#idk what her uncle Ben moment would be though

[vampyrobot]

Coming up with a Spider-Man splatoon au in my head where Marina is bitten by a radioactive spider and the spider dna and octopus dna mix to make something so awesome and she learns how to be Spider-Man by going out and reading old Spider-Man comics from the human era.

[rowniebow]

and they were roommates | peter parker x male!reader | 3/7

summary: microwave, pancakes, and a mother.

pairings: tasm!peter parker x male!reader

cw: death and cursing but idk does there really need to be a cw for cursing

word count: 2.9k+

an: i hope someone is liking this as much as i am haha...

previous ⭒ masterlist ⭒ next

⭒

"what is this?"

you glanced over your shoulder and the back of the couch to find peter sitting at the island of your shared kitchen staring at the television screen. you wondered when he got there and how you didn't notice him watching with you.

"a movie."

"what movie?" he rolled his eyes a bit at your response.

"forest gump," you shoved the popcorn you had made into your mouth. "you've never seen it?"

"no, why?"

"it's a classic!"

"aunt may and uncle ben weren't the biggest on family movie nights."

you shrugged a little, and patted the seat next to you on the couch. when he sat and made himself comfortable, you silently offered the popcorn to him, which he denied.

the last half of the movie that he had joined you for was enjoyed by the two of you in a comfortable silence.

when the movie finally ended, peter glared at the credits. "that was nice, i guess, but why is it a classic? it's no star wars or lord of the rings-" his eyes fell away from the scrolling words and onto your slouched body.

your body uncomfortably drooped over itself, your chin falling to your chest. peter almost winced from the pain it looked like your neck would be in if you stayed like that for much longer.

he, gentle and smooth as ever, slowly snuck the popcorn bowl from your hands and quietly sat it on the coffee table. he fetched a pillow and throw blanket from your room, propping the pillow on the arm of the couch. he gently pushed you over and onto the couch into a more comfortable fashion, hand on the side of your face to monitor how fast you fell onto the pillow. he laid the blanket out over your body, tucking you in and silencing the television before it could wake you.

he let out a heavy sigh when he watched you cuddle yourself into the couch-bed he had made you. he was practically sweating trying to make it all okay enough for you. he glared at the time, finding it to be awfully late, as per usual with him.

he tip-toed his way to his own bedroom, his sights lingering on you from his doorframe.

⭒⭒

peter awoke on a bright sunday morning to find you at the island, enjoying a bowl of extremely sugary cereal that he remember very vividly criticizing you for, even though it was his guilty pleasure cereal and he just so happened to be trying to eat better at that moment and was just mad that they stayed tempting him in the cupboard.

"these are so bad for you, y/n."

"you say that like i care."

"well- you should! your body is a vessel. everyone should take care of their body."

"if you're seriously trying to talk me into eating plain ass cheerios with you... some battles you have to fight on your own, peter, and your bland cereals is one of them."

"i'm not! i just think you should be more mindful of your cereals."

"you only live once, parker."

"you won't be living long at all with that big ass bowl."

today, peter thought, he'd join you in the short happy life club with your unhealthy cereal and got himself a bowl.

"oh, peter!"

"yes?" he spoke absentmindedly as he poured himself the cereal then milk groggily.

"i've been forgetting to tell you all week: i have to leave soon for a while. i'm not sure when i'll be back but i shouldn't be too long."

peter couldn't help but let his neck snap so he could look you in the eyes. neither of you had gone any where for an extended period of time since you two moved in.

"what? where are you going?"

"ah, my mom is sick in a hospital in jersey, so i'm gonna go be with her."

peter looked over your face, jaw nearly dropping at your unmoving features. "y-your mom is in the hospital? i'm sorry, are you okay?" his voice was weirdly soft, a caring part of him you hadn't seen before

you almost laughed at his words, "yeah, i'm fine, thanks."

peter thought over your actions for a moment. he quickly came to the realization that this was, yet another thing, that he didn't know anything about of his roommate of nearly seven months now. frankly, he didn't even know you had a mom. he assumed not since you told him you've been moved out since so young. did you have a dad, too?

"w-what is she sick with?"

you looked up at peter. seemingly shocked at his interest.

"she - well, she's had cancer for a year or two now. the doctors told me she's on her way out." peter looked at you and your features, at how nonchalant you were despite the gravity of this conversation. he looked as though he were studying you with wonder under a microscope. "i shouldn't be gone more than a week."

peter wanted to ask why you seemed to not care so badly.

you were tempted to tell him without him verbally asking (his expression really gave away his thoughts).

you only smiled, though, deciding to play oblivious.

and peter saw your smile, your genuine smile, and let his thoughts move along to the fact that you'd be gone for about a week.

you would be gone.

peter expected himself to be giddy at the thought of the apartment all to himself. he expected to have butterflies in his stomach out of excitement for you to be no where around for days straight.

he furrowed his eyebrows, however, when he felt his stomach swell with sickness at the thought. his chest became heavy and suddenly it was as though he was heaving to breathe.

you would be gone.

"are you already packed, then?"

"yes,"

"are you going to catch a cab to the airport?"

"yes,"

"do you want me to come with?"

"come with me to see my mother die?"

"sure! or just the cab ride, if you want?"

silence.

"for safety, of course."

"i think i can handle myself, pete. thanks, though."

peter's eyebrows were knitted together, creases clawed at his skin.

"are you-," you giggled to yourself a bit. "is peter parker going to miss me?"

"fuck no. i'm going to be living my dream while your gone!" lies.

"oh yeah?"

"for sure. i'm going to bring all my friends over and we'll party and make a mess on your bed." lies.

"really now?"

"absolutely." lies. lies lies!

"okay, i'm sure excited to hear about all zero of your friends hanging out and making a mess out of my bed when i get back."

you gathered your dishes and washed your bowl and spoon.

"i'll see you when i get back! have a good time with your zero friends!"

"yeah, whatever." he grumbled.

your footsteps disappeared down the small entrance hallway and out of the door along with your voice wishing one last goodbye.

peter looked around the now empty and silent apartment.

the time was two twenty-three, mid afternoon. he had woken up a lot later than usual, a lot later than you and he could tell.

the apartment was practically spotless. dishes, done and put away (other than the bowl and spoon you used). floor, swept and vacuumed. couch, fluffed pillows and peter's favorite throw blanket sat along the back. coffee table, wiped down and television remotes sat symmetrical with the sides. the microwave, still dirty but he was well aware of the silent protest you two had over it so he never considered that.

you went through the effort of cleaning the apartment so it would be nice for him while he was gone.

peter finally groaned into the silence. it had been less than a minute and it was already unbearable.

and that pissed him off.

he couldn't go one minute without you here in the apartment. jesus christ. he made his way to his room, ready to angrily blast his comfort playlist, abandoning his forgotten bowl of sugar on the counter.

⭒⭒⭒

throughout the week you were gone, peter was angry.

he found himself yelling into his mattress when he found himself craving the song you always play on repeat. he found himself yelling even more when he couldn't remember the name of it, and he was not about to text you to ask.

he found himself sitting at the island alone, grimacing at the taste of his pancakes because they were so bad compared to yours. he didn't know what he did wrong to make them so bad, he used the exact same two dollar box mix that you did.

he found himself sneaking into your room to light the candle that you always had going, that was very against the rules your landlord set for your apartment and peter always scolded you about but you never listened. ("parker if you think that man gives a shit about anything other than our rent you are insane,").

he found himself rewatching movies he had never seen before living with you. forest gump, wizard of oz, home alone. you judged him a lot for not seeing these before. you even watched some of the horror films, despite not liking horror, just because they were your favorite.

and peter? man, peter was mad. the thought never left his mind: why does he want you home so bad? were you truly that big of an improvement in his life?

maybe peter was just sad that he had to be alone. oh, but he never really had problems being alone before.

he wanted to scream! he missed you. horribly.

⭒⭒⭒⭒

on the seventh day of your absence, peter had grown worried.

you said not more than a week, hadn't you?

are you for sure going to be back today then?

did something happen?

should he check the news?

were you okay?

his eyes were glued to the news on the television for hours. his lips were gnawed raw.

he, honestly, hadn't even realized you were consuming his thoughts. he went about his day as if this new found obsession was a daily occurrence for him.

in some ways, perhaps it was.

the way you sat on his shoulder in the grocery store, imaginary nagging running through his mind as he sorted through the ice cream flavors.

the way you always seemed to be haunting him in the pictures he captured for work. behind the building, on the power lines, sitting in that empty chair.

the way you cling to his back while he swung through the skies at night. were you going to be up waiting for him all night again (the answer is always yes.)? should he go home early? he knows you have a big day at work tomorrow.

peter didn't think anything of this, though. i mean, you were constantly around him. the two of you, even if it wasn't always positive, never ceased your conversations.

in the mornings rolling your eyes over breakfast.

in the afternoons on the weekends, struggling to deal with whatever rash temperature new york brought into your shitty run down apartment.

up late at night, struggling to watch a movie and instead pointing out annoyances within each other.

it's only natural that you were always in his mind.

⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒

on the ninth day that you were gone, peter had made his decision.

after many hours of careful consideration and contemplation, he has decided to text you.

a small sentence. maybe two. nothing fancy.

nothing to show you at all what has been consuming him the last week.

"are you coming home soon?"

no, no! that's too... desperate, he thought.

"hey, did your trip get extended?"

ew! that 'hey' is too much, good lord.

"come back i need you to go to the store"

...no, that might be a bit too mean.

peter was practically pulling his hair out. why was he so nervous about a simple text, he'd never know. he let his phone fall next to his head, a loud groan pounding it's way through his lips.

he glared at the ceiling of his room, his bedroom door open as if he expected you to come in complaining any moment now.

after several moments of staring at the popcorn textured white sky, he shakily picked his phone back up.

"you okay? thought it was only going to be a week?"

his eyebrows were knitted together at his words. he wasn't happy with them, but he was satisfied.

⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒

you felt your phone buzz in your pocket and lord have mercy on whoever was texting you right now. who could be bothering to interrupt your peace with your self in this one, small moment? a small moment that was meant for you and no one else? a small moment where you could let yourself be?

tears threatened your eyes in frustration as you breathed calming breaths. a shakey hand reached into your pocket, lines of vulgar thoughts running through your head.

peter parker: "you okay? thought it was only going to be a week?"

you nearly threw your phone out of fright. since when did peter text you? you two basically only had each other's information in case of emergency.

was this an emergency? you didn't think so.

you supposed it could have been. you did say a week. peter was probably thinking you had died in some tragedy because of your lack of contact.

your breath stopping nearly choked you.

peter was texting you? he was thinking about you? about when you'd be back?

no, certainly he just hasn't been cleaning or needs groceries. maybe he really did follow through with his threat and was trying to have people over.

what were you to say back, though?

"sorry, i meant to text you-"

no you didn't, don't lie! you didn't think he was giving a second thought about when you'd be back.

"i’m all good, thank you for asking!-"

no, no! thank you for asking? what kind of bullshit fake ass response is that.

"oh i'm great. mother died, see you soon."

you chuckled to yourself a bit at the thought of that one. you personally would laugh at the blatancy but you supposed most people wouldn't appreciate the sour attempt at a joke.

you tapped the phone on your head, attempting to knock a socially acceptable response out of it. a shaken breath concluded your thoughts, assuring yourself that whatever response given would be brushed over, anyway.

"my fault! i'll be home late tomorrow"

yeah, yeah, for sure. that's very cool, calm, and collected of you. very mature response. absolutely doesn't let anything on at all.

you escaped the broom closet you were hiding in. you left your small moment.

you left your one small moment of peace with your self. a small moment that was meant for you and no one else. a small moment that was meant for being alone, and was infiltrated by peter parker, all the way from new york.

and you weren't mad.

maybe even glad.

⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒

it was extremely late when the door to your apartment creaked open (a new issue about the shit hole to try and solve).

peter had decided to stay home to greet you when the clock struck nine at night and you still weren't back yet. he and decided to refrain from his nightly endeavors.

so when the door creaked open after he had passed out on the couch to the sound of car alarms going off on the street below and light tapping against the window, his sensitive ears perked up and his dizzy body came with them.

he sat up alarmed and saw you immediately (thank god for the front door being a straight shot from the couch).

he saw your tired eyes and new creases between your brows.

he saw your chewed lips that were too similar to his own.

he saw your drenched clothes from the pouring rain and your wet hair.

he saw you as your whole and full self and wanted to run and scoop you up in his arms.

but he refrained, of course.

"h-hey!" he watched you struggle through the door with your small suitcase.

"hi, pete,"

"how was your trip?"

you laughed a bit. you would hardly consider that shit show a trip. "it was fine. did you have your friends over?"

peter saw your tired smile and couldn't help but smile too. "oh yeah, your room is totally trashed."

"great," your dropped everything in the small kitchen. a sigh escaping your lips as you rummaged through the fridge that was oddly full.

peter watched you pull out a box of left over pizza he had the day before... for breakfast.

he missed your pancakes a lot.

"how was your mom?"

"oh, she-you know. passed. that's why i was staying longer than i thought. her funeral was yesterday."

peter didn't understand you. how you were speaking so casually about the death of someone who you were close to - who he assumed you had been close to. but he wanted to understand.

you obviously weren't that close based off of your actions. maybe you were in shock, he thought.

"i’m-i’m sorry to hear that," he tensely watched you, anxiety dropping like a pit when you went to throw your pizza in the microwave.

"yeah- did you-?" you stared into the microwave. "did you clean the microwave?" your eyebrows were furrowed and your face was only accusatory. as if it upset you.

"yeah, i got tired of it." and hand shot up to scratch the hairline on his neck.

"oh, okay," you started the microwave and watched the seconds count down. peter went to say something but you spoke again.

"thanks,"

⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒

peter cleaned the entire apartment, and the microwave, for you as soon as you said you'd be home the next day.

⭒ next ⭒

[sunsoakedhighhopes]

Amazing Fantasy #15

This is Spider-Man's origin story, which, I think, we're all pretty familiar with by this point. So, for me, this was just kind of interesting to read from the standpoint of seeing what was the same and what was different from the movies. I have seen every (modern) Spider-Man movie except for Amazing Spider-Man 2, though it's been a while since I've seen the non-MCU ones, and I'd say I remember the first Spiderman movie the best, so that's what I'll be comparing to.

As a side note, even though I kinda knew it was coming, I was a little bummed to see just how boring the layouts are for these silver-age comics. Pretty much every page is the same layout, two panels in the top row, three in the middle, and two again in the bottom row. I miss the way that the art used to sometimes kinda escape the panels in Steve's original run.

Okay, so we're introduced to Peter, who is a bit of a loner and a wallflower, and we see that he is teased and picked on by his classmates.

Not to defend bullying in any way, but I think if you looked at this panel out of context, without the speech bubbles, you would think that Peter was a teacher, rather than a student.

Then we're introduced to May and Ben Parker, who absolutely adore their nephew. And gosh, why are they so old?? Like, as an uncle, shouldn't Ben be somewhere around the age of Peter's parents? I get that a lot of artistic choices in early comics was more about differentiating different characters, and making things pop (that's why there are so many red-headed sidekicks) but it's still a bit jarring.

I do like that we're shown that Peter has a really great relationship with his aunt and uncle.

Then we're told that Peter gets along with all of the teachers at his high school and I guess participates in running science experiments, maybe? Idk, he's got a bunch of test tubes and a guy in a lab coat tells him to keep up the good work.

Peter asks a girl names Sally out on a date, and she reiterates to him "for the umpteenth time" that he's not her type, then drives off with "dream boat" Flash Thomson.

Then he invites a group of students to the "science hall", and they, predictably, make fun of him for being a nerd.

One of the things that I was kind of surprised by was how angry Peter is throughout this comic. You almost get the sense that if a certain event didn't happen so soon after he got his powers, kinda veering Peter back onto the right path, that we could be reading a villain origin story here.

Also, I don't know how I feel about these radio-active experiments being open to the public. That kind of seems.... a little irresponsible. Actually, as it turns out, Institutional Review Boards didn't exist until the 1970s, so.... I guess Peter has a lack of overall regulations to thank for his super powers.

The scientists are demonstrating how they can control radioactive rays, just shooting beams of radiation right in front of the general public, no protection anywhere in sight -- they must not have Godzilla movies in the Marvel universe.

Anyway, you know the story. There's a spider, though the spider is not actually part of the experiment, it's just a regular old spider trying to live it's own life, about to have just a really terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. So, the spider drops down from the ceiling, accidentally going through the radioactive beam, and then landing on Peter's hand -- because Peter (once again, a high schooler and member of the general public) was standing close enough to the radioactive beam for this to happen. The spider, in it's last agonizing moments of life before dying from, presumably, radioactive poisoning, bites Peter on the hand.

Peter notes that the bite burns, and either the bite itself or the spider -- it's not really clear which -- is glowing. He does not mention this seemingly quite important detail to any of the adults in the room.

Speaking of the adults in the room, they make fun of Peter for looking ill following the experiment, because everyone except for May and Ben are dickheads apparently. Literally no on checks on him.

Outside, Peter's standing in the middle of traffic, feeling... honestly, probably high as a kite. It says he feels like his entire body is being charged with some sort of fantastic energy.

He misses the car that's barreling towards him until the last moment when it nearly runs him over -- again because it's New York, I guess, and everyone's a dick. He jumps out of the car's way....

And then scales the wall, because he can. A small child sees him climbing the wall and tells his mother and she says, "That's the last horror movie I take you to, young man!" which is just hilarious. She doesn't even look at what he's pointing at.

At the top of the building he grabs a steel pipe and crushes it as though it were paper. At this point he figures that the spider bite transferred the spiders powers to him.

The spider watching all this from the afterife:

He tests his powers a little in the city, then heads to the wrestling match to fully test his powers. As we know, he beats the strongman with his powers, then he catches the eye of a TV producer, who gets him a slot on the Ed Sullivan show.

This is our first look at Spiderman

He becomes very popular by climbing around on the walls and ceiling on TV, and shooting webs.

Then we get to the part where he chooses not to stop the escaping thief, and he doesn't do it because he feels ripped off by the person being robbed like in the Sam Raimy trilogy, or whatever was going on with the chocolate milk in the Andrew Garfield one.

I actually think this one is worse than either of those two. Like he does it out of pure teenage angst and selfishness.

And like, look, I don't think random citizens should feel obligated to help the cops arrest people, or feel bad about it if they don't, but he says he's doing it for selfish reasons. Plus, he's at this place (The Ed Sullivan show?) not as Peter Parker, but as Spiderman, so his identity is safe and people already know that he has powers, cause five minutes ago he was climbing around the ceiling.

We get another wholesome scene with Peter and Ben and May where they gift him a microscope that he's been wanting. Spiderman gains in popularity, winning accolades and awards for his television appearances.

And then.....

And then Peter comes home one night to find a police care outside his Aunt and Uncle's home, and Peter receives the terrible news that Uncle Ben is dead, having been murdered by a burglar. Hmmm.

I was very confused by this at first, because the scene hadn't happened. You know the one. With the line. How the hell is Uncle Ben going to impart his final words of wisdom if he's already dead??

Peter runs off to the warehouse where the robber is hiding out. The cops are standing around outside doing nothing because "...he'll pick us off like flies if we charge in there," which.... okay... sure we'll go with that. Actually this pretty much tracks with reality.

So Spiderman goes in, confront the robber, then *gasp*, sees his face, and it's none other than the exact same robber that he previously let escape. He wraps him up in a web, leaves him for the cops (who are still standing around outside) and goes home to cry, knowing that he is, at least partially, responsible for Ben's death.

But what about the line?? You know the one.

Wait, oh...

So, wait, Ben doesn't actually say this line in the comics?? The narrator says it? I swear there were a number of Marvel fans screaming online about how not having Ben Parker say this line to Peter in the MCU was hugely disrespectful to both Peter and Ben as characters.

Huh....imagine that.

Okay, so this was fun. it wasn't super exciting, as I knew pretty much everything that was going to happen (thank you MCU for not rehashing this yet again), but it was nice to see the original take on it. I imagine the big reveal was very impactful for readers at the time.

I've never actually been a huge Peter Parker fan, but I plan to give it shot, along with all my other faves, see how his story developed over the decades. I can't say this issue really swayed me, but then, there wasn't a lot new here for me, so we'll see.

I will say, I missed the dry humor and sassiness of Steve. I really think people sleep on how fun the Cap comics were, even in their original incarnation.

[rappaccini]

ain't no love in the heart of the city? 👀👀

(from this)

oooohkay. how do i describe this... i'm gonna have to ramble to make it make sense. and whip out these screenshots i've had sitting around for ages. but i've been meaning to talk about this for ages so thank you!

so first of all, you know how miles's uncle aaron is the prowler? that's a reference to hobie brown, who was the first black character to wear the spider-man costume in canon back in 1971 (issue asm-87).

in context: he was wearing it temporarily as a favor to peter to help throw the cops off his scent, but that was still the first time this ever happened.

aside from that, 616 hobie is also paralleled to peter parker often in his early appearances.

they're both genius tech whizzes with chips on their shoulder about injustice, who are ignored and mistreated by the people around them

they both make costumes with wrist-mounted tools.

they both start out using their secret identities to attract attention and for selfish gain.

they're both in on-again-off-again relationships with a girl who supports them but won't take their bullshit lying down, who doesn't know about their secret identity and wouldn't approve of it.

they both angst like fuck about their secret identities, wish they could quit them but keep coming back for more, and grow out of using them selfishly. (... though in hobie's case he keeps quitting being the prowler altogether, then backsliding, then trying to redeem himself again)

hobie even has his own uncle ben moment when a kid he's mentoring, manuel lopez, is killed and he suits up to avenge him.

like. it's so fucking intriguing. this parallel keeps getting built between peter and hobie, and then it gets dropped and never comes back. decades ago, marvel did actually raise the possibility of a nerdy black guy with a chip on his shoulder taking up the spider-man mantle after peter is indisposed... and then never did anything with it until decades later, when miles came along. technically, that narrative was hobie's first, but he never got to keep it.

(.... also interesting: that hobie has a connection with gwen where he technically helps her escape her narrative of being peter's tragic girlfriend temporarily. and that now the spiderverse writers are snatching that dynamic and handing it to miles too. hm.)

it's not a coincidence that of all the characters miles morales is so personally linked to, it's the prowler. miles definitely owes his creation in part to hobie brown, and aaron davis being the prowler is an acknowledgment that hobie came first, and that miles is going to pick up the torch hobie lit and run with it.

(also worth noting: because miles is so popular, aaron davis is now the default prowler. which means it's now possible for hobie's redemption as an antihero to stick. idk i think it's compelling that it came full circle, with hobie and miles each creating opportunities for each other to become something new to the narrative.)

anyway! the fic! it happened because i thought a lot about how the spiderverse writers went the route of 'miles was supposed to be the prowler, but he became spider-man by mistake, and has to fill peter's shoes after he's gone,' when... to be honest, that's more of a hobie story than a miles one. (... and so is 'miles has a special connection with gwen where he can help her escape her fate.' uh. can you stop eating hobie's lunch. what's going on there.)

i'll never get around to writing the fic bc it's more a big list of ideas and worldbuilding extrapolations instead of a plot, and i don't have time to put in the research it would need, but basically it's an au where peter dies and hobie brown becomes the default second spider-man instead of miles morales.

like, how does his approach differ? what tech is unique to him? who does he fight and what motivates him? how does it affect his personal life? how does an adult who's spent years struggling to use his secret identity for good-- and being perceived as a supervillain by everyone-- change into a hero? and since the fic was meant to be a 70s period piece, how does nyc's perception of spider-man change?

[wolfie-2013]

Ok so I’m this post I showed off my Spider-Sona. Originally it was for a Spider-Man x Mha AU. Specifically one in which Todoroki was Spider-Man. It was only recently that I really started to come up with story for that au. I wanted to share what I have so far, but I’ll probably be splitting it into parts since the google doc is like 8 pages. So this first part will be before UA.

The MHA earth is gonna be Earth-2016, and it’s basically gonna be canon mha. So quirks are still a thing. But now todo has his quirk + spider powers.

He got them a year before UA. And that was when endeavor took him to his agency, shouto got in trouble for doing something at the house and Enji decided that he would not be left alone, and got bit by a radioactive Spider.

The spider in question was brought in as evidence from a drug lab bust that was performed about a week prior. The only reason they noticed the spider was because it was kept in a container and had the “warning radioactive” sticker in it. The agency looked at the files but there wasn’t much on the spider. On that day, the spider managed to somehow escape its enclosure, and while a completely unaware shouto was wandering the halls the spider bit him.

So he feels pretty normal the rest of the day, but that night he starts to feel sick. He goes to bed and the next morning he’s magically feeling better. (Also in this au his vision in his left eye was damaged from the boiling water.) He wakes up and can suddenly see perfectly out of his left eye. He goes to get out of bed when he hears a rip. He looks at the bed sheet in his had to see that he had ripped them with a pair of talons that had grown on his hands. (The talons are retractable and not as big as Miguel’s) He shoots out of bed and runs for the door, his hand gets stuck to the door knob for a second before he finally gets free and makes a beeline for the bathroom. His mouth had felt weird since he woke up. It was unnaturally dry and felt as if it was overcrowded. So he looks in the mirror and sees a large set of fangs protruding from his top gums and a smaller but still unreasonably big set on from his bottom gums. (Unfortunately for our poor boy these are not retractable. He has a venom that is released through his fangs. He also has natural spinnerets in his arms now)

Anyway: time skip, he gets his suit made (it has web shooters built into it as a back up)

(Also in this au todoroki is more similar to my todoroki, so he’s pretty loud. But because of the fangs he now has to hide he started speaking much softer. (No one really noticed a change at home since shouto definitely wasn’t very loud there, and since he was homeschooled he didn’t have to worry about any classmates noticing) so that will explains why he’s so quiet and kinda mumbles in the show.)

So he becomes the Spider-Man of (whatever Japanese city he’s nearest to as well as a few others) and you may be asking “well what’s his uncle Ben moment?” Well when he’s starting out, he hasn’t the slightest idea of how to be a vigilante though he does try his best. Eventually a much more experienced vigilante( idk her name yet or her quirk) feels kinda bad for him and decides to take him under her wing. They get really close and she kinda becomes the mother/aunt figure that shouto has never had but always desperately wanted. Until one night they’re both working together to try and take down a gang that’s been extorting people for “protection”. There’s a lot of gang members and the two are out numbered but they’re managing. That is until someone either shoots his mentor or she gets impaled by someone’s quirk. She goes down and shouto sees red. He takes down the gang, webs them up and runs over to her.

She dies in his arms.

The person that killed her fled as soon as shouto began overpowering the gang. Shouto chases after her killer and eventually corners them. He hangs them high above the ground, and he wants to freeze them to death, or drop them, he’ll he’s even mad enough to burn them. But he stops. Killing this person would make him just as bad as them. And it’s definitely not what his mentor would want.

So he ties the thug up and leaves a note.

This is the first time Spider-Man makes the front page of the news, It’s all Japan can talk about for weeks.

And also right before UA he actually gets recruited to the Spider Society. So he has the “Goober” or dimensional travel watch. (He gets invited a few months after across the spider-verse happens as well as the events of beyond the spider verse. Miguel and miles have made up and are working on it) So he also is constantly wearing the watch. Miguel along with noir are his spider mentors. Miguel helps with the talon and fang aspects of his powers (how to properly retract his talons and how to deal with the fangs and how to hide them. Noir trains him with hand to hand combat, detective skills (noir is a private eye), stealth, and also pickpocketing and a couple of other tricks.

So the typical Spider-Man villains aren’t the big guys in this au. The League of Villains is still the biggest concern. And while shouto does fight them sometimes. His villains are still threats but definitely aren’t as well known or as feared as the league. Anomalies are also still occurring, So sometimes another spiders villain will pop into another’s dimension.

That’s it for this one.

[hotchs-second-wife]

Station 19 Spin-off, but it's their kids

Your girl just finished Station 19 up until the most recent episode and y'know she had to make their future kids as well!

Jack's got twins because I said so.

I can just see him being a twin dad, yk?

Their mother is the worst, so Jack has sole custody of his little prince, Dean, and little princess, Lila.

Yes, he would indefinitely name his son after Dean - we all know how much Jack loves his Station 19 family!!

And he clearly loved his foster sister so much.

Lila looks up to Maya and strives to be a captain, so she made it there bc she's a Gibson.

Dean settling with just being a regular firefighter and watching his big sis rise.

Carina would for sure name her kid after her brother. She had a whole episode where she mourned her baby brother!

I feel like he'd be a doctor just so his mama (Carina) doesn't lose another Andrew that she loves, but he really just wants to follow in his mom's (Maya's) footsteps.

And so he does.

Travis finally meets the new love of his life (after Michael's death) and they have a son through surrogacy - which Travis and his partner agree to call Michael, both after Travis' late husband and the partner's father- I guess?

I would love it if Pru became a battalion chief, especially after seeing Dean wanna rise through the ranks but couldn't because...well, death, and so Pru does.

And hell if she lets anyone downtalk her because she's a female battalion chief-

You know she's not going to let it slide - we all know her aunts would have taught her that.

Okay but I would love to see a 'he fell first, but she fell harder' relationship in S19 and I've already designated that to Andrew Deluca-Bishop and Lila Gibson.

"But wouldn't Andrew have been created with Jack's sperm and Carina's egg?" "Wouldn't they be half siblings through Jack?"

No.

Canonically in this AU, Carina's body just didn't take to Jack's little guys, and the Deluca-Bishops found Mason (Maya's brother). They decided to try again with Mason's sperm so at least the child would have similar DNA to Maya and PRESTO-

Idk if that's how you spell it-

Maya figured at least the baby would have more of a chance to look like her since Mason is her brother, but Andrew was born looking like Carina, so- didn't really matter anyway.

Maya still adores her son, even though he looks nothing like her and every bit like a male version of Carina. He's her little boy, she knew she'd always love him from the moment she held him.

Vic and Theo having a little badass who is just like her mother-

Exactly like her mother in every way; looks, personality, attitude, every bit.

19 raising their kids together; like a village.

THE KIDS CALLING BEN "Grandpa" BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS CALL HIM "Dad"

Little toddler Dean crying when Ben tells him that he (Ben) isn't actually Jack's dad-

"You made a toddler cry, man." "I didn't mean to!"

Lila being a protective big twin sister, even at 3-years-old, glaring at Ben as her brother cries into their dad.

Jack having no clue what to do with his own children, so when a baby play pen (or whatever its called, I was 2 when my little brother was born and I see my younger cousins like once a year, if that-) it put in the lounge of the station, he just sticks them in that until they're hungry or need the potty.

It's 2am on Boxing Day and I should be sleeping but I can't.

Don't finish off the eggnog in your fridge and an entire Monster can right before bed.

It messes with your already messed up sleep schedule.

Or do. I'm not the boss of you.

Andrew being scared of Jack when he's thinking about asking Lila on a date, when he should be scared of her Uncle Travis.

As close as he is to his mom's friends, he doesn't actually refer to them as Auntie or Uncle. So...

Considers them family, because they're his parents' family, but wouldn't go out of his way to refer to them with familial titles.

Anyway-

Travis, while having his own kid, being incredibly protective of Jack's little Lila and Vic's little Marion.

He never had a daughter, and can't imagine having one, if he was honest. So Marion and Lila are the closest he has to daughters.

So, protective Uncle Travis? I say YES.

These kids for sure grew up with happy Christmases.

Firehouse Christmases, for sure.

They'd probably make Jack dress up as Santa, in all honesty.

Little Dean crying for his dad, and Jack tries to comfort him but he's like "I WANT MY DADDY! NOT SANTA!"

Jack takes off the hat and wig, and Dean immediately hugs him, and Jack just has to crouch there and not say anything because he wants his son to maintain that childhood innocence that he couldn't.

Jack letting his kids be kids for as long as possible, even well into their teen years, because he wanted that family so he's going to make sure his kids get that.

I feel like Andy would have a son, and she'd name him after Ryan because we all know how much she loved her childhood friend.

Him and Andrew being really close bc their moms are.

I think I'll leave it there because I'm gonna write a little christmas tale of when the kids were little.

Regarding middle names; Vic and Theo made Marion's middle name Andrea, after Andy helped Vic birth Marion (with Carina's help ofc, you can guarantee that Carina was there for a majority of the births), Jack made his son's middle name after his foster dad, and Vic helped Jack a lot with his daughter, so Lila's middle name is Victoria (she even gave Lila the period talk for Jack), and Ryan's middle name is after his grandpa.

Okay, I'm done for now-

S19 Children, Parent/s and Ages

Marion "Mari" Andrea Hughes - Victoria "Vic" and Theodora "Theo" Hughes, 20yo

Dean Marco Gibson - Jack Gibson, 21yo

Lila Victoria Gibson - Jack Gibson, 21yo

Ryan Pruitt Herrera - Andrea "Andy" Herrera, 23yo

Michael "Mike/Mickey" Montgomery - Travis Montgomery, 26yo

Andrew Deluca-Bishop - Carina and Maya Deluca-Bishop, 27yo

Pruitt "Pru" Miller - Dean Miller and JJ Lau, 32yo

[usernamesuggestionsarefunny]

Ok, so Spiderman.

I still hate the multiverse as a concept and how much it cheapens everything that happens in the MCU, won't explain why in detail again, but I admit I was sold on the childhood nostalgia with the previous two Peter Parkers and absolutely adored having them interact together (I wouldn't have minded if everything had been a dream or something though). I loved the jokes, the sort of friendship that formed between them, everything.

Seems the writters put a bit of effort into not making this completely sitcom-y and nostalgia cash grab, I am not gonna lie, and I was pleasantly surprised. Although it also had a bit of that vibe, but the plot was solid enough for a Marvel film. Maybe not, I am bad at spotting plot holes lol.

That scene where Andrew!Peter saves MJ is GOLD, so emotional, so fitting. They managed to give his unfinished story some sort of closure in the few minutes of screentime he had. How is that not AMAZING? Makes me even wish for a third TAS movie where he moves on.

I liked Tobey's moments as well although I was a bit disappointed he didn't talk more about his life and how he is doing in that universe, giving us some closure on his relationship with MJ, whether they are married, have children idk he looks like a dad you have to admit it.

The scene where May died was very emotional and sad. Now, I loved this version of May, she was fun, sweet, affectionate and motherly, and I am a sucker for angst (And Tom Holland's crying on cue abilities lmao), so it is not the death itself what bothered me or even that she is this universe's version of Uncle Ben, but I did think the famous phrase and her pushing Peter to do something as dangerous as trying to save those villains was sort of forced and inconsistent with her character in previous movies. I mean seriously, in the first Spiderman movie she was telling Peter: "If you see danger run the other way", and we didn't get much character development on how she changed her views or whether her desire for Peter to be safe depended on his apparent helplessness and changed upon learning of his powers. Not enough scenes to show this. Even if there were though, it seems letting go of Peter or admiring his urge to help others is something she learnt from him off screen and not the other way around despite her being his tutor. Willing to be proven wrong but I doubt it.

So yeah, I am sorry, I loved her character, I loved her death scene and I am looking forward to reading angst fics describing the effect this will have on Peter lol but I am not sold on her saying the famous "with great power comes great responsability" phrase and the way they only killed her so she could say that and Tom's Peter could have something in common with the other two. Seems like a very last minute creative choice that would have been better had we been shown scenes in previous movies of May being Peter's inspiration. This could have easily avoided also by having Tom's Peter recall an MCU Uncle Ben during a conversation with May.

May could have still died though, just with an original reason as to why. Yes, with her helping, but not necessarily as the main inspiration. Maybe in a way that showed her concern for Peter and dismay he was doing something as dangerous as portrayed in previous films. Similar as to what happened in the movie, but I would have enjoyed it more if she had lost herself a little, you know what I mean? More panic in her actions and reactions. She is a civilian, not a superhero. This is her BABY BOY fighting a dangerous man willing to kill him and she is seeing something like that up close real time on front of her for the very first time!! Panic a bit more, damn it!!!!!! (Nothing to do with the actress, she was great, this is about the writting/direction).

-

The ending was very sad.

Peter is completely alone :'(

Left me with a truly bad taste in my mouth lol. But a good bad taste in my mouth if that is even possible.

Looking forward to see what they are going to do with his character now but at the same time... bad taste. I don't know how to explain it lol

[amwritesitall]

Cordelia Goode Playlist

Masterlist

I’m sharing these so I have post schedullleeedd for my days oooofffff. They most likely won’t be popular but it’s all good :) I’m going to put little baby reasoning since this is a thicc list

Playlist link

Also if you guys want more character playlists go check out @make--your--life--spectacular​ ‘s playlists. Here’s links to Ally and Venable :)

“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac

Now here I go again I see the crystal visions I keep my visions to myself It's only me who wants to wrap around your dreams And have you any dreams you'd like to sell? Dreams of loneliness

So the first few songs all kind of have the same reasoning and that is witchy vibes. You can’t have a Cordelia playlist without some Fleetwood Mac

“Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac

She is like a cat in the dark and then She is the darkness She rules her life like a fine skylark and when The sky is starless

The ultimate witchy vibes song

“Seven Wonders” by Fleetwood Mac

So it's hard to find Someone with that kind of intensity You touched my hand I played it cool And you reached out your hand for me But if our paths never cross Well you know I'm sorry but If I live to see the seven wonders I'll make a path to the rainbow's end I'll never live to match the beauty again The rainbow's end

We love our talented Supreme

“Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You” by Stevie Nicks

Has anyone ever given anything to you In your darkest hours Did you ever give it back Well, I have I have given that to you If it's all I ever do This is your song

This song is so preetttttyyyyyy. I feel like this would be one of Cordelia’s favorites

“The Witch Queen of New Orleans” by Redbone

Dime or a nickel any one could buy Voodoo of any kind She had potions and lotions, herbs and tanna leaves Guaranteed to blow your mind Early one mornin' into mucky swamp dew Vanished Marie with hate in her eyes Though she'll never return all the Cajuns knew A witch queen never dies

This song talks about Marie Laveau and idk witch vibes. Cordelia is also the witch queen while Marie is the voodoo queen

“girls” by girl in red

I shouldn't be feeling this But it's too hard to resist Soft skin and soft lips I should be into this guy But it's just a waste of time He's really not my type I know what I like No, this is not a phase Or a coming of age This will never change

A lot of songs just make me think of bb Cordelia

“Loving Is Easy” by Rex Orange County

Loving is easy You had me fucked up It used to be so hard to see Yeah, loving is easy When everything's perfect Please don't change a single little thing for me

Soft gal loving. Prime happy Cordelia vibes

“i wanna be your girlfriend” by girl in red

I don't wanna be your friend I wanna kiss your lips I wanna kiss you until I lose my breath I don't wanna be your friend I wanna kiss your lips I wanna kiss you until I lose my breath

Teen AU Cordeliiiaaaa

“Glory Box” by Portishead

I just want to be a woman From this time, unchained We're all looking at a different picture Through this new frame of mind A thousand flowers could bloom Move over, and give us some room, yeah

HOW CAN I NOT PUT THIS SONG ON HERE?? This is one of my favorite songs they have ever used on the show

“you’re my world” by atlas

You were my earth You were the planet You were the grass The wind and tides And now that you're gone I feel so out of place And now that you're gone I'm just driftin' through space

Anngsssttt

“If We We’re Vampires” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

It's knowing that this can't go on forever Likely one of us will have to spend some days alone Maybe we'll get forty years together But one day I'll be gone Or one day you'll be gone

I’m going to use my reasoning from my other post about this song.

Cordelia knows that one day she will die. There will be another Supreme after her and she can’t live forever. This is her coming to terms with the fact that maybe it’s for the best that she won’t stay around forever. Not being immortal allows her to live in the moment and savor all the time she has.

“Red (Demo Version)” by Miki Ratsula

Stars light up the sky, the clock strikes twelve Adventure in sight, the hours melt Ben Howard plays, she sings along I look to my left and fall in love

When she leans in for a red light kiss And places her love on my lips Hearts and lungs increase in pace Passion overwhelms our space But, the corner of my eye lights up in green This fragile moment woken by reality Our lips depart, our breathing slows as I wait again To kiss her lips, when the light turns red

Soft teen Cordelia vibes

“Planets of the Universe - Demo” by Fleetwood Mac

I will never love again the way I loved you You will never rule again the way you've ruled We will never change again the way we are changing Oh, you'll forget the chill of love but not the strain

One of my favorite songs. The demo is my favorite version of it because it feels so raw? Like the emotions in it and also young Stevie sounds like a cutie at the beginning and end when she’s talking to Christine.

In general this is also has Cordelia vibes too lol

“18″ by 5 Seconds of Summer

I'm not old enough for her I'm just waiting till I'll eighteen I think she wants to get with me But, she's got a job in the city And she says that she's always too busy She's got a naughty tattoo In a place that i wanna get to

Being a student at the Academy and having a thing for Ms Headmistress Cordelia

“House of the Rising Sun” by Lauren O’Connell

It's one foot on the platform The other's on the train I'm going back to New Orleans To wear that ball and chain

Witchy woman

“Bad Liar” by Selena Gomez

I was walking down the street the other day Tryna distract myself But then I see your face Oh wait, that's someone else Ohh, tryna play it coy Tryna make it disappear But just like the battle of Troy There's nothing subtle here In my room there's a king size space Bigger than it used to be If you want you can rent that place Call me an amenity Even if it's in my dreams

Nervous Cordelia trying to hide her feelings. Possibly Teen Cordelia?

“Nervous - Acoustic” by Gavin James

'Cause every time I saw you I got nervous Shivering and shaking at the knees And just like every song I haven't heard yet no I didn't know the words in front of me In front of me, and oh But I don't wanna know Who'll take you home?

Season three shy gal

“Mariposa” by Peach Tree Rascals

I can't wait for you To come my way I've been far away But I'll keep runnin' Just to find a way to you til' then

Cordelia will do her damn best to get to her love. Don’t mess with her b.

“Sweet Love of Mine (Acoustic)” by Joy Williams

When you found me I was all alone The whole world around me And nowhere to call home I heard your voice sing like heaven's choir Gathered up my fears and threw them in the fire

Oh my darling, sweet love of mine I'll hold you all through the night

I don’t think this is what the song is technically about but it makes me think of Cordelia finding someone that finally loves her and helps her love all of the things that Fiona made her self conscious about.

“Hurts Like Hell - OurVinyl Sessions” by Fleurie

I don't want them to know the secrets I don't want them to know the way I loved you I don't think they'd understand it, no I don't think they would accept me, no

I loved, and I loved and I lost you

Dreams fight with machines Inside my head like adversaries Come wrestle me free Clean from the war Your heart fits like a key Into the lock on the wall

This song makes me think of Misty x Cordelia or angsty teen au Cordelia. I can also cry on demand if this song is playing

“Waiting Room” by Rex Orange County

Our family reunion I'd rather be anywhere but here It's like a pain you shouldn't ignore But my uncle's here to open the door, and I don't like him This family reunion I felt so uncomfortable, I left They all decided to stay So it's just me and my mistakes And I'd like to know that you smile when you're alone And when you need time to yourself Remember me, I won't be anyone else I'm just the boy you love

And my lover, my best friend When I heard that you don't know why you're here I fell face down And became one with the ground And my lover's best friend

Cordelia’s hella dysfunctional family and just yeah

“Fancy Shoes” by The Walters

Let's go walking in the city tonight You wear the dress that makes you look so nice Like my fancy shoes I wore them just for you Tell me why all the good ones go Well I don't know but I want it to somehow change I'll be a better man if you just stay

This one I don’t have much of an explanation for besides vibes

“Common Sense” by Joshua Bassett

Common sense tells me kiss the girl goodbye Common sense tells me leave it all behind Common sense says the girl's not worth my time But common sense ain't common when you come to mind

Delia madly in love

“I Talk to the Sky” by Maddy Estelle

I write down things I wish I could say to you I talk to the sky I collect words I wish I could give to you I talk to the sky, I talk to the sky The sky doesn't say a word

Cordelia after she’s lost her loovee the annggsstt but sis is getting a happy ending

“Two Straws” by Also Joe

You've been on my mind In rain and sunshine You've got the sweetest smile that I've ever laid eyes on You make me dance And I make you laugh But nothin puts me in a better mood than being loved by ya This is the love that I've been dreaming of

Delia after falling really really hard

-

You might like:  Audrey Tindall Playlist or  Poems that Remind Me of Cordelia Goode

[undercoveravenger]

Selective Mutism (Part 2)

Ship: Ben X Son of Ursula!Reader

Requested: The first part was

Original Request: "Can i get a ben x son of Ursula where he doesn’t talk often (selective mutism) because of the way his mother behaves, uma kind of dislikes him and he doesn’t really have a group until he meets ben and just kind of follows him around, also one of the scrapped ideas for the little mermaid was king triton being related to ursula, and triton decides he wants to meet his nephew w/ family angst idk thanks np if u don't want to :)"

Link to part 1:Click Here

A/N: I ended up doing headcanons for this one, since that way will be easier to cover all the little things I wanted to talk about, plus it would mean I'd have it out sooner for you guys!

__________________________________________________________

When you first arrived in Auradon, people were wary of you; after all, they'd just gotten used to the first four VKs and then here you are

They settled down pretty fast though when they realized that your ideal weekend of fun consisted of visiting the library and maybe going for a swim in the Enchanted Lake.

The only ones who treated you normally at first were the other kids from the Isle and Ben.

The VKs because they understood what it felt like to be looked at like a villain, and Ben because he's Ben.

You'd even started to talk more often since you were away from your toxic family!

Anyway, life was pretty chill until Cotillion took place and your sister tried to bring down the Barrier.

Mal tried to use True Love's Kiss to snap Ben out of Uma's control but it didn't work (Spoiler Alert: it's because he was in love with you, he just didn't realize it yet)

Eventually, Ben came to his senses and the night resolved itself

Mal ended up breaking up with Ben, since she knew he wasn't really in love with her anymore (A+ wingwoman, by the way)

It didn't take her long to figure out that it was you that Ben was getting all starry-eyed over

She confronts you one day in the library about it so she knows whether to encourage Ben to ask you out or not

Mal: "Hey, are you in love with Ben?"

You: *lowkey terrified she's about to murder you* "I- I- um, yes?"

Mal: "OH THANK GOD, NOW HE'LL STOP PINING"

Nevermind. If anything, Ben pines more now that you're together.

Mal loves the two of you together, don't get me wrong, but Ben talks about you a lot

Like, A LOT

"Hey, did you see (M/N) today? Isn't my boyfriend gorgeous?"

"So me and (M/N) went on this awesome date last night and-"

"(M/N) said-"

On the bright side, with Ben's constant affirmation and reassurance, you're starting to come out of your shell and speak your mind more freely!

----------

BONUS

You make your way down to the docks on peaceful summer day, clutching Ben's hand in your own nervously.

"Are you sure you want to do this today?" Ben asked you quietly as the sound of the waves grows more prominent.

You nodded, taking a deep breath as you make your way to the end of the pier, sitting down at the end of it with your legs hanging over the edge above the water. A few minutes passed before a merman with a long silver beard and a gleaming trident in one hand rose from the waves.

"You must be (M/N)." He stared at you for a long moment with wise sea-blue eyes before a warm smile took over his features. "Welcome to the family, my boy."

Ben smiled as he watched you slip into the water alongside King Triton, knowing that while your family on the Isle hadn't been good for you, your uncle was overjoyed to be meeting you for the first time.

[rynhaswritersblock]

locked out | p.p.

a/n: LARGELY INSPIRED BY "KEYS" BY @holland-ish​ !!!! her imagines are super cute so go check them out haha

summary: y/n can't remember to grab her keys, peter misses the old days with you, and may baked extra cookies

warnings: i'm mad at myself for writing this bc i want this really bad. also cussing. wouldn't be an imagine of mine without some COLOR!

+ + +

"shit," you mutter, flicking a strand of hair out of your face as you dig through your backpack, looking like a maniac as you rummage around your bag outside your apartment. you lose your temper and upturn the bag, its contents flying out and decorating the wooden floor of the hallway.

no keys.

a groan falls from your lips and you shove everything back into your bag with little care about organization, standing up and huffing as you stare at the door. the sound of the lock jiggling doesn't give as you harass the knob, cursing yourself for forgetting your keys the one time your parents went on an anniversary vacation.

you run through all your options: fire escape? no, your window was locked anyways. key under the mat? not with your superstitious father. the parkers?

you lean your head against the door as you stare at the one across the hallway, cute woven welcome mat you knew for a fact that may had created herself.

the parkers had lived in hallway 300 of queenswood apartment complex as long as your family had. you and peter grew up together, never necessarily best friends, but close enough to wrestle for fun and go off into your own world every time there'd be an "adult gathering." close enough to spark little hints of love between the two of you, the first crush that you never forget. aunt may was practically your second mom. nonetheless, as the story goes with all neighborhood kids, the two of you began to drift as you entered middle school, each becoming busier and more involved with extracurriculars.

it didn't mean you were completely distant, though. you were there when peter had just gotten his powers. literally- that trip to the museum was odd, to say the least. and you were the one hugging him along with may after his uncle ben had died, the shoulder to cry on that made him feel so weak yet so loved at the same time.

as high school came, so did less free time, but still the string between the two of you was never split. sometimes you'd leave for school at the same time and walk together, feeling a slightly awkward yet comfortable air between the two of you as you were jostled on the subway. you'd say hi in the hallways or at least give looks of acknowledgement, or share moments from across classes. especially this year, the two of you would go head to head in playful debates about interpretations of to kill a mockingbird. and, of course, may would constantly say hello every time she saw you, as well as tease peter after every said occasion, claiming that "y/n is still single and ready for you to make a move," which always elicited an annoyed and flustered groan from the boy.

you were still y/n and peter was still peter.

sucking in a breath, you take the few steps across the hallway, raising your hand and knocking gently on the door. your eyes widen when you realize you'd subconsciously knocked the pattern you and peter came up with as kids; a signal to each other that the other one wanted to play.

peter perks up. he gets off his bed, sticking his head out the doorway and peering over at the door. may, having also noticed the special knock, gives peter a smug look before walking over and opening the door. the sight of you makes peter quickly vanish from the doorway and run back to his bed in an attempt to act as if he totally didn't get a wave of excitement and curiosity over those few gentle knocks.

"y/n!" may smiles, opening her arms in a welcoming gesture, wrapping her arms around you just as she did every other time. "how are you? what brings you here?"

"hi," you laugh, a hint of anxiety lacing your voice. "i'm good, but i, uh, kinda forgot my keys and my parents don't get back until tomorrow morning."

may's eyebrows raise, her mouth forming an 'o'. she begins nodding.

"that's right- they went on their anniversary vacation!"

you chew on your lip and watch as she turns her head, glancing in the direction of peter's room. peter, laying on his bed and furiously scribbling physics notes, fails at his attempt to not eavesdrop.

"well, you're welcome to stay the night here," may lowers her voice with a grin. "i'm sure peter wouldn't mind having you in his room again."

you gasp slightly, laughing and hoping to god that peter didn't hear it, silently thanking god that he wasn't there to watch the roses bloom on your cheeks.

obviously, the boy's heightened powers deemed your hopes hopeless, his expression unknowingly matching yours as he drops his pencil. his face burns as he realizes that he'd likely be met with your face in a matter of seconds, and he frantically searches the bed for that godforsaken pencil.

"hi."

peter's head flies up, wide eyes meeting your familiar gaze. his face burns.

"hi."

you half-succeed in biting back a smile, slowly walking into the room and fiddling with your fingers. "my, uh, my parents are out of town until morning and i forgot my keys, so i-"

"right or left?"

in those three words, the tension flies away, your face lighting up with nostalgia and warmth. you drop your bag, flopping onto the bed next to peter as he adjusts himself in front of you. giddy smiles grow on your faces as you sit across each other, legs criss-cross.

right or left was a game the two of you came up with amidst one of the get-togethers your parents had when you both were six years old and both totally sucked at truth or dare. if you chose left, whoever lost had to do a dare, and if you chose right, the loser had to tell a truth.

you won most of the time.

"left," you say, letting out a giggle. peter laughs.

you always said left.

peter reaches out, grabbing your left hand with his, the two of you moving your hands back and forth between you.

"one, two, three, four-"

"five, six- hey!" peter whines, jumping up.

"gotcha!" you laugh, standing up and poking at the boy's shoulders. "okay, uh... oh! i got it!"

peter buries his face in his hands, sketchers anxiously tapping against the floor in anticipation.

"you have to go inside and get us both cookies!"

"but aunt may just made them! she hates when i eat them right away," peter complains. he flops his hands on his sides at your expression, arms folded across your chest as you make the most intimidating face your eight year-old self could muster. "fine, but only for you."

you let out a squeal as he playfully tugs your ponytail and runs over to the kitchen, satisfied look on his face as he comes back, mouth and hands stuffed with homemade chocolate chip cookies.

"ready?" peter asks. you nod.

the two of you begin counting, the boy stopping at five as you keep going, mouth falling agape and brows furrowing when you notice he had halted. "no fair!"

"so fair," peter says greedily. "okay. i dare you to go get us both cookies."

a slightly amused gasp leaves your mouth and you remember all the times you'd dare each other to do so; may would make cookies practically every week. "fresh batch?"

"yup! chocolate chip," peter replies cheekily, expectant look painting his face. "i'll be here."

you glare at him playfully before quietly slipping out of the room, trying to act stealthily in order to avoid getting (lovingly) scolded by may.

it was no use.

"i knew it!" the woman whispers. she has the brightest smile on her face as she waves a playful finger at you. "it always happens."

may parker knew more about you and peter than you and peter knew about yourselves. every time the two of you hung out, you'd always play right or left, and one of you would end up sneaking into the kitchen to steal a few cookies. the woman even started baking them more often in anticipation.

you deflate, sighing and giving her a defeated look. "i'm sorry, may-"

"it's nothing, honey. take 'em and tell the kid you didn't get caught," she winks, handing you a few, even stuffing one in your mouth. she smiles as you walk back to peter's room, looking back at her and giving her a nod of thanks.

peter picks at one of his scrap pieces of tech, bright grin tugging at the corners of his lips when he sees you. "get caught?"

you shake your head and shove a handful of the cookies at him. the boy grabs them with an excited face, shoving one into his mouth in its entirety. the look on his face is identical to the one your six year old self had become so smitten over.

+ + +

the hot gooey bite of bread, sauce, and cheese stings as it hits your mouth, a gasp exiting your lips as you pull the slice back.

"hot hot hot hot," you yelp, panting and sticking your tongue out to the cold new york air.

peter laughs at you and shoves at least half of his slice into his mouth while giving you a defiant look.

"they made yours first," you mutter.

it was just the same as it used to be.

when the neighborhood parties got boring, the two of you would sneak up to the roof of the building, giggling as you raced up the creaky fire escape. only a few stars were visible above the plethora of new york lights, but the sight of all the glowing building lights made up for it.

the two of you huddle together, legs swinging off the edge fearlessly and the smell of the pizzas may'd picked up radiating in the air around you.

"i missed this," peter sighs. you rest your head on his shoulder, the smell of him and his cologne making your stomach flutter.

"me too."

+ + +

kinda abrupt ending idk i was really struggling with it but i honestly feel like that's as good as it's gonna get lol

i miss the days when i could pump out imagines like it was NOTHING

i love y'all i hope ur staying safe <3

[purplesurveys]

1001

survey by voicedance16

Name A...

Name yourself:  I said this like, seven surveys ago. To make things different, I share my name with a bird and Rihanna’s first name. 

Name (one of) your best friend(s): Angela. Sister for life.

Name 3 things in your fridge/freezer: We have a loaf of white bread, a near-empty bottle of Japanese mayonnaise, and a tub of liver.

Name a color you're wearing currently: Pink and orange. I ended up going to the virtual Halloween party at work - went as Dora - and it was a blast. I’m SO glad impersonating our characters didn’t turn out to be mandatory; I just sat there and was happy to be there, lmao. 

Name the last thing you ate: A ham sandwich.

Name the last store you went to: Does the vet count? They sell pet food over there, so it’s kind of like a store I guess. I went last weekend because Cooper needed a heartworm test and a couple of shots.

Name the song you're listening to: Nada.

Name the artist of that song: See above.

Name your favorite animal: Dogs! Elephants are a close second.

Name what pets you have, if any: I have two dogs, an aspin and a beagle.

Name the town/state you live in: I won’t give away the city, but I will say Metro Manila is a literal stone’s throw away. I live right at the border.

Name something commonly ordered at Starbucks: Like...in general? I’m not aware of the most common food/drink ordered by other people but if I had to pick a guess, I know frappes are popular among my age group and the age group before us and that java chip is a popular flavor. But if you’re just referring to my usual, I like getting an iced caramel macchiato.

Name the last person you talked to in person: My dad. They gave us a box of Halloween donuts AND cake pops at work today :’) so I just asked my dad if he wanted a donut.

Name the last person you talked to on the phone: Mom. But my last call in general was a Zoom call with the entire company just a few minutes ago for the Halloween party.

Name the current day of the week: Today issss Wednesday.

Name the current month: October.

Name the current time: 6:55 PM.

Name the last movie you watched: I’m Thinking of Ending Things, blech. Need a happier movie to mention.

Name the last book you read: I’ve mentioned it too many times on a lot of recent surveys.

Name a place you've been on vacation: Bali.

Name a place you'd like to go on vacation: I desperately need to go back to Sagada, or at least Tagaytay. I think visitors are already allowed to go to the latter so I’m really eyeing a solo, soul-searching trip soon. As for places I’ve never been to before but would make for interesting vacations, I’d go with Chicago and Marrakesh.

Name 3 things you can see from where you're sitting: I can see an empty mug that used to contain coffee, a box of cake pops, and a purple pen.

Name your favorite musical: Miss Saigon.

Name an animal (any): The first animal that came to mind was dragonfly.

Name a fruit: Avocado, the only bitch in the house that I ever respected.

Name a vegetable: Broccoli, my favorite.

Name a common breakfast food: Where I live, beef tapa.

Name a color: Dandelion.

Name a type of flower: ...Dandelion!

Name a type of tree: Pine. Not that we have any here lol, but it’s the first kind I thought of.

Name a city: Uhh, idk. Let’s go with Seattle.

Name a state: I first thought of Wisconsin because I have a lot of family living there.

Name a country: Let’s go outside of the States and go with Sweden.

Name a continent: Asia.

Name a planet: Mars.

Name a girl's name: Clara. Such a pretty-sounding name.

Name the last person to comment you on Facebook: I haven’t had Facebook in weeks and I genuinely can’t remember from whom I received my last comment before I deactivated.

Name a clothing store/brand: Mango.

Name the last book you got at the library: It’s called History of the Filipino People, written by one of my great-uncles.

Name a restaurant: Max’s, even though their food sucks.

Name a grocery store: SM.

Name an iPhone app: Like, an Apple-exclusive app? I think Keynote is one of them.

Name an actor: Eddie Redmayne! One of my favorites.

Name an actress: Kate Winslet, my biggest crush through and through.

Name a music group: Destiny’s Child.

Name your favorite/lucky number: I don’t have a lucky number, but 4 is my favorite. I don’t have a solid reason for it to be my favorite; it just is.

Name something you've accomplished:  Graduating college from my dream school in my (then-)dream degree/course.

Name something you'd like to accomplish: Travel, and travel a lot.

Name someone who makes you laugh: Andi made me smile and chuckle a bit today, so let’s name them.

Name something exciting coming up soon: Nothing too specific, really. But I’m supposed to be receiving my internship cut any day now and it’s gonna be my first salary ever, so that’s pretty exciting :)

Name a song that makes you emotional: 26 by Paramore.

Name one of your pet peeves: People who call without texting or notifying beforehand. Holy fucking shit. A hiring manager did this exact thing to me yesterday and I rejected her call because she did not text first. I honestly have no regrets, and I wouldn’t have been bitter if she stopped pursuing me then. 

Name someone you know who is an amazing singer: Hannah, without a doubt.

Name someone who is the same religion as you: JM.

Name a holiday you celebrate: Christmas. I can hardly believe another one is coming up soon.

Name the last 4 digits of your phone number: Uh, no thanks.

Name one of your cousins: Sam.

Name a book you loved when you were younger: I used to really love the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage and I reread the first book, Magyk, more times than I could ever count.

Name a song you loved when you were younger: Big Girls Don’t Cry - Fergie.

Name your favorite movie: Two for the Road.

Name a popular book series: The Hunger Games, even though I never actually read it.

Name a musical instrument: A song played on a solo saxophone...

Name a language: German.

Name what other tabs you have open: On this window, just Bzoink. I just closed a YouTube tab.

Name 3 things on the walls of the room you're in: Audrey Hepburn wall decors, a painting that I’m trying to cover up with post-its to turn it into something positive, and uhhh my aircon is mounted to the wall if that counts lol

Name your house number: I’m not sharing that.

Name your high school: It’s an all-girls Catholic school in my city. I’ve shared the name before but I don’t feel like doing so tonight.

Name your college, if applicable: My college was in mass communication, but I went to university in UP.

Name your middle school: See high school.

name your elementary school Again, see high school.

Name the college you wish you went to/hope to go to: UP.

Name your favorite teacher: My music teacher throughout high school. I don’t like her subject, but I love her.

Name the color of your backpack: I haven’t had to use a backpack in a while but my main one is pink.

Name a dessert: Creme brulee. I don’t memorize which letters have those accent marks and I don’t feel like looking that up right now.

Name a famous landmark: Because I can clearly read the next question, the Statue of Liberty.

Name a place you might go in NYC: I’d go straight to my uncle’s so that he can show me the good spots. He has a lot of cool friends who run their own bars/restaurants in the city so if anyone knows how to have a good time in NYC without having to go to all the big tourist places, it’s him. GOD I can’t wait to go to New York.

Name an inventor: Hedy Lamarr.

Name an article of clothing: Scarves.

Name an ice cream flavor: Mint chocolate chip, yum.

Name a religion: Buddhism.

Name an emotion: Resentment. 

Name a room in your house: My bedroom, because that’s where I’m staying in at the moment.

Name a website: Wikipedia.

Name a car: This is pretty vague. A kind of car? Hatchback. Are you looking for a make? Toyota. Or maybe a specific model? Honda Civic. I gotchu.

Name something you need to do today: SLEEP. I should not be awake at 11 PM.

Name someone you admire: Andi.

Name someone you miss: At the moment, nobody.

Name a part of the body: Elbow.

Name the last youtube video you watched: I bawled my eyes out to a video playing the audio to Ben&Ben’s Kathang Isip because that song makes so much goddamn sense and is relatable now. Can’t I just go back to a simpler time when that song was just fun to listen to and wasn’t actually relevant to my life? I hate music sometimes.

Name a quote you love: I don’t have one.

[praphit]

SM3: Nice Jerks are the Worst

I don't know about y'all, but I had big plans for 2020. Now, maybe those big plans will still happen, Idk. But, this was supposed to be our year! - that's what people say, right?? This was the year that you were going to go on that vacation. You were going to drop that dead beat spouse, leave that spouse with the kids, and run off to Mexico, right??!. You were going to start that business. Gain that weight. Come out of the closet. Finally tat that left butt cheek. You were going to stop doing hardcore drugs. Maybe this was going to be your year to start doing hardcore drugs. I'm not here to judge, only to ramble. 

But, 2020 quickly turned to shit. Now, we're all looking for someone to blame. Someone has to pay for our horrible haircuts or hairiness, our newfound hatred for our families, and for plenty of much more serious stuff.

I, personally, like to turn to movies for lessons about life. And I think I have the perfect movie to help us figure out who to blame - you guessed it "Spider-Man 3"

This first attempt at a motion picture SM was doing so well. We loved Spidey (though some didn't care for Tobey Maguire, playing him). 

Spidey and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) are adorable. Then, this thing showed up and everything turned to shit (not unlike Covid-19).

Let's look into what went wrong, and who is to blame.

First, let me say that I really liked the action in this movie. There are three villains in this movie: Venom (played by Topher Grace), that thing you see above. 

Green Goblin (played by James Franco), who is... a green goblin. 

And Sandman (played by Tommy Church), who has a body  that is now kinda made of sand - which seems silly if you pick it a part... though so does a man with the powers of a spider.

There was lots of action, and it was all shot well. There is one action scene where there is NO ONE around... I mean NO ONE. It's frickin NY. Peter Parker (not dressed as Spider-Man) and Green Goblin are causing all kinds of damage and making a lot of noise, and not ONE new yorker has anything to say about it? Unless you're a healthcare worker, I bet new yorkers are still cursing at each other from their homes. This was glaring, but Imma let it slide, cuz the action was good.

That's about all of the good I have to report:)

Quick plot recap:

1) MJ and Petey are on the rocks 2) James Franco is an asshole, trying to destroy Peter for killing his father (which he didn't) 3) Venom is trying to kill Spidey (what else is new??) 4) Venom, at one point, infects Peter Parker, to become "Black Spidey" - this, of course, is also when the people of the city started to hate him.

5) Oh, and Peter, mm! He's the worst. I've got something for him later.

There are two major reasons why people talk shit about this movie.

1st - Casting/Characters

Nobody is likeable in this movie

From the very first scene, MJ is singing to us, annnnd it's sooooo boring. I don't think it was supposed to be. Someone in the audience should have been booing. We can’t just allow entertainers to get comfortable, thinking that they can do whatever the hell that they want! - that’s how you end up with stuff like this 

 It was like, if Snow White were to perform a number for a large crowd.

Just Snow White - I ain't talking about no cute animals around or the suspense of menacing dwarves that might turn on Snow White at any moment. Not even a prince who might be gay (that’s the word on the streets). Just a long movie filled with songs from Snow White; that's what we're talking about. First, MJ bores me, then she's pathetically whining throughout the whole movie.

Sandman is cool (despite his love for striped shirts), but we don't really get to know him. 

Side note: He gets his powers by accidentally getting trapped in a science experiment. The scientists, btw, ( And Lord knows what they were up to) knew that something could have been trapped in there, assumed it was a bird, and kept on going. See, this is why certain people don't trust y'all.

James Franco is James Franco (an asshole). Not worth a pic.

Venom doesn't really have a personality (and his host... well, he ain't no Tom Hardy)

PLUS, Peter Parker is a dick (again, we'll get to that later).

The most likeable person in this film is JJ Jameson, and we're not really supposed to like him.

A person with that look shouldn’t be your most likeable character.

Look at this stage - 

Who is likeable up here? Fauci, maybe? But, betting by the amount of times that he puts his hands to his face, 

- there are things he's not allowing himself to say, so though perhaps likeable, if we can fully trust him. And as far as Trump...  Even Trump supporters can't HONESTLY say that they LIKE the man (I mean, if he weren't the prez, would you honestly want him around? - your family?). They certainly can't say that they trust him - though I guess the amount of people looking into ingesting cleaning products after Trump mentioned something along those lines, would beg to differ.

This is the group we're looking to for direction?!

And this is also a problem in the movie. I have to be able to like SOMEBODY! 

I need to be able to trust someone to stop the cheesy-written shit storm that is this movie.

"Cheesy Shit Storm" - how bout that for a visual? :)

2nd - dance numbers!

I actually didn't mind the first one, when Peter is dancing through the streets.

Ha! Wow, he is going for it. Come get it while it’ s hot, ladies!

It's odd, but it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be funny, and it kinda is. You ever dance a lil bit while you're out at a store? I know I do; especially now that we're wearing pandemic masks - no one knows who I am. NBD to dance a bit in public, but if you keep going passed a certain point, it just becomes annoying.

That's why the second dance number is bad. Plus, it doesn't make any sense.

At this point MJ and Peter have broken up. She's singing in a bar, and Peter interrupts her song with a dance number (while using his new girlfriend to poke at MJ). Now, While MJ’s songs of boredom deserve interruption, she didn’t deserve that.

Venom is like a drug. Venom brings out the worst in a person. You're telling me that Peter Parker, with all of the rage built up from Uncle Ben and villains and his life not being all that great; the best or I should say "the worst" that he can do is Jazz hands? With all of his superpowers, he should be out there slaughtering everyone in sight. I mean, he did slap the shit out of MJ though (by "accident"). That's when he snapped out of the evil dance number. I don't know what kind of message that sends. 

"MJ, it wasn't until I slapped the holy hell out of you that I realized the error of my ways, so... thank you? I'm just going to go on about my day now."

I see this misguided scene as a metaphor. Peter Parker is dancing around his issues:

His relationship with MJ has been bad. He's on that stuff (Venom). And honestly, MJ knows that he's Spider-Man. Why couldn't he have just explained to her what was happening? 

"Sorry, baby. I got possessed by an alien again, you know how it is."

And he was dealing with the fact that the person who killed his uncle is on the loose. Another side note: MJ, even though they had just broken up, still cares for Peter while he's dealing with the news about Uncle Ben's killer. That's a damned good friend right there! - especially the way Peter had been acting towards her.

We've got to deal with stuff, people! We can't just get bad haircuts, wear weird clothes, and do drugs! Eventually, that will lead us to slapping the shit out of someone that we love. There are a lot of realities that we're prob not facing at the moment (and some we prob have no intentions of ever facing). A lot of things that we could have done to prevent certain things from escalating, but... we were busy doing our typical dance.

Peter was warned about Venom and did nothing about it. He told himself, "I got this", and clearly he didn't. Honestly, the whole city was screwing up by not helping Spider-Man at all. At the end, when the big fight is happening, and MJ is near death, everybody is just watching all of this go down. Where were the cops?! The S.W.A.T?! Other superheroes? New Yorkers themselves! - they're bold! But, to be fair, Venom came from outer space, so... it was a bit unprecedented; people were prob scared. I'll cut them and Spidey some slack.

You know who I won't cut any slack - Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker!

Peter Parker is a jerk. I'm thinking that Tobey's Peter Parker has always been a jerk; a nice jerk, but a jerk. Have you ever met a nice jerk? They do all of the things that a regualr jerk does, but they'll rationalize their behavior, and look puzzled when you react to their awfulness. I didn't notice this in the 1st movie, cuz I was just happy to get Spider-Man. I didn't notice in the 2nd movie, cuz those kids were just too darn cute. But, his niceness was so annoying in this movie. And he treated MJ horribly : He never listens to her, he’s always late, he only talks about himself, he’s too damned nice, he never knows when they’re in a fight, he kisses other women right in front of her and then is like “What did I do?”

I kept wanting her to punch Peter out; he would have deserved it.

The foundation of the character of the 1st Spider-Man was a problem from the start! If the foundation is shaky, then - whew! I'm glad that we finally fixed it:)

Plus, he never said he was sorry. He did one of those "Well, I'm not perfect." things. She ain't asking for perfection, just quit being a jerk!

A better movie would have been if MJ had been infected by Venom. For starters, she would have given a better performance, in the beginning. Something more like this - 

She would have banged Peter's friends. She would have destroyed her critics. And most importantly, she wouldn't have taken any shit from Peter. That could have been the main plot. Instead of a convultued blend of three villains around the nice jerkiness of Peter, it would have been Spider-Man vs MJ - beatening each other up all throughout the city; though I guess that would be considered domestic violence. But, why dance around real issues out there! 

It could have been a family-friendly movie about drug abuse (Venom) and domestic violence... and possibly some make-up sex in the middle of the city. But, after that, one of them, if not both, are going to jail! We gotta deal with the problems, people!

Grade: an entertaining D+ 

I did enjoy it. It wasn't as bad as I remember it, and I'd prob watch it again. But, I can't deny that on a technical level, it's crap.

"Who’s to blame?" isn't really the question. It's more "Who deserves what percentage of the blame?" There's a lot of blame to go around here... even to us who enabled Peter's jerkiness in the first two movies.

I like the direction that we're going in now. 

A better Spidey A better MJ Better villains

And even a better Aunt May 

- looking all good with Tony Stark.

- imagine Tony aggressively flirting with the older one

[sergeanttpoliteness]

idk if you’re taking requests or anything, if you aren’t ignore this, but if you are I would die for a classic, upside down spider-man kiss with the loml spider-noir. poor guy would probably be very surprised at first but suddenly its his favorite thing to do. thanks I love you and your work!!

AND➝ mayhaps…. a first kiss with noir? if u have time! 

sorry for answering so late nonnies! i feel so bad about that, i promise i wasn’t ignoring y’all. same goes to the few other requests i have in my inbox right now! 

——-

➹ inconvenient feelings➹ (spider-noir x reader)

word count: 2.5k

a/n: can you tell i had no idea what to call this lol. i didn’t edit either bc… oof. i’ve been struggling a lot with writer’s block (nothing new, honestly lmaoo) lately and someone close to me recently passed away and i haven’t quite… been able to wrap my head around it?? i don’t know, not to be a little bitch but this week consisted of a lot of school stuff, emotions, and anxiety so thanks @ the people who requested this bc i needed to write some wholesome stuff. also thx at my bestie for helping me out w ideas, ily broz. anyway, there’s some minimum ripeter x reader although it’s solely platonic! hope you all have a lovely week (:

taglist: @marvelousmorales

It’s not convenient. Convenient was that one person with the pretty smile whose eyes seemed to possess an affinity to him that one time at a jazz club, or the singer with the honey voice and smooth runs more soothing than the late night singing of a mother to her child. A poor goon who smooched his fist whilst it collided with his face could even fit the designation, really— but what mattered, the simple component they shared, was that all three were just a speck in a sea with no end; an eternal blue void with only more possibilities hiding in the pitch-black depths neither he nor the light’s fingertips could touch. They were safe. Uncomplicated.

Peter stared out the window, at a completely distinct world, far from a city in a vintage film: the ongoing the mechanical song of speeding cars, the newer and taller lit up buildings, the blinking golden lights, identical to a field of a thousand miniscule suns. This was not convenient. It’s… so different— like day and night, water and fire. This meant to swim out of the ocean he belonged to and reach for a foreign land, to run after a mere drop of water when a whole fucking body existed behind him. It’s not safe. It’s complicated.

Your sleepy eyes roamed the same page for the fifth time with no precise purpose, more disoriented than a newcomer in a large city until they traveled and spotted their true destination: Peter’s own sight deeply engulfed in the view outside, the twisting of his brows every now and then filling your mind with wonder and curiosity at what could possibly be running through that brain of his. You could’ve continued with the ogling like the damn creep you were (seriously, you gotta stop it with that, you told yourself), but you slipped and made a mistake— the most laughably absurd misstep— worse than trying to take a picture of a stranger and then, to your utmost terror, the flash going off— which wouldn’t have occurred in the first place if you’d paid your electricity bills on time. Your apartment wouldn’t have been plunged into darkness, and you wouldn’t have, without thinking, your head clearly not in its right place at the moment, slightly tilted your phone and directed your phone’s flashlight right at the side of his face. You quickly pulled the beam of light away, as if that would work; however, his gaze drifted to you. “Sorry.” You blurted out, acting casual and pretending to focus on the journal on your lap. “You were so quiet, I thought you had fallen asleep.” You lied.

“No, I’m awake.” He said, furrowing his brows to himself— of course you already knew that. You mumbled a small ‘good’, holding the notebook close to your face, like a child staring through the window of a pet shop at some puppies, shining the ‘smartphone’, he’d learned, over the pages. You bit your lip, your shoulders shaking with your surfacing laughter.

“Oh, man, this one’s so dumb.” You snickered before running your finger up the paper, clearing your throat. “October 8th, 1999. Today I came back from my camping trip with Peter, Ben, and May. We ate a lot of s'mores— Uncle Ben makes the best! We also told some scary ghost stories, and I even made Pete scream. It was awesome. You will not believe what happened!” You read the last sentence with a dramatic tone, similar to that of a terrible news headline from a sketchy website, making yourself more comfortable on the L shaped bench seat and leaning into Peter’s side.

Peter tensed at first, but slowly, he pushed himself to relax after you rested your head on his shoulder, a quiet voice in the back of his head speaking against his desires, echoing the terrifying thought that he could get used to this. “I don’t know, enlighten me: what happened?” He asked, amused. You lifted your finger, eyebrows raising gradually, building up the suspense. He waited, and waited, and waited, until, finally—

“I have to go eat dinner. I’ll tell you later.” You finished with an unhumorous voice and a poker face. Yet again, he awaited in silence, interested. Man, you took this suspense thing quite seriously— wait.

“And?”

“That’s it.”

“That’s it?!” He looked down at you and you nodded. “Oh, c'mon! You just gonna leave the reader hanging like that?”

You shrugged, wearing a shit-eating grin, loving his genuine disappointment as you flicked the page. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is.”

“Oh, what malarkey!” He laughed softly. You crinkled your nose— malarkey. What a dork.

You resumed scanning the barely discernible handwriting, the corner of your mouth tugging upwards. “Alright, this one does have an ending.” You sat up, rolling your shoulders back only to go back to your position of hunching over the journal. “April 3rd, 2000. I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long, I forgot I had this journal. Something crazy happened.”

“The end.”

“Shut up.” You shushed him, shaking your head. “'I hung out with Peter today. We rode our bikes, had a race down the hill near my house, and I also got a butterfly to land on my finger. Man, I love insects!’ …and I still do.” You smiled and he glanced down at you, his mouth twitching. A peculiar glow in his chest grew, fueled him after he recognized that you felt comfortable enough to share this part of you with him; an insight on the stories that carved you into the person that you were today, the being that made every classy, pearly white grin and musical prodigy so boring, so undesirable.

You shuffled on your bum to turn and face Peter, continuing, “We came back home to play some more. We were sitting in front of the TV when, suddenly, he said my name, and like a normal person would, I looked at him…” You inclined forward, voice quieting, looking up at him.

“You won’t believe what happened.”

His eyes darted heavenward and he groaned. “Oh, lord.”

“He kissed me!” You cried out, with as much emotion that past you spilled onto the paper with the five exclamation marks and the three times you underlined the sentence. You slammed the notebook shut and let out a strangled clamor. “I still remember it very clearly. It was just a peck, but he fucking… smashed his mouth into mine, it hurt so much and my lip started bleeding and everything.” You giggled, abashed, rubbing your eyes.

Peter’s brows rose with surprise, pondering how an alternate seven-year-old version of him from another universe had more balls than him. He had to admit, though, the scene playing in his head was more entertaining than unfortunate. “And what’d you do?” He questioned, his mouth twitching.

“He was just curious and wanted to see what kissing someone was like, so we promised we wouldn’t talk about it ever again. He was so embarrassed, though, and felt so bad for making me bleed that he almost started crying.” You recalled, chuckling as you eyed the cursed diary one last time and placed it beside you. “What an idiot. I miss him.” You sighed, peering up at him, grinning. “What was your first kiss like, huh?”

It was comical, almost, the raging blush that trickled his face, the greyish tint screaming for the world’s attention. It was just a Peter Parker thing, you guessed: blushing like there was no tomorrow. “Uh, my first kiss?” You nodded. “Well… it happened when I was eighteen.”

You put the side of your head against the wall, eyes going round, your inquisitiveness close to that of a kid listening to a grandparent’s story. “Was it romantic?” You wanted to know everything: who the person was, the place, the context. Did he enjoy it? Did he make the move? And if so, then was there a chance that, maybe…

Unlike you, he did not have much interest in the subject; he stuttered, searching for a way to move on from the memory before he imploded. “I don’t, I don’t think anyone’s first kiss is romantic.”

You squinted at him, noticing his obvious attempt at dodging the question, but chose to spare him. Just for a few milliseconds, though. “Have you ever had… a perfect kiss?” You said, unsure of how to word such a silly question. He shook his head and you hummed, silently taking in a quick breath, your gaze moving to your right. “Have you thought about what you want it to be like?”

Should he say it? He wanted to. He really did. But he couldn’t, even if his eyes almost flickered down to your lips. “Who thinks about that?” He muttered. Perhaps he had. Perhaps he’d been guilty of having the thought slither into his mind once or twice— possibly more than just that. Perhaps it’d pestered his mind as of recent, like that damn small scratch on his glasses that won’t go away no matter how many times he tried to wipe it away as if that would even help. Perhaps it returned as you unconsciously licked your lips and raised your shoulder, a bashful grin growing on your face.

“I have, when I’m bored. An upside down kiss with a cute guy.” You admitted, your eyes narrowing afterward, only just now realizing how bizarre the idea was once you said it aloud. Your impatience throbbed in your head so badly you didn’t mind the embarrassment as much, though. You really were doing this, huh? “I think I found the cute guy.” You hinted, your heartbeat pounding in your throat.

He understood the insinuation, of course he did. But what better way to run from your feelings than close his trembling hand into a fist, pretend to be clueless, and act like an idiot?

“Who’s the lucky fella?”

Didn’t think he was so stupid, you grumbled in your head, masking your faint irritation. You pressed your lips together, sight on your cushions. “Someone I like quite a lot.” You vaguely said, voice distant. “Though I don’t think you’d understand— you’re not one to fall in love, no?”

It was half a joke but half a real question, one with solely one right answer you yearned to hear from him if you got lucky enough. Peter blinked nervously, fear burning in his stomach, clenching his insides as his tongue dared to break free from his control, from his cowardly spell. “Lately I’ve had someone in mind.” He breathed out, close to breaking out in a sweat. He watched how your eyes dimly lit up, hesitance impeding the light from fully glowing.

“Really? And who is this ‘someone’?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Tell me.”

“Not now.” He gulped. You pouted, begging with your eyes. “N-no.”

“Are you ever gonna make a move?”

Peter drew his lower lip between his teeth, feeling dizzy just by thinking about it; the downfall of the relationship once the distance became too much, once the malaise with no cure finally rotted the adoration, infested the heart, decayed it. “No.” Same answer. Same bedeviled word that boomed in his head whenever his emotions were close to getting the best of him.

“Why haven’t you done it yet?” You whispered, not caring anymore about how obvious you were

being. He frowned. Why hadn’t he done it yet?

“I don’t know if I should.”

“Why not?”

Why not? His own thoughts repeated, betraying him. The confusion unlatched the cage, released all the questions and doubts about his reasons and dread. They crowded his brain, rang in his ears. “It’s… it’d be too hard to keep the relationship alive.” He retold more to himself and the storm of interrogations than you.

Your brows snapped together, your own fear knocking on the door again. “Is it not worth it to try, though?” It’s what you’d told yourself: the antidote to unfreeze your limbs and wave goodbye at the concern hanging in there, because… was it not?

In the overwhelming haziness, he finally looked at you. It’s what he needed to come upon a realization, a truth he knew all along but crumbled and threw away. Everything hushed, one single, final phrase in the quiet of it all.

Convenient wasn’t what he wanted.

“It is.” He said under his breath.

You heard him, and your eyes twinkled. “Well, then make the move.”

He couldn’t help it anymore. His eyes found your lips.

“I will.”

You stared at each other for a moment, anticipation never more warming than right then as it fluttered in your chest. To your biggest disappointment, he broke eye contact and stood up. “Close your eyes for a moment.” He ordered, his face indistinguishable in the dark now that he was further away.

“Creepy, but okay.” You huffed, your eyelids fluttering shut. “You better not be running away right now, you’d break my poor ol’ heart.”

“Don’t worry, that’s not the case.” You heard him say. You trusted him, which could’ve been a terrible choice. The total silence that followed didn’t put you to ease at all, honestly. Maybe you annoyed him so much with your questions that he was about to murder you, and if that’s what was happening, you were quite sad, to say the least.

Your eyelids were itching to open and you lifted a brow, straining your ears to distinguish any sign of his presence. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’re not gonna believe what’s about to happen.”

You snorted at his reference, but his voice was… oddly close. You opened your eyes, and— “Oh, fuck!” You yelped and jumped back in your seat. Damn right you weren’t gonna believe what was about to happen, for Peter dangled from the ceiling right in front of you, upside down.

“Is it too much of a strange idea? I was going to simply stick to the ceiling upside down, but then I thought… that’d be… worse.” He clumsily explained. You looked up at the web he hung from, laughing in disbelief.

“What the hell are you doing?” You repeated, but you weren’t mad— your large smile backed that up. You couldn’t figure out if it was a blush creeping up his face or if it was from the fact that he was upside down. Both, maybe.

“I’m making a move.”

You giggled, glad you confessed what you considered to be a perfect type of kiss to him or else you wouldn’t had witnessed how absolutely ridiculous he looked right now. “So you’re willing to help me check 'kissing someone upside down’ off my bucket list?” You smirked.

He grinned. “It would be my pleasure.”

You bit your lip, placing both hands on his head. “Alright, then.“ 

You leaned forward, the tip of your nose brushing against his chin. You softly kissed the area below his bottom lip to tease him, but he didn’t want to wait any longer. Not after so long. Quickly, he enclosed your own bottom lip with his mouth, lastly fully aware that inconvenient truly was magnificent.

[petersmparker]

The River Café (Peter Parker x Reader)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader, Flash Thompson x Reader (as a Plot Device™️ (that I ended up being lowkey attached to?? hit me up flash))

Summary: You’ve decided that you’re going to go out and have a nice time, insistent feelings for your best friend Peter Parker or otherwise.

Word Count: 3757

Warnings: a spicey hint of sailor’s mouth

A/N: I started this two days ago and nearly shitcanned it but now I’m like... kinda in love with it?? I hope y’all like it, I know sticking Flash up in there is unusual but honestly I dig how it came together and I hope everyone’s willing to give it a shot 💙❤️ and also believe me when I say that Flash’s name is legitimately Eugene I fucking swear it (side note: consider this part of my congratulations to @moonstruckholland for one year on her blog!! I hope you enjoy this girl idk what your fic prefs are)

"Let's go on a date friday night."

-

Your group of friends has grown together over the past few years. Leaps and bounds past what you ever might have expected, even. It’s something that you still find yourself reassessing sometimes; occasionally getting caught off guard by something that’s actually pretty natural by now. You can’t help but be pleasantly surprised, though, when you catch yourself thinking back to what it was while witnessing what it is.

Sophomore year of highschool was a ton of awkwardness wrapped up in a silly belief that everyone had already become the person they were meant to be. Senior year, you find it much more appealing to declare just how much no one knows that they’re doing.

The one constant for you in all this time has been Peter. Peter, ever-changing, ever-moving, ever-working, has not remained static in his existence. He has, however, stayed unwaveringly connected to you. For him, you do the same.

You’re there when Uncle Ben dies, sitting in the stairwell of the funeral home when Peter can’t handle another person passing on their condolences. It’s you who makes Peter do his homework and study for his tests when he determines that he doesn’t need school anymore. Your eyes follow him as he sprints from the gymnasium on the night of homecoming, and again later when he decides to sneak off the bus to investigate the space ship descending upon New York. When you wake up on the other side of the Blip, it’s you who runs to Peter’s apartment to find him mourning the loss of his mentor.

“Don’t you get tired?” Peter asked once in junior year, as you wiped blood from his side with a wet wash cloth, fuming over the newest live report of J Jonah Jameson, “You don’t wish you didn’t have to deal with all of this?”

“Never,” you had responded, “I. . . I love you, Pete.”

Peter had given you a small, weak smile and returned to digging through the first aid kit, seemingly untouched by your admission. It’s not difficult to assume that he had interpreted it friendly in nature, and you figure that that’s proof enough of his nonexistent feelings for you.

That's why, a year later-- assured in the belief that Peter views you only as a friend and comfortable enough in the fact that you’re still figuring this whole life thing out-- you decide to accept the offer of one Flash Thompson for a date.

What’s the harm, you figure. It seems casual enough, and Flash had mellowed out over the years. He's no longer quite so quick to tease others or flaunt his wealth, and had become a relatively decent friend of yours. Worst case scenario, it’s awkward, you get a free meal, and the both of you continue on to pretend it didn’t happen. Best case. . .

Maybe you move on from Peter.

-

Peter shows up unannounced at your door late Friday afternoon with a backpack full of schoolwork and snacks. It's not unusual of him at all, and yet when you hurry to answer the door, the sight of him catches you by surprise.

His gaze flicks upward to your wet hair, twisted into a towel, and then down to your hands, which you're holding out cautiously to avoid ruining a fresh coat of black polish. The confusion on his face is amused in nature. You're not normally one to paint your nails unless there's an event going on.

"Uh, hi, Peter," you say, trying not to sound unwelcoming.

This is such bad timing.

"Hey," he greets, hand wrapping around the strap of his backpack, "What's up? I was thinking we could do homework for an hour and then give up to watch movies instead."

You hadn't told Peter about the date. Telling him, you feared, would feel like you were asking for him to disapprove. To ask you not to go. It wasn't a disappointment you were willing to inflict upon yourself. Not when you were feeling a bit of hope for the outcome of the date. You wanted to be enthusiastic; wanted to enjoy the company of a friend and see if something could come out of it that was more than hopeless pining.

"I kind of have plans," you admit, unable to meet his eye.

Confusion colors his tone now, too. "Oh, really? Well, uh, do you mind if I come in for a little while anyway? Since I'm here. I need a bit of help with the English assignment."

Part of you wants to say no. But you can't look at Peter Parker and turn him away, and so you back up to let him into your apartment. He knows the way to your room by now and leads the way there. Every available surface is littered with items of clothing. He'd seen your room somewhat messy before, but you can tell he isn't expecting it to look like a tornado has been through your closet. You avoid his eyes, embarrassed, when he turns to give you a questioning look.

He throws himself onto your bed, shifting to sit with his back against the headboard, and digs a notebook from his bag. After a moment, he pulls a dress out from under himself and puts it aside.

You find yourself standing awkwardly in the doorway. A glance at the alarm clock on your nightstand tells you that Flash will be picking you up in only forty-five minutes. Peter clearly doesn't intend to leave until he's asked, and you don't have the will to ask. Which means you're going to have to just finish getting ready, anyway, and send him off before Flash arrives.

"What did you need help with?" You ask, going over to the dresser to look into the mirror above it.

You remove the towel from your hair to find that it's mostly dry. Satisfied, you brush it all back, away from your face. You see him looking at you in the mirror, but attempt to ignore it. It's already uncomfortable enough preparing for a date in front of the guy you're in love with. Must he make you feel weird for prettying yourself up a bit, even inadvertently?

What did I do to deserve this? you wonder, and apply a hint of peach eyeshadow with the tip of your finger.

He looks back to the notebook. You pretend not to notice that, either.

"The argumentative essay," he says finally, with a sigh, "Mr. Sharpton said my thesis needs work."

"Sharpton tends to be a picky little bitch. Read it to me," you instruct, dabbing glitter onto your eyelids and across your freckles.

He does. It's not the worst thesis statement. The intention is clear. Peter's always been better with math and science, but he's never been hopeless with English, either. "Well, you've got all three prongs already," you start, before pausing to apply a healthy amount of clear gloss, "They're just not parallel. It sounds awkward. For what you're trying to say, you could probably just reorganize the sentence, but structure it around the phrase, 'Through the author's use of. . . '" you wave your hand, indicating his points, "'. . .blah blah blah is represented.'"

Peter hums in understanding, followed by the scratching of pen against paper. You take the time to apply mascara and go about picking through the clothes strewn around the room to reassess what to wear. Kneeling on the floor, you throw various clothes back toward the open closet door.

Too casual, too dressy, too casual, too casual, that's stained, ew.

Your cell phone beeps on the bedside table. The sound of pen on paper ceases. Before you can say anything, Peter, who've never minded reading your texts, picks it up out of habit. He reads the message out to you.

"Um. Flash says to wear something fancy?" He says, sounding disconcerted.

The sick feeling in your stomach is immediate.

"Uhh. Thanks."

You pull the black dress that you'd deemed too dressy back out of the closet, hoping to appear more casual and less about-to-vomit. Thirty minutes left. Not even that much. Just twenty minutes and you could have sent Peter home none the wiser and had an extra ten to hype yourself up for this date, but now you're confronted with the fact that Peter knows. He knows and you're going to have to hear about it.

"You're going out with Flash?" He asks as you attempt to quell your nerves by focusing very hard on removing the couple of cat hairs that stick to the velvet material of the dress.

"Yeah."

"Like, on a date?"

"Yeah."

You risk a glance at Peter. His expression is unreadable. The sight of it makes your stomach twist. To escape it, you step into the closet and close the door under the guise of changing clothes.

"How did that happen?" Peter calls through the door.

You wince. There's something in his tone like disappointment, and you realize that you never considered the possibility that he might judge you for your willingness to go on a date with Flash. Sure, they were something like friends nowadays, but maybe that didn't mean Peter actually genuinely liked the guy. The prospect of having just lost Peter's respect is like a needle to the heart.

"He- He asked me out after decathlon the other day. I thought it might be fun."

"That's. . . interesting," Peter says, tone still off in some way.

The feeling that spreads through you is gross. There's a bitter taste in your mouth. You hate it. This was supposed to be something simple, something nice you could enjoy for yourself. You don't want Peter to ruin it for you, whether or not that's his intention.

You tug on the dress hurriedly and exit the closet, doing your best to maintain some sort of neutrality in your expression. "Flash is my friend. He said he that he kinda likes me and it seemed like it would be nice to go out with him," you say, "Whats wrong with that, Peter?"

Peter looks like he's been accused. Your tone wasn't as calm as intended, so it's no surprise.

"Nothing!" He responds, throwing his hands up in a placating gesture, "It's just- it's weird, isn't it?"

It feels like the air has been sucked out of your room. Your ears ring. In the back of your head, you know-- you know he only means it's weird because it's Flash you're about to go out with. But you're being faced with a conversation you didn't want, forced to acknowledge that you were never going to just find a person who makes you laugh and be able to just get the hell over Peter, and what comes out reflects the hurt feelings that are eating at you in the moment.

"Weird?" You demand, "Is it really so goddamn weird that someone could have feelings for me, Peter? Just because you don't-!"

Anger and hurt clouds your brain and you lose your train of thought entirely, breaking off in an involuntary scoff. You snatch your shoes off the floor and your apartment keys off the dresser. It isn't until you've stalked over to the nightstand to grab your phone that you continue.

"I'm leaving. I'm going on that date with Flash and I'm going to enjoy myself. Lock the door on your way out."

Peter's still on the bed, unmoved. He looks more startled than he's ever been by something you've said, and then even more so when you toss the apartment keys in his direction.

When you storm out of your own home, shoes still clutched in your hand, you try desperately to wipe from your mind the image of the shocked look on your best friend's face.

-

The date is nice.

Like, actually, genuinely nice.

Flash happens to arrive at your building just in time to find you gazing hard into the glass of the lobby. You're swiping frustratedly at the mascara that has run with the few angry tears you couldn't prevent. You manage to play the makeup off as no big deal, but his eyes drift immediately to your bare feet and the shoes clutched in your left hand. There's no good explanation for being shoeless on a New York City street.

"Do I want to ask?" He questions, looking kinda grossed out and at least moderately concerned.

"Please don't," you answer.

He opens the car door for you like you haven't already ruined your chances of impressing him, and you can't help but marvel at how different he is from the Flash of two years ago, who would most definitely have gotten back in his car and sped off.

The drive is long and Flash won't tell you what the destination is. You pass the time with chatter, not all that different from what you'd probably be exchanging in study hall. The convertible's roof is down, which makes it difficult not to look up for a hint of red and blue passing by, but Flash stares up openly for his idol when the car is stopped.

You don't think Spider-Man will be out tonight.

After a while, you cross the Brooklyn Bridge. Flash hands the keys over to the valet of the restaurant and helps you out of the car. He makes a joke about how your shoes better be on, but you barely hear.

"Flash, really?"

"What?"

The entrance to the restaurant is beautiful, lit with warm-colored string lights and surrounded by luscious greenery. You recognize the name on the sign, hand-painted in green; your parents had come here for their 25th anniversary a while back.

"This place is really fucking expensive," you say, and suddenly become very aware of the fact that you hadn't brought your wallet.

"I like the side dishes here," he says, like the scalloped potatoes wouldn’t cost a normal person half a fridge of groceries.

"You're nuts."

Flash buttons the top two buttons of his plaid suit jacket and takes your hand. Your stomach flips. From nerves or guilt, you're not sure. It's probably both.

"Do you have a reservation?" Asks the Maître D' when you enter.

You're prepared to have to leave, figuring that a spot at a swanky place like this would need to be reserved months in advance, but Flash pulls out his license to show to the man.

"Yes we do. 6:30, under the name Eugene Thompson."

"This way then, Mr. Thompson."

Your table next to the window overlooks the East River. The dining room has already begun to fill with the dinner rush and the little band in the corner is playing a sweet-sounding song. The menu is astronomically expensive, but Flash urges you to get whatever you want. You settle for the cheapest chicken dish on the menu and take to watching the boats pass beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Flash orders a meat and cheese plate to start, unsurprisingly, and arranges combinations on bread and crackers for you to try.

It's more fun than you ever expected it to be, honestly. You'd been prepared for Flash to be a bit much after having agreed to let him choose the date, but he's just trying to make sure you enjoy yourself. He makes jokes and laughs at your own. Refills your drink from the water flute before you've even noticed you've gotten low. Offers you a taste of his meal. You're distracted, Peter no longer at the forefront of your mind.

With Flash, it's easy.

"I'll be honest, Eugene," you start, teasingly, and giggle at Flash's fake-annoyed attempt to jokingly swat at the side of your head, "This is. . . This is really, really nice. My wig is sufficiently snatched."

He busts out laughing, earning a look from those at nearby tables. After a few moments, he quiets and takes to smiling down at his steak.

His smile softens into something a bit awkward, maybe somewhat unsure, when he says, “Can I ask you something?”

Your heart involuntarily skips a beat. When is that question ever a good sign? “I- uh, yeah. Sure. What’s up?”

“What’s up with you and Parker?”

When you meet Flash’s eye, he doesn’t appear accusatory. He doesn’t even seem upset. More than anything, you’d say he looks confused. You, however, can feel heat rising aggressively to your cheeks.

You feel guilty again.

“Peter? What do you mean?” 

He rolls his eyes good-naturedly in response and sets down his fork. “Oh, come on now. You like him right? Since like, middle school.”

You know you’ve never really actively tried to hide it from anyone, but having it said aloud like that is jarring. It’s embarrassing. You wonder why Flash wants to talk about this, of all things, when your date had actually been going pretty darn well. But you decide to be honest, since fooling him is unrealistic.

“A while, yeah.”

“Then why are you on a date with me right now?” Flash questions.

“You. . . you asked me out?” You answer confusedly.

He passes a hand through his hair a bit agitatedly. You hope he isn’t annoyed with you, but you aren’t sure what he’s expecting you to say.

“I mean,” he clarifies, a laugh escaping his lips, “Why the hell aren’t you dating him? It’s been years already. Did you guys decide that you didn’t want to risk ruining your friendship? What’s up?”

It seems that your brain is exclusively capable of performing the sound of a record scratch on repeat. You have no idea how to respond to anything Flash has just said. None of it makes sense. Peter doesn’t like you. He never has. If Flash has paid enough attention to notice how much you like your best friend, surely he should have noticed that your affection is definitely not returned.

You don't want to think about it. You don't want a spark of hope, only for it to be stomped on. Today's events alone have been proof enough that Peter doesn't like you.

"Why did you ask me out if you knew I like Peter?" You question, staring down at your half-eaten chicken parmesan.

"Why did you agree if you like Peter?"

You can feel him looking at you. When you decide to meet his eye, you're scared to see the hurt that's in them.

It's not there.

"You were hoping to get over him, right?" Flash asks, half a smile on his face, "I was hoping you would, too."

He takes your hand for the first time since you entered the restaurant, and you realize that if anything, he maybe kind of gets it.

“Peter doesn’t have feelings for me,” you manage to say, after several long moments of silence have passed.

“Dude, Parker’s in love with you.”

-

Considering everything, the ride home isn't nearly as awkward as it could have been. 

Flash parks a little ways down the street from your building. He doesn't get up to help you out of the car like he had before. You can't really hold that against him.

"Sorry about all this," you say, guilt still swirling low in your gut, after you've shut the passenger side door.

He side eyes you when he says, "Don't flatter yourself, honey, I'll get over it," and grins, "Go tell Parker that I will actually straight up call my lawyers if he fucks this up now that I've laid all this shit out for him."

With that, he waves his hand once and then pulls away from the curb. 

Thanks Eugene, is the text you send him during the walk home.

He responds with selfie of him flipping off the camera, and things are just about as close to normal between you as you figure they can be, for now. It's with a laugh that you send one back, shoes once again clutched in your flipping-off hand as you knock on the door to your apartment and wait for your parents to let you in.

Peter opens the door.

Your smile freezes in its place and then falls. His gaze averts quickly to the floor, like he's just done something wrong. You aren't sure what to say to him. "You're still here," you settle on pointing out, eventually.

"How'd it go?" He asks, skipping over the part where he explains the fact that he's still in your apartment.

He looks very much like he doesn't want to hear the answer, but also like he's trying to sound enthusiastic for you. Your heart aches. It's been hours since you'd left, and he's been sitting here marinating in the fight. Meanwhile, while you were fine dining with a friend who turned out to be way better of a friend than you'd thought he was.

"We enjoyed ourselves," you admit.

"Oh," he responds, voice a bit shaky, "That's good. I mean- It's great. That's really great. I'm glad. I'm happy for you."

"Hey, Peter?"

"Yeah?"

Your throat wants to close when you look into his eyes, but you press on.

"Are you in love with me?"

". . .Yeah."

Despite the fact that you grasp the front of his shirt in your fist when you lean in to kiss him, it's neither hurried nor forceful. It's a response, and an assurance. You pull back enough to see his eyebrows knitted together in confusion, then kiss him a second time, just a peck.

He leans his forehead against yours, sighing in relief. The tension that he must have been holding in his body releases, and you feel his stance soften with your hand still against his chest.

"I should have told you," he murmurs, reaching up to cup your jaw.

You can't help but crack a smile. "Yeah, Pete. Flash had to tell me. On our date."

"That's so awkward."

You laugh. "You're tellin' me."

He leans away from you when he exclaims, suppressing his laughter, "Hey, you didn't tell me, either!"

"Oh my god, Peter," you gush, "Yes I did! Over a year ago!"

His smile falls like he's just had the air knocked out of him. "You what?"

"Oh my god," you repeat, shaking your head in disbelief, "oh my god." 

Peter falls into a slew of apologies, but you're starting to laugh, and they start to die on his lips just ask quickly as they had begun to form. You pull him forward by his shirt once more and kiss him in the doorway, revelling in the ridiculousness of it all.

"I'm in love with you too," you sigh.

If his delighted smile weren't already enough, the kiss that follows more than makes up for it.

Tag list

@undiadeestos

[slutforstarker]

ahhh i love this so much, i hope it reaches your expectations @well-idontevenknow-anymore !

warnings for mild smut and daddy kink? but not really? idk.

-

peter parker was a simple kid, who knew what he stood for, what he wanted, and how he wanted it. he stood for peace, and love, and independence, and was against bullying and crime and destroying the planet. he wanted a good, happy, healthy life for himself, may, ned, and mj. and he wanted to achieve that by working hard in school and as spider-man. of course, factor in tony stark, and suddenly peter wanted several more things- he wanted to love and be loved by tony; he wanted to be spoiled rotten; he wanted to look hot when he was with his sugar daddy-boyfriend-mentor-crime fighting partner; and he wanted to disappear at school.

all the sudden, peter was being showered in expensive, pink, glittery, revealing clothes- prada, gucci, louboutin heels, chanel purses, and italian brands he couldn’t even begin to pronounce- and living for it. for the way the clothes made him feel, the way he’d draw the attention of everyone when he was out with tony, the way tony’s arm would wrap tightly around his waist as a possessive reminder to everyone of who peter belonged too, the way tony’s eyes would darken as he walked out of his closet, the way may and his friends and tony would dawn over how he looked. he lived for the praise tony would give him, dark mutters of “you look so good for me, baby boy, all decked out in the fancy clothes your daddy bought for you, showing everyone what a good little slut you are for me.” he lived for the way tony would strip him out of his clothes and fuck him, slow and gentle or hard and fast, all the while giving him more and more praise until peter was a whining, panting, flushed mess of tears and cum.

and during the day it was back into dorky, oversized t-shirt’s with science puns on them that made tony smile fondly and kiss him sweetly, with his ratty converse and jeans on as he tried to disappear into midtown high school as just another eighteen year old senior, counting down the days until graduation. and for the most part, it was fine. he went about his day without drawing attention and everything was good. but then there were the days when flash was being a dick, harassing peter about the ratty state of his jeans and shoes and shirts. so he’ll step it up a notch, into the nice polos and jeans that tony buys him, hoping maybe it’ll be enough. but flash is just as bad, calling his “poor peter parker” and a desperate wanna be. and one day, peter snapped.

flash had chosen the anniversary of ben’s death to be particularly hard on peter, knowing that he was already sad and vulnerable. he had been bad all day, but during AP Physics, he reached an all time low. instead of just focusing on peter’s ratty clothes, he started picking on the nicer clothes that tony had picked out for him, knowing that today was a hard day for peter to function by himself. it was a nice button up and a pair of jeans, a simple, respectable outfit that wasn’t flashy and set peter up to go to ben’s grave after school. but for flash, it wasn’t enough.

“pst, penis!” he had whispered from behind peter. “what a step up, man... what a shame it’s still showing off how poor and miserable you are.” peter didn’t respond, continuing to work on the equation on the board, but flash wasn’t done. “hey, since when were you able to afford that type of clothing? you know, with your uncle dead and all. i can’t imagine your aunt makes that much money, so how do you guys earn it, huh?” peter’s eyes were burning now, teeth grinding as he tried not to show how deeply he was hurting at flash’s words. “i bet you earn a little on the side. i bet you let old men fuck you just so you can earn a little extra money so you can pretend you fit in here.” he paused. “actually, i bet it’s sweet, sweet aunt may. i bet she lets old men out their grubby hands all over her-“

“just shut up!” peter yelled, tears openly pouring down his face as he whirled around and clocked flash in the face. “don’t you ever talk about my aunt and uncle again, flash. i don’t care who you think you are, you have no right.”

and then peter was out the door, sprinting out of the school and blindly heading to the tower.

when he reached the penthouse tony was lounging on the couch messing around with a hologram. he quickly pushed it aside when he saw peter tear stained face, rushing over to wrap him in a hug.

“hey, hey, peter, what’s wrong baby?” he whispered with worry lacing every word.

“flash,” he mumbled. tony growled, holding peter tighter.

“i’m gonna... nevermind. what do you need, baby?”

“you.”

without another word, tony picked peter up and carried him to their room and laid him down gently, then straddled peter so he could kiss him deep and slowly, working peter up until his hips were grinding slowly into tony’s. he stripped peter and himself slowly, pressing gentle open mouthed kisses to every inch of peter’s pale skin that was exposed. once peter was hard and leaking between them, tony tapped his hip to get him to roll over. he spread peter’s round cheeks and then buried his head so he could work peter open with his tongue. he pressed a kiss to peter’s hole before licking around it, finally licking inside. he worked him open slowly, taking his time as he licked and sucked and kisses until peter was shaking and whining, begging for him for more. tony complied, adding his fingers alongside his tongue to stretch even more, licking and kissing and stretching and prodding at once.

“fuck, tony, baby, fuck me please, need to feel you inside me, please!” he gasped, arching his back as tony dragged his fingers across his prostate.

“ok, baby, come on and flip over. i want to see my boy.”

tony sunk into peter slowly, reveling in every facial expression and small whimper that came out, then began thrusting slowly, making sure he fucked peter deep but slow, just the thing he needed in this moment. they were connected in the most quintessential ways, from eyes to fingers to tony’s thrusts to the emotions that seemed to flow between the two and charge the air. the love between the two was so prominent it almost a tangible tether, and peter was crying again, the stimulation and emotion too much for him. it was languid and sweet and caring, and as tony whispered to peter about how much he loved him, peter couldn’t help but gasp out a warning as he came, spilling between his stomach and tony. tony wasn’t far behind, thrusting twice more before releasing into peter.

he gently pulled out and pressed a kiss to peter’s forehead. “i’m gonna go get a towel and clean us up, baby, ok?”

peter hummed as his boyfriend got up, returning a few moments later with a warm washcloth and a candy bar. he let himself gently be wiped clean, tony’s periodic kisses and the warmth of the towel relaxing him. tony set aside the towel and laid on his back with the chocolate bar in hand. he broke off pieces and fed it to peter, who had moved so his arms were wrapped around tony’s waist and his head was on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat soothing him and keeping him grounded. when his mind finally stopped floating away, peter shifted slightly and began to talk softly.

“flash was making fun of my clothes again today. which is fine. but he decided that i didn’t deserve nicer clothes and started suggesting... he said that i was selling myself to old men to get money. which is fine, he can think what he wants about me. but then he said it was more likely may, and i just... she works so hard and is so amazing. he has no right to say anything like that about her. and why does it matter to him what i wear? i’m not doing anything wrong.”

tony sighed. “oh peter, baby i’m sorry. you’re right. may doesn’t deserve this. but,” he laughed slightly, “he wasn’t so far off with you, was he? you do have an old man for a boyfriend who showers you with clothes and gifts, anything you want, and in return you let me have sex with you...”

peter giggled, pushing up onto his elbows so he could look tony in the eyes. “come on tony, you know that’s not the truth. we love each other. so much. we’d be nowhere without each other. besides i love all of the clothes and gifts you give me. it’s not necessary and i’ve made that clear, and i know you understand that. but anything from you i love.”

“i know that, baby. so why don’t you show flash the truth? show him how pretty you are in your fancy clothes. show him that you made a choice to stay true to who you are even though you have the option to wear nice things to school everyday. show him you aren’t to be fucked with.”

peter smiled. “i guess... but he’s gonna wonder how i got those clothes.”

“oh don’t worry baby, i’ve got it. i’ll handle that.”

peter giggled again and settled back onto tony’s chest. “i love you, tony.”

“i love you too, baby.”

the next day, peter walked into school wearing black prada short shorts, a pink acne studios trench coat, a pink acne studios bodysuit, and his favorite pair of black louboutin heels, a black chanel purse dangling off of his arm; an outfit that cost over $2,000. as he moved through the hall, each step deliberate and his head held high, he could feel every single person’a eyes following him and hear the whispers starting. but he didn’t care- these were the clothes he loved, given to him by tony, and not even flash could get him down. in fact, it was flash’s reaction that really made his day.

as he strode past him on his way to ap physics, he laughed as his jaw dropped, staring at peter dumbfounded.

“hey, penis,” he whispered during class, “you look like a slut, you know that?”

“oh, flash, thank you! i’m so glad you agree.”

he glowered. “what does aunt may think of her precious boy dressing like some cheap slut?”

“you know what, thanks for your concern! actually, she loves it! and so does my daddy,” peter replied, a sweet smile still on his face.

“your... you have a... a sugar daddy?”

peter nodded eagerly. “yep. he bought me all of my clothes. even those... what was it? the clothes that still show how poor and miserable i am? he’s not very happy you said that, you know. he’s not happy that you hurt me.”

flash rolled his eyes. “i can handle some nasty old man who fucks a kid who’s barely legal and has to pay him off for it to happen.”

peter laughed and looked at mj, who raised an eyebrow at flash. “i don’t know flash. don’t get ahead of yourself.”

the other kid let out a huff of air and rolled his eyes again before turning to his friends and whispering furitively.

peter laughed and high fived mj before going back to his work, eagerly looking forward to the end of the day when he knew tony would pick him up. finally, the bell rang for the end of the day and peter hurried out of the school, knowing flash was right behind waiting to see if peter would take the bus as usual.

but that day, a sleek black lamborghini was parked outside the school with tony, dressed in an impeccable blue suit and his signature sunglasses, leaning against it. the license plate, STARK 8, gleamed in the sun.

peter smiled and laughed when he saw the car, knowing that tony despised the car and only used it when he was making a point to someone.

“what the fuck,” he heard flash whisper behind him, and peter smiled as he imagined flash’s dumbfounded expression.

he began walking towards the car slowly as tony moved towards him at the same time, meeting just far enough away from flash that he’d be able to here them.

“hey daddy,” peter breathed when he was pressed against tony with the billionaire’s hands on his waist.

“hey baby boy. you look absolutely ravishing, baby, god damn,” he murmured, his voice a deep baritone that sent shivers down peter’s back.

then he leaned down, capturing peter’s lips in a hot open mouthed kiss that definitely showed flash some tongue. they moved together as one, barely stopping to breath as they made out in front peter’s entire school. by the end of it, tony was hard against peter’s thigh and peter was flushed and panting.

“fuck baby, look at what you do to me,” he growled, smirking when he heard flash choke. “come one baby, let’s go.”

they started walking away, peter tucked protectively into tony’s side, before tony stopped and turned to flash. “by the way, mr. thompson, if you say one more thing to peter that is insulting to him, me, his friends, or his family, i will have you expelled before you even know what’s happened. ok?”

flash was pale as he stuttered out a feeble, “yes mr. stark, i understand, sir.”

and then the pair was on their way to the lamborghini, struggling to hold in their laughter until tony had shut peter’s door behind him and slumped into his own seat.

“oh my god, tony, that was so good!”

“his face, peter, holy fuck... he’s never gonna mess with you again.”

peter smiled widely at tony and laced his fingers through his. “thank you, tony. for everything you do for me.”

tony pressed a kiss to peters knuckles, smiling back. “anything for you, peter. i love you.”

“i do have a question though... isn’t pepper going to freak out? i mean... that was a lot of pda in front of hundreds of high schoolers with phones and access to the internet. we probably scarred some people with the amount of tongue we showed.”

tony laughed. “no baby, i called pepper ahead of time and told her the situation. she understood, and she’s handling it.

“how?”

“i don’t know, the usual pepper magic i guess.”

peter laughed again and squeezed his boyfriends hand. “alright. thank you, tony.”

tony leaned over the console to kiss peter, then he put the car into drive and they headed back to the tower with music blasting as peter threw his head back to belt out the words.

peter parker was a simple kid, who knew he wanted to live his life without bullies and crime as he loved the man holding his hand and driving a car he hated just to make a point to some stupid high school kid. he wanted to love tony endlessly, with every fiber of his being, and he wanted to wear nice clothes or look like he just rolled out of bed when he wanted. he wanted to be happy, with tony at his side and a family supporting him. and in that moment, that was exactly what he had.

[bensboynton]

Always b.h

@styles-charli asked: hi! a request where ben and the reader head down to australia to visit her family in melbourne for a week because it’s the readers cousins wedding and he meets all her fam and just cute!! thanks lovely xoxoxo

here’s the fic i posted a sneak peak too a few days ago!

this prompt made my heart melt not even kidding. i’m definitely writing a part 2(and potentially part 3) because this prompt is just too cute.

feedback is appreciated:) also my inbox is open for more requests! although i’m quite swamped at the moment, i’ll get to yours eventually. 

word count: 3.3k

warnings: never been to australia so idk if this is accurate, unedited, fluffy

You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, looking at the time on your phone screen anxiously. Ben said he was going to be home ten minutes ago, and of course, the day you need to talk to him about something important, he's late.

You could smell the scent of spring in Los Angeles drifting through the open windows in the living room of your shared apartment with Ben. You were sat on the brown leather couch, your left leg bouncing in anticipation for his arrival.

You had been living with Ben as a couple for two years, and four years if you count the unfortunate 730 days you both spent absolutely despising each other as roommates. Until one day Ben just kissed you and… well. The rest is history.

You had a last minute obligation that you needed to attend, much to your dismay, and you wanted to see if your lovely boyfriend would be interested in attending with you.

A few moments later, you hear keys jingle in the lock on the other side of the door, followed by a soft thud and a string of curses. After a short delay, the door swings open revealing the Greek God that is your boyfriend.

His hair is messy, lips pressed firmly around his car keys as he walks into the house with five grocery bags in hand. He takes a step forward, carefully lifting his left leg and closing the door behind him, dropping the groceries on the ground. Sighing a breath of relief, he looks up at you, quickly meeting your eye.

You were mesmerized for a moment. He was in black sweatpants and a maroon crewneck, one of the ones you bought for him that he loved so much. He looked slightly breathless from walking up the stairs to your shared apartment.

"Thank you for your help, Darling," he jokes sarcastically, setting the car keys that were previously held in his mouth on the marble countertop, "I really appreciate it."

You laughed, playfully sauntering up to his towering figure. You returned his big grin with a big, toothy smile as you softly looped your arms around his neck.

"Sorry baby, I was distracted," you mumbled, pressing your lips to his quickly before resting your head on his chest. You both stayed like that for a moment in a comfortable silence, the sound of birds chirping right outside your apartment window.

You moved your head from his chest, looking up to gaze into his eyes. They were so clear and bright you swore you keep see your own reflection in them.

“Missed you.” you sighed, eliciting a small giggle from Ben.

“Missed you more.”

“Not possible.”

“Wanna bet, love?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, you’re on.”

You and Ben moved your conversation to the kitchen, bringing the bags of groceries with you.

“What’s on the line for this bet?” Ben asked, cocking his head to the left expectantly. He gently placed the plastic bags down on the counter as you looked up at him. An idea suddenly popped in your head.

“If I win, you have to go on a trip with me to a place really far away,” you said, causing Ben to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.

“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s this trip you’re talking about?”

"Okay, so, being serious for a second, you can totally 110% say no if you don't want to, you're not obligated to do this. I won't force you to go with me."

"I can't exactly say no if I don't even know where you're asking me to go?" he spoke, the confusion leaking from his lips. He pulled a green apple out of the plastic bag of ones he had just bought at the store. He kept looking at you expectantly as he took a big bite out of the bulbous fruit

You glared at him playfully as you threw a box of pasta at him. He caught it with ease, casually placing it in the wooden cabinet to his right. So annoying that he could play things off like that so smoothly.

"My cousin is getting married back home in Melbourne, and I have to go. And like I said, the invitation is open but don't feel obligated to go, but if you would possibly, even be slightly interested in going with me and being my plus one?" you said, nervously shaking your right leg, "It would also finally get my mom off my back about meeting you."

You hated weddings. Since your first one when you were 6 and you had to be a flower girl, you hated them. They took forever, and everyone was extra obnoxious and emotional. It wasn’t for you.

So getting the phone call from your mother telling you that, yes, you did have to come home for Delilah’s wedding was not the most pleasant start to your day.

"Is she getting married in the city?" Ben asked, reaching for his phone that was sitting near the sink.

"Well, kind of. It's on this big ranch on the outskirts of the city that's absolutely ridiculous and completely unnecessary if you ask me, but technically-"

"I'd love to go with you, Y/N," Ben interrupted, a boyish grin slowly creeping onto his face.

"Wait, really?" you asked, your mouth agape slightly as you started to smile.

"No, I'm just fucking with you." He said in all seriousness, looking you dead in the eye. His face broke into a grin a few moments later.

"Yes, really. I want to meet your family. I think it's only fair after I dragged you back to London with me to meet my parents." he murmured, making his way over to you, grabbing your hands.

"Is it Delilah that's getting married?" Ben asked, interrupting the momentary silence that had fallen between you.

Your face lit up when he said her name, "Yeah, it is actually. That bloke David finally grew a pair and proposed." Ben laughed, remembering the many rants of yours he listened to after phone calls with a distraught Delilah over "Dumbass David" as you called him.

You sighed lightly in content. You felt your heart start pounding in your chest when you thought about traveling to Australia with Ben. You were so nervous for Ben to meet your Mom and Dad, not to mention your extremely obnoxious extended family. To be honest, you could've upchucked the avocado toast you had for lunch right there.

But on the other hand, you were practically chomping at the bit to take Ben around your town and show him the diner you ate at after school every day, and the movie theater you went to most Saturdays with your friends.

You had been putting off having Ben meet your family for months now, and for good reason. Your family was... judgemental, to say the least. You were scared of them rejecting Ben, and you didn't want to have to put him (or yourself) through that mental and emotional abuse.

So, every time they asked about Ben over the phone, you'd change the subject, or every time Ben would ask about your family you'd suddenly have a very urgent need to use the restroom.

Every once in a while though, you'd tell Ben about your Aunt Frida who was constantly churning up old family drama, or your Uncle Jerry who would always spell your name wrong on your birthday cards.

"When do we have to leave for the wedding?" Ben inquired, again focusing on the many groceries yet to be put away.

"Yeah... about that," you pulled away from him again, grimacing slightly in embarrassment, "tomorrow."

Ben about choked on his saliva as he looked at you in disbelief, "Tomorrow?!" he exclaimed, his hands running through his blonde locks, anxiety flashing over his green orbs.

"Tomorrow."

"Well, Christ, I better get packing then."

Ben scurried off to your shared room, and not long after, you heard a string of profanities and a loud clatter. You smiled warmly and chuckled, calling out to your boyfriend softly, "Thanks for getting my suitcase down, baby!"

Thank God you had Ben.

--

"Remind me again why I thought this was a good idea."

"Neither of us ever said this would be a good idea, love."

You stumbled around your room in the pitch black, trying to find your socks and tennis shoes. It was 3 am in Los Angeles, and it was still dark outside. You finally found what you needed and looked up at Ben, who looked like he was falling asleep standing up. His eyes were closed, and you swore you could see the bags under his eyes from where you were standing.

You lightly tapped his shoulder as you walked by to remind him you had to leave soon as you strolled into your kitchen. Ben was close behind you, trying to grab your shoulders and pull you into a hug. He was very cuddly when he was tired.

You flicked the light on in the kitchen out of habit, immediately regretting your decision as your eyes felt like they were going to pop out of your head. Ben stumbled towards you and turned them off, plunging you both into darkness again.

You both chuckled at the immaturity of your actions, stumbling around to gather anything else you needed that you "forgot" to pack last night.

If you were being honest with yourself, you and Ben both fell asleep in the middle of a Grey's Anatomy episode after procrastinating packing for three hours. You both could’ve gotten everything done with plenty of time to spare, but you chose not to. So, this stressful sweep over the house was needed and most definitely your fault.

Once you were sure you had everything, you wheeled your suitcases out into the hallway of your apartment, the lights dimly lit as you turned around, locking the door. You turned around and reached for your suitcase, smiling at Ben dreamily as you wheeled your extremely heavy suitcase into the elevator.

"You're gonna cuddle with me when we sleep on the plane, right?" you mumbled, your voice whiny and needy. Ben smirked lazily, meeting your eyes.

"If you insist, Miss Y/L/N."

You playfully swatted his shoulder as the elevator doors opened, and you strolled out into the expansive parking lot. You admired the bright moon in the sky as Ben loaded your bags into the back of his car, walking around to the driver's side and glancing at you through the tinted windows.

It was just cold enough to be able to see a faint wisp of your breath in the air, and this caused you to pull your jacket tightly around your figure as you continued to admire Ben.

"You getting in or am I heading to Australia alone?" he drawled, eliciting a playful glare from you. You got in the passenger's seat, immediately putting on the most upbeat Queen song you could find in your music library to stop either of you from drifting off to sleep.

You reveled in every peaceful moment of silence in-between songs with Ben, as you knew the next week and a half was going to be absolutely insane for the two of you. No time to relax, up late every night, awake early every morning, bachelorette parties, gown fittings, the works.

You didn't know how much time you and Ben would have alone, or if you'd even be able to stay for the week and a half. You'd been mulling over the possibility of a fight between you and your family, or your family and Ben. You got goosebumps just thinking about having to deal with that mess.

Granted, it's probably not the best idea to think about becoming estranged from your family due to your boyfriend, but you thought about it anyway.

You hummed along to “Love of My Life” that was now playing softly through the luxurious speakers in Ben's car. The sun had yet to show itself over the thinly drawn line of the horizon, and it allowed you to admire the darkness you so rarely got to see.

You were able to quietly enjoy Ben’s presence (and Freddie Mercury’s) before arriving at the busy airport. Sitting in a car that smelt oddly like Ben (you couldn’t explain it, it just did) and hearing Freddie’s voice float through the air airily-like bubbles- was almost ethereal. It's like Freddie was making your heart grow two sizes for the man who dropped all his plans for the next week to take an impromptu flight to Australia with you.

You don't know how you got so lucky, to be honest. After what seemed like a lifetime, Ben had parked in the airport. He grasped your hand and gave you a reassuring wink as you got out of the car.

“Ready for this wedding?” he asked, nudging your shoulder gently.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

--

"Unbelievable. What kind of airline service doesn't have Bohemian Rhapsody as a movie choice? I'm outraged!" you spoke with a little too much energy after getting off a 15-hour flight.

Ben chuckled beside you, wheeling his own luggage behind him, clearly exhausted, "I think you should send in a complaint," he agreed sarcastically.

"I think I should too!"

Both of you finally made your way to baggage claim, and you sat down on top of your luggage, absentmindedly reading the airline pamphlet they gave you on the plane.

The screeching siren sounded, causing both you and Ben to jump as luggage started making its way to the evermoving carousel.

In no time, you and Ben got your suitcases and you made your way over to the outside of the airport, walking over to a wrought iron bench while Ben called an Uber. You felt a sticky layer of sweat beginning to form all over your body, and it was oddly comforting.

You had lived in Australia for your whole life, and then moved to Los Angeles about four years ago. But the heat in LA wasn't the same.

Here it was humid, to the point where walking outside made you feel like you just got out of the shower. It was so unbearable, sometimes you'd have to actually go to a pool to get any relief from the unrelenting warmth. Your Aunt Frida called the heat in Australia "wet." California consisted of a drier heat, one that could make you sweat but was rougher and felt almost as if the sun was a heating lamp. It felt unnatural.

So climbing into the air-conditioned Uber was a relief, to say the least. You let out a long sigh at the relief of finally being able to cool down. You had recently lost your built up tolerance to the Australian heat, and it was beginning to show.

You sat with Ben in the backseat of the car, holding his hand in your lap regardless of how sweaty it was. You were far too nervous. The idea of introducing your mother to your first serious boyfriend in six years was utterly terrifying. Not to mention, this would be the first time you would be seeing her in almost a year.

In what felt like no time at all, you had arrived at your parent's house. You took a few shaky breaths as you clambered out of the car, clumsily grabbing your clunky case of clothes.

You glued yourself to Ben's side as you walked up the sidewalk, and you were standing in front of the door.

"Whatever happens next, please don't break up with me." You muttered as you knocked on the door three times.

You heard a few heavy steps as the door flew open, revealing your mom standing there with open arms.

"Y/N!" She exclaimed, launching herself forward and into your hesitant arms. You heard Ben chuckle at her enthusiasm from beside you as you wrapped your arms around your eager mother's torso.

She held onto you just long enough to make it feel slightly uncomfortable, pulling away and putting her hands on either side of your face, breathing heavily. "You get more and more beautiful every time I get to see you." She pulled you into another hug before looking up and noticing Ben.

"Oh! My god, hello, you must be Ben. Y/N has told me so much about you!" she said, glancing quickly at your slightly nervous boyfriend.

"It's so great to finally meet you-" Ben began, holding out his hand for a handshake when your mother threw herself into his arms. It was your turn to laugh now. Your mother pulled away again looking at the two of you with wistful eyes.

"How rude of me! Come in, come in, let's get you all situated!" she exclaimed, bustling into the house quickly. You and Ben gave each other reassuring smiles as you followed her inside, bringing all your bags with you.

You trudged up the stairs, heaving as you carried your bag behind you. Ben saw you struggling and lifted up the other side of your bag, shifting half the weight to his other arm. You winked at him gratefully, and he returned it before you made your way to the top of the stairs.

“Ben, I have you in the guest room, and Y/N you can of course stay in your old room.”

You felt your heart drop. It was kind of bold for you to assume your mother would let you sleep in the same bed as your boyfriend in her house, even if you were almost a decade over legal age.

You opened your mouth to say something before she answered the question you had yet to ask.

“It wasn’t my idea. You know how anal your father is about this kind of stuff, my love.”

Your mother’s voice was light and airy, and bubbled so much it could be mistaken for carbonated soda. She wore all her emotions on her sleeve and displayed them through her voice, and that’s how you could tell if her statements her sincere.

Sadly, this one couldn’t have been more genuine.

You huffed in annoyance, tossing your still very full suitcase into your old room, pictures of your friends and favorite bands still hanging up on the walls. You quickly shut the door behind you and walked over to the guest bedroom, where Ben was already beginning to unpack.

“You sure you don’t wanna nap before getting involved in unpacking all that?” you laughed as Ben tried to refold a shirt after messing it up. His face softened at the sound of your voice.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to a nap,” he said, walking over to you before wrapping you in a bear hug, “only if you take one with me.”

“How could I say no to an offer like that?” you inquired sarcastically, tapping Ben on the tip of his nose with the pad of your index finger. He scrunched his face up, making your heart melt for a moment.

You glanced at your watch, sighing with relief, “We have at least 30 minutes to nap before my mom calls us down for dinner.”

“Plenty of time.”

Ben quickly moved his suitcase for doing a dramatic jump and landing on the guess bed, opening his arms wide as an invitation for you to lay in his comforting embrace.

And you did.

You were both out like a light, trying to catch up on sleep and fix your inner-clocks and get them used to the time change.

But for the moment, your clocks were very broken.

So you laid in the guest bedroom of your mother’s house in the arms of your equally as sleepy boyfriend, desperately chasing the sweet release of alertness.

Right before you closed your eyes, you looked up at Ben lazily, “Thank you for coming with me,” you paused to lawn quietly, “it's quite nice having someone to rely on for things like this.”

“Y/N, you can always rely on me. I promise.”

“Always?”

“Always.”

Maybe this wedding wouldn’t be so bad after all.