Going Through Changes -> Peter Parker

18.

When Liam arrived at the indoor pool where his teammates were swimming and giggling, Liz was the first to notice him. She was sitting on a small wall between the pool and the hotel's spa, dangling her legs while chatting with a boy called Abe, but as soon as her gaze landed on Liam, she completely dismissed the conversation.
"There you are!" she exclaimed, waving the boy over to her with a flutter of her dark eyelashes. "Didn't want to miss the fun," he responded friendly but held his distance from the girl. He would have preferred staying in his room for the night, waiting for Peter to come back and making sure he was alright instead of spending time with the other teenagers. But this little midnight spree was the perfect alibi and distraction from Peter's absence he could wish for. And he was going to do anything to cover for the boy.
Just minutes ago, in that hallway, as he had observed Peter's face, the spider-man's big brown eyes had looked at him differently. That hint of admiration he could have sworn to have spotted was on his mind ever since. Knowing Peter wasn't only into girls anymore had been so tempting, and the idea of kissing the younger boy had nestled itself deep into his heart. What bad timing for developing a crush. And how impractical for his almost relationship with Liz he once again had formed to distract from Peter's secret identity.

He never wanted to hurt her, but things had turned out way more intensive as planned, and he now had to because he wasn't going to pretend to be in love with her, that much he had learned from the glorious women in his life. Never mess with a girl's heart. He had to talk with her eventually. Tonight, preferably. But until then, he chose to join the others with an elegant jump into the warm water.

They were all excited for the next day and bubbling with anticipation as they engaged themselves in silly games to defuse the tension. Liam wasn't used to hanging out with other teens like that, and he may have enjoyed it more when his thoughts weren't with Peter on his mission all the time. He should have swiped another suit from Tony so he could have accompanied the boy on his dangerous task. To make sure he was alright. With the suit's full potential unlocked, he was actually worrying more about Peter hurting himself than he ever did. Perhaps because he could remember his first trip in one of the Stark's suits just fine, and it was sure not one of his fondest memories. He just hoped Peter's senses would protect him from doing anything stupid. As he looked up through the glass ceiling, he could make out a glimpse of red and blue taking off into the night. Peter was on his way.

"What are you thinking about?" Liz's soft voice asked after he had withdrawn himself from the group, slightly overwhelmed with all things going on. She looked concerned, with her head tilted to the side as she gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "About us.", Liam truthfully answered, having decided to get at least this problem off his chest.

"Oh, really?", she asked surprised but delighted as she scooted even closer, her warm skin brushing against his arm. "I've been thinking about us too.", she stated, coyly brushing a strand of wet hair out of her face. "I have to tell you something.", Liam interrupted her in an almost whisper. She blinked, a bit baffled by the seriousness of his tone. He waited a moment, choosing his words carefully: "I wasn't honest with you about a few things although you deserve nothing but the truth. I like you a lot and really enjoy your company But..." He looked into her eyes and could see the disappointment she was trying to hide. He was not going to give her the shit he so often used to make things more bearable for her about being confused for a while now and how everything was so new to him because that would be nothing but a lie. Never had he been more certain about anything than his sexuality. And this wasn't his first outing to someone he cherished. Now it was like pulling off a bandaid. "I'm not into girls right now." And that was nothing but the truth. For now, he was into a certain brown eyes boy he was missing here with him. Again, Liz blinked, letting his words sink in for a second.

"You're gay!" she then breathed out her realization, and Liam confirmed in with a slight nod. "But I prefer to call it fluid." "That's a surprise.", she mumbled out loud, stumbling over the words as her mind was still processing. But she quickly added, "Not that I'm not ok with it. I'm really thankful you told me." "I'm thankful you are reacting this way." "Of course!" And she embraced him in a tight, understanding hug that made at least a bit of weight fall off his shoulders. "But you're not getting rid of me. We stay friends.", she decided while letting go of him with a smile. "We stay friends.", he responded.

Some things turn out to be way easier than expected. Telling Liz the truth was surprisingly one of them. Liam had really expected a different outcome, a bit more teenage drama and anger from Liz's side for leading her on. Maybe a slap in the face. But she just leaned against him, an arm around his shoulders while watching Flash wrestle Abe in an unfair battle. It could all be so peaceful; wouldn't his mind wander off to Peter again. "Can I ask you something?" Liz suddenly asked, her head on his shoulder, her hair tingling his neck. He hummed in agreement. "You think I did a good job of preparing this horde for tomorrow?" Liam chuckled. "You did the best. We are going to ace that championship."