebag then, huh?”

“He’s not, actually… He’s really nice…and funny… But he’s still an idiot sometimes.”, you had caught your words before they all came out at once. You weren’t about to start gushing about Peter in front of some random guy.

“Everyone in that damned restaurant thought I was getting dumped by a date… It’s so stupid.”, you kicked an empty soda can that was in your way while you kept walking down the street. It made a loud noise as it clattered along the sidewalk.

“Because it wasn’t a date…? Or because they all thought it was?”, Spider-Man asked carefully.

Your face started heating up, if it was out of anger or embarrassment you couldn’t really tell. Remaining silent, you kept walking. This wasn’t a conversation you were going to have with a hero. He could luckily tell that you were not in the mood to talk about it and didn’t say anything else for the rest of the way home.

“Ned?”

“What’s up?”, you were lucky that you had caught him alone.

“Can I talk to you for a sec? It’s about Peter…”, as you said that, you could see a small amount of panic flash on his face. Yet he still nodded and followed you to a quieter corner of the school hallway.

“…When you meet up with Peter… is he ever… late by any chance?”

“What…?”

“Y’know… does he make you wait for him or not show up at all when you two hang out?”, you looked down at your friend with a slight frown of worry.

“Sometimes, yeah. But stuff like that happens, right?”, he smiled at you and you could tell that something was making him nervous.

“I guess… But I feel like-“

“Hey, guys! What are you talking about?”, Peter suddenly appeared in your peripheral and you quickly spun around.

“Oh! Uh… Nothing important. Just…had a question about our homework, that’s all.“, you lied. You didn’t exactly know why, you kind of felt like you had to for a second.

“Oh, I see… Uhm…(Y/n), I wanted to apologise for yesterday. I really should have called you but there was an emergency at the…uhm…internship.”, he pulled you aside with one arm, almost out of earshot for Ned. The boy scratched his neck nervously as he tried to explain himself. His voice was barely above a whisper, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention.

“Just…forget it, it’s fine. I’m not mad or anything.”, you forced a small smile. There was a feeling deep inside of your stomach that he was making up excuses, but you told yourself that it was fine. This wasn’t going to happen anymore, right?

“Still… I wanna make it up to you! How about we go to the cinema this Saturday? You can pick the movie of course.”

There was still hope then? You were sure that your cheeks were heating up at his suggestion. You had to act fast to not make it that obvious.

“…Uh… Sure, that would be cool.”

“Cool! It’s settled then.”

“Settled my ass…”, you muttered as you glared at your phone and made your way to the exit of the cinema. You should’ve seen it coming, honestly…

Once again, Peter had not shown up. He had told you to already buy a ticket for yourself since he would be a little late. He had said that he would be there by the time the movie started. He had promised. And then you had sat there. Alone, with a huge tub of popcorn in your lap. Once the movie was already playing for a while you had checked your phone for what felt like the billionth time.

New message from Peter :):

hey, i don’t know if i’ll be able to make it in time

Of course…

The movie ended about 20 minutes ago. Your disappointment grew by the minute. Not only had the movie been utter garbage but you also had no one to laugh about it with now.

With a small grumble, you stepped outside into the cold night. Your breaths came out in puffs of smoke as you stuffed your hands into the pockets of your jacket to keep them warm. As you were preparing to walk home a certain figure caught your attention out of the corner of your eye.

There he was again, on the other side of the street. He was handing over what seemed to be a robber to a police officer and giving him details about the robbery. You stared at him for a while. For some reason, it seemed strange to see Spider-Man again, especially now, like this wasn’t just a weird coincidence. The cop took the criminal from the hero's hands and their conversation seemed to end. As if he had felt you were staring at him, Spider-Man turned his head towards you. You froze for a second, unsure of what to do. He, however, sure did know. Within a few moments, he was already crossing the street towards you, already waving.

“If it isn’t my favourite nighttime escort… Working hard I see…”, you greeted him while gesturing towards where he just stood.

“Oh, you know… Just trying to keep things in order around here… What uhm… what are you doing here?”, of course he would ask. If you told him that you had gotten stood up again he would surely think of you as a loser. You shifted your balance from one foot to another a few times. Then you finally pointed at the cinema a few buildings behind you.

“Uhm… I just…felt like watching a movie…”

“All alone…? That doesn’t sound very fun.”

“Well… I had plans with someone but… uh… he didn’t show up.”, you looked down at your feet, heat rising to your cheeks.

“Oh… I’m sorry.”, for some reason he sounded like he felt responsible for your suffering.

“You’re not the guy I was supposed to meet up with, don’t apologise.-“, you tried to laugh the embarrassment off- “‘Sides… Feeling sorry for myself won’t make it any better.”

There was an awkward amount of silence. You were contemplating whether you should just say goodbye and go home. Would that be rude?

“Was it the same guy as last time?”, you nodded, your face going even redder from embarrassment. You were a little surprised that he even remembered. “Damn, I might have to go and have a talk with him! The audacity to be so rude to his friend…”

“Please don’t…”, you gave a small nervous chuckle.

“Alright… Can I at least take you home?”

“That would be nice…”

You had to admit that you were pretty sad about what happened today. It felt as if the entirety of your life was starting to turn against you. You didn’t even want to face Peter in school again. Would it just be better to stay at home for eternity? You would never say it out loud, of course, but the seed of doubt in your friendship with Peter was slowly growing. Did he just not like you anymore? What had you done wrong?

The hero seemed to notice your distress as you walked down the streets of Queens. He didn’t say anything though. You were kind of glad that he didn’t. After all, you had said earlier that self-pity wouldn’t help. And now you were doing the exact thing you didn’t want to do. Suddenly he seemed to spot something in the distance. The eyes on his mask expanded and he quickly looked between you and the thing he saw.

“Hey! Wait here for a minute! I’ll be right back.”, he quickly grabbed your shoulder to catch your attention and then ran off to the other side of the street. Your eyes followed him with a dumbfounded look. You watched him enter a shop, you couldn’t quite read the sign on the door.

Just like he said, after a few minutes he came back out. As he was coming closer you saw that he was holding a small to-go box. When the hero finally reached you, he held the box out towards you. You took ahold of it with a questioning gaze.

“It’s ‘dump’-lings… Get it?”, he tried to explain as you opened the box and the smell of food hit your nose. You looked back at him again, still slightly confused. He laughed awkwardly as he scratched his neck with one hand. “‘Cause you… basically got dumped, y’know… Dump-lings… Haha…”

You could tell that he was suddenly worried about crossing a line. He started fumbling with his fingers as he let out another awkward chuckle.

“I just… You looked so upset… I thought that maybe a pun and some food that you like would cheer you up…”

Now you couldn’t help but snicker. You had never met a hero that was so awkward but also so nice, not that you had met many heroes in your lifetime. But this definitely made your night better. Even if his pun was horrible.

“Thank you… I appreciate it. Just…never try that joke again. Also… It wasn’t a date, so I didn’t get dumped, technically…”, you smiled at him. But after a few seconds, your face scrunched up in thought again. “Wait… How did you know that I like dumplings?”

The hero took a step back and you could tell that he tried to avoid your gaze.

“Ah…uh… It was just a lucky guess… And I figured that since a lot of people like them, I couldn’t really go wrong with them…”

That was true. Most of the people you knew would never say no to dumplings. You had been suspicious for no reason at all.

“Thank you again… You seem to be a lot more reliable than Peter…”, the two of you chuckled a little as you kept walking. You bit into the warm food on your fork, it tasted amazing. “I might just ask you out next time instead of him.”

You regretted the words as soon as they left your mouth. Oh no. This would be awkward. You stopped dead in your tracks, the hero next to you did the same. He stared at you for a few seconds.

“…Soooo… You were considering these as dates after all…?”, huh? Out of all the questions he could have asked and the things he could have said… He chose to ask that?!

“Thaaaat’s… none of your business.”, you turned your head away. Your face was starting to turn redder than a beet.

“What? Come on.”, he protested with what sounded almost like a whine. You started to walk again, quicker this time. The hero quickly caught up with you again. “It’s definitely some of my business if you want to replace your friend with your friendly neighbourhood spider.”

Your thoughts were racing in embarrassment. Not only had you just basically confessed your crush on a boy to a complete stranger, but you had also told said stranger that you could imagine going on a date with him?! Why had you even considered this in the first place? You barely knew this guy. You had no idea what he was really like, let alone who he was under that mask of his. Were you really that naive to just trust him like that?

You were struggling to find the right words to say. Opening your mouth, you tried to speak, but nothing came out so you just closed it again. After you did that a few times in a row (you could guarantee that you were looking like a damn fish) you gave up.

“Alright, I’m sorry. You’re right. This shouldn’t be any of my business. If I crossed a boundary of yours, I apologise.”, the man sighed and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

“Let’s just… Let’s just not talk about it anymore.”

“Okay. Should I still walk with you for a bit?”

“…Sure.”

“Well… Here we are. Thank you for the company… and the dumplings.”, you turned around to look at Spider-Man once again.

“You’re more than welcome. And sorry again for making you uncomfortable.”

“Apology accepted. Have a nice evening. Don’t go around patrolling for too long.”, you chuckled and unlocked your front door. Just as you were about to go inside, the hero’s voice popped up one last time.

“Also… Maybe just talk to that guy you like. I’m sure he feels the same, he’s probably too nervous to tell you.”, with that, he zipped away with one of his webs.

You anxiously dug your fingers into your palms. 30 minutes had passed since you came home and you had done basically nothing but stare at your phone that was lying on your bed. Something about the hero’s words had stirred something in you. Should you really call Peter now? What if he actually didn’t feel the same? You didn’t even know how you would start the conversation. Would your frustration and anger from earlier just bubble up again? Before you could think properly you already had your phone in your hand and punched in his number.

One Beep.

Two Beeps.

Your hands were shaking. Was it too late to hang up now? This was a bad idea.

The fifth beep.

“Hey, (Y/n). Before you say anything, I want to say that I’m sorry.”, you remained quiet for the time being. “I had promised you that we would hang out and I blew it. And no excuse will ever be enough for that but I will try to make it right again. If you let me, of course.”

“Peter, you’re an asshole. You really are.-”, you spoke without thinking once again but this time you didn’t stop yourself. Something about his apology had made you change your mind about what you were going to say - “This wasn’t the first time this happened. Nor was last week at the restaurant the first time. You keep on missing our hangouts or cancelling last minute. Honestly, I don’t know if we’re really even friends anymore! You barely talk to me, you stand me up and you certainly don’t even trust me enough to tell me the truth about your little escapades! Do you even still like me? It would be easier if you just told me that you don’t want to be around me anymore!”

You had thought that you would be able to keep calm and collected. Well, you had utterly failed. Silent tears were running down your cheeks and you felt like screaming at your friend.

“No, no! You’ve got it all wrong. I do still like you, more than you realise. I want to spend time with you. And I know, I’ve been a horrible friend to you for the past month but I promise you I’m gonna make it right again.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Peter.”

“I’ll keep this promise. Please, you have to believe me.”

You were quiet for a few seconds. So many emotions were running through your head again. How could you trust him now? What made this any different than all the other times he had said that he would make it right? And could you be sure that he would be honest about the things he was doing?

“Well, it’s one thing to stand me up. It’s another to not tell me why or even make up excuses. I don’t know what you’re hiding, I’m not sure if I even really want to know… But I’m gonna be honest with you… You’re making it really hard for me to keep loving you.”, without another word, you hung up. In just a few seconds you turned off your phone and chucked it onto your bed.

Peter had tried to reach you for the next few days. But either you had blocked him or turned your phone off. His calls didn’t go through either way. When he tried to talk to you on Monday, you weren’t at school. You weren’t there the next day either. Ned didn’t really know what was going on either.

“When I asked, they just told me they were sick… Do you think it’s something else?”, Ned shrugged as he sat down at a lunch table with his friend.

“…I might have messed up, man. I wanted to make things right with them and hang out last weekend but… spidey-business came up and it wasn’t able to make it.”, the boy confessed.

“Dude… So that’s why they were asking me about you?”

“Wait… what?”

“(Y/n) came up to me last week and asked if you were standing me up all the time too! I tried to cover it up because I thought they were figuring out your secret and stuff! Shit… Did you apologise?”

“I brought them home as Spider-Man, just like last week, and I tried to cheer them up… And then they said something weird and things got really awkward and I think they meant that they like me…? As in, like like me… And then I tried to nudge things in a direction to make things better. But then they called me and I tried to apologise and then everything just backfired. They got really upset and hung up on me and now I can’t reach them anymore! I don’t know what to do!”, Peter talked at a speed that made it hard to comprehend what he was saying. He threw his hands in the air in defeat and then curled in on himself. Ned sat there for a second, taking everything in.

“…When you say that they like like you… And you ‘tried to nudge things into the right direction’… Does that mean that you like them too?”

“Wha- O-of course I do. I wouldn’t have done it like that if I didn’t.”, the brunette ran a hand through his hair as he whisper-yelled and looked around nervously. “I don’t know what to do, Ned. If I don’t fix this, our whole friendship is gonna fall apart.”

“Okay, okay. I know how we can salvage this, trust me. Here’s the plan…”

Your doorbell rang. Begrudgingly, you stood up from your bed and trotted to your front door. You pulled it open and came face to face with Ned. He looked somewhat nervous as he shifted from one foot to the other.

“Hey! How are you doing?”

“…I’m fine, I guess. Just feeling sick.”, you answered, even though it was a lie. Your voice was strained and tired. All you wanted to do was go back to bed and never see the light of day again. “Thank you again for bringing me the homework. But you really didn’t have to go through the trouble of doing it in person. Photos or something would’ve done the job too, Ned.”

“No, no! I wanted to check on you. Plus, Mrs Warren really gave us a bunch of papers. I don’t wanna carry those around all day.”, the boy joked and started rummaging through his backpack for the papers. He still gave off a slightly nervous vibe but you were too tired to question it. He tried to break the silence. “Do you think you’re gonna be back at school soon? You don’t look too good.”

He was right. There were dark circles under your red eyes. You hadn’t slept and spent a lot of the time crying, of course, no one knew that. You looked pale and your hair hadn’t been taken care of the past few days. You hadn’t eaten properly either, what was the point anyway.

“Geez, thanks… Uhm, maybe in a day or two? We’ll have to see.”, you weren’t sure if you even wanted to go back to school. You were practically dreading the thought of it. If you did, you would have to face Peter eventually. That was one of the things you certainly did not want to experience at the moment. But you weren’t stupid, you knew that that would happen sooner or later. There was no way around it. You would just prefer it if it happened later.

“Oh! My Nana also insisted on taking this to you… She said that it helps against colds and stuff.”, Ned pulled out a small, clear container full of food and handed it to you together with a stack of paper.

“That’s… really sweet of her. Tell her I said thank you.”, you shot him a smile and he smiled back. Silence settled between the two of you. You were expecting him to say goodbye and leave but he kept standing there. He was shifting from one foot to the other again. What did he want? Was he expecting something from you? Maybe you should just tell him goodbye.

“Well, uhm… Maybe it’s time-“, you started but the shorter boy interrupted you.

“Actually, uhm, could I get a glass of water? I’m really thirsty.”, the request caught you so off guard that you didn’t notice the glances to the side that Ned did. He looked even more nervous now.

“Oh… Sure. Just give me a sec…”, you made your way into the kitchen and set down the stuff on the table.

You filled a glass with tap water and then made your way back to the door. Ned was now glancing inside your house as if he was looking at something. Once you came closer he quickly straightened and acted as if he wasn’t doing anything. You could tell that something was off. Ned was incredibly bad at lying. For a second, you debated with yourself if you should confront him about it. But you felt too tired to pry.

“Here you go.”, you handed him the glass. The boy downed the water in one go. You stared at him, completely confused, as he quickly handed you back the glass.

“Thanks… Oh, would you look at the time. I have to go. Get better soon, bye.”, and with that, he basically ran away. You followed him with your eyes until he was out of sight. Now that was certainly strange… You had wanted him to leave but even that was a bit too sudden for your liking.

Oh well. You closed your front door again with a small sigh. Then you made your way back to the kitchen and set down the glass inside the sink. You would wash the dishes later, you had too little energy to do it right now. You braced yourself on the edge of the sink and let your head hang low for a second. The light that came through the kitchen window became less and less. The colder months made your home seem all the darker. You made a mental note to turn on the light in the hallway when you went back to your room. That way your parents wouldn’t come home to a completely dark lair of self-pity. A hand went over your face to get yourself back together. You decided it would be best to just go back to your room and sleep again. You straightened your posture and turned around. In your kitchen doorway, however, stood a figure. You let out a scream, jolting backwards. You grabbed the nearest thing beside you, which unfortunately was nothing more than a sponge, and threw it at the intruder. It was too dark already to see who it was but the figure easily caught the sponge. They held it in their hand as they took a step forward. You screamed once again and backed up further into the kitchen.

“Hey! Hey! Relax! It’s just me!”, a familiar voice said and the figure extended an arm towards you in surrender.

“What the-? Peter?!”, your hand finally reached for a light switch behind you. A strip of light from beneath the kitchen cabinets illuminated the room. The boy squinted his eyes at the sudden light. “What the hell are you doing in here?!”

“Okay, I know you’re mad but-“

“Mad?! You just broke into my house! That is absolutely illegal, I’ll have you know!”, you really did not want to put up with him right now. You were only one more annoyance away from actually calling the police on him.

“Technically… I didn’t break in. I came in through the door while you were getting water for Ned.-“

“I fucking knew it! He was behaving so suspiciously the whole damn time!”, you threw your hands into the air and turned away for a second. The audacity that these two had… While you were distracted, Peter put the sponge you had thrown at him next to the sink again. “What the hell do you want? I swear, if you pull anything stupid I’ll call the damn police on you.”

“I… I wanted to apologise to you… For real this time.”, you only now noticed that he had kept one of his hands behind his back the whole time. Now he brought his hand back in front of him, what he held made your mouth fall open. It was a massive flower bouquet, filled with all different kinds of flowers. There were roses in different colours, daisies, peonies… It looked as if Peter had either picked every flower in the store that he thought you would like, or he had tried to look up the actual symbolisms of said flowers. The size of it was impressive, that much you had to admit. It was almost bigger than his head, it had to have been extremely expensive… “I didn’t know how else I would be able to talk to you. You didn’t answer my calls and I’m pretty sure if I had shown up at your doorstep you would have just slammed the door in my face.”

He wasn’t wrong. You wouldn’t have wanted to talk to him. But you believed that you had every right to act like this. You wanted to voice your thoughts but Peter was quicker.

“Of course, that’s totally justified. I’ve been nothing but an asshole to you for the past few months. I promised to make it up to you and I broke that promise. When you called me last weekend I was hoping to be able to apologise. But uh… with you exploding in anger and… everything… I wasn’t able to. I get now that that wouldn’t have been so easy anyway.”, he carefully stepped towards you and held out the bouquet. There was a small moment of hesitation. Would taking his gift already mean that you forgave him? Was all this just to win over your goodwill again? You still grabbed the bouquet from his hand, not looking at him while you did so. Quickly, you got out a vase and put in the bouquet with a bit of water. Silence settled in the room.

“So? You keep saying you want to apologise… Where’s that apology then? And also… I demand an explanation, Peter. I know you weren’t being fully honest with me.”, you crossed your arms and leaned against the counter. Your eyes narrowed as you waited for an answer.

“Uhm… You may want to sit down for this if you want the explanation…”, Peter grabbed you by the shoulders and made you sit down at the kitchen table. Before you could protest about him touching you he stepped back again and started fumbling with his hands. He didn’t say anything, though. You looked at him expectantly, brows raised in scepticism.

“Uhm… Okay… Here we go. I… am… Spider-Man.”, he stammered while avoiding eye contact.

“…Peter.”, you started with a sigh. “I need you to be honest with me here-“

“No no no! I am being honest.”, he waved his hands in front of him in a desperate manner. You only looked at him with a deadpan expression. Really? Did he think he could win you over that easily? If he tried to get on your good side by just spouting more lies you were going to explode.

“I can prove it to you!”, he swung his backpack off of his shoulder and zipped it open. After rummaging through it for a second he pulled out something red. He handed it over to you and when you unfolded it… It sure looked like the mask of the neighbourhood hero.

“How am I supposed to know if this is actually real? For all I know you could’ve bought it from some costume shop or someth-“, you weren’t sure if you actually wanted to believe that he was who he was claiming to be. That would mean that you had complained about Peter…to Peter… And you had admitted that you liked Peter…to Peter! Before you could finish your sentence, however, something white whipped out of the boy’s wrist and stuck to the mask you were holding. With a quick pull, it flew out of your hands and back to Peter. That white string. It looked like the web strings Spider-Man used.

“There! Believe me now?”, he looked at you expectantly. You, however, seemed to be frozen in place, staring at your now empty hand. This could not be real. This was a dream, right? Seeing you in an unmoving, unblinking state made Peter even more nervous than before. “Are you okay?”

“No.”, you answered without thinking. Then your gaze drifted back up to Peter. “How could I be when my best friend tells me that he is a god-damn superhero?! And when that exact superhero has been a much better friend than my actual best friend has been for the last few weeks, even though they are the same person? What the actual fuck?”

“Look… Every single time we tried to meet up there was something going on. A bunch of bad guys were seemingly having their field days. When we were supposed to eat at that restaurant together some decided it would be fun to blow up a factory! When you wanted to meet up to study a fire broke out because someone owed another guy money. And when we wanted to watch that movie a random mutated lizard was wreaking havoc in the sewers! Can you believe that?! We’re not in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, why would anyone put anything mutated in the sewers?”

“But then you had enough time to go and conveniently check on me once you were done?”

“I always tried to at least check if you were okay. And if I couldn’t do it as Peter, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to do so as Spider-Man. You have to believe me when I say that I never wanted to stand you up or leave you behind. But sometimes…y’know.”

“Yeah… Of course, spending time with me is less important than saving a bunch of civilians.”, you slumped in your chair and crossed your arms.

“You say that like you’re bitter.”

“I’m not. Those people need saving after all. Who’s gonna do it if not you? It’s understandable.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you sound bitter.”

“…And what if I am? I shouldn’t be! Choosing between saving the lives of many and spending time with me shouldn’t even be an option. But it still hurts, Peter. It hurts to know that I am not a priority. And I know that’s selfish, you don’t need to tell me.”, you looked away in embarrassment. You were being so childish. Maybe you should just tell him to leave.

“…But you are a priority. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to check on you every time you had to walk home alone. I would never want to see you hurt or upset because of something I did. So I wanted to at least somewhat make you happier… Even if you didn’t know that it was me that tried to cheer you up. I would do anything to spend more time with you. And I would do anything to see you smile.”

You didn’t answer for a while. You had to admit that it was sweet that he at least tried to salvage his mistakes. Even if it was in a completely stupid kind of way. But now that you thought about it… How did you not notice that he was Spider-Man earlier? He had changed his voice to be minimally lower than normal when he talked to you, he knew that you liked dumplings and he seemed to be waaay too interested in your personal life… A laugh made its’ way through your throat.

“Hey… What are you laughing at now?”, Peter asked perplexed.

“It’s just… You offered… to go and beat yourself up. It’s kinda stupid. Not to mention you tried to play wingman… for yourself.”, you managed to say in between giggles. Your friend's face grew beet red.

“Well… I would have done it if you’d said yes.”, he seemed to ignore your second comment as best as he could.

“Pff… Don’t be ridiculous, Peter.”

“…Do you forgive me, then?”

“You technically still haven’t apologised.”, you teased.

“Right… Uhm… I’m sorry for standing you up all the time and then not being able to make it up to you in person. And I’m sorry for lying to you about what was going on in my life. But I hope that you can forgive me one day because when that day comes I would like to take you on an actual date. But you can call it a not-date if you want. Just so a certain superhero won’t get jealous when he hears about it.”

You were taken aback for a second. So he did like you back… And he wanted to go on a date with you…

“Woah… Uh… Apology accepted. But… I don’t know. Maybe I do prefer that mysterious masked hero that is willing to protect me at night after all.”

#marvel mcu #mcu fluff #fluff #peter parker x reader #spiderman x reader #gn!reader #ned flanders #be your own wingman #bad puns #idiots in love #hero x civilian

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