Going Through Changes -> Peter Parker

33.

Peter was doing great at being an average teenage.He hadn't had received that many praises for his schoolwork in a long time, and it started to make him feel good again. Sure everything was less exciting and adventurous, but he felt cozy among his friends,perfectly blending in with his class. He and Ned had spent the last few days building Ned's new millennium falcon and re-watching star wars at his place, and there had been no police siren, no spider-sense and no Tony Stark distracting him from that fun. Peter's life had become peaceful.

As he left Spanish class, books under his arm and nodding goodbye to Michelle, who was speaking to him on a daily basis now, he had nothing planned for the day except getting himself a nice sandwich and a bit of peace to write that essay that was due next week. He thought about how he could start it as something in front of his locker caught his eye. Or someone, to be exact. Leaning against the metal door, one foot propped up behind him in the most casual way, arms crossed over his chest, and round sunglasses on his face leaned Liam. Peter could feel his heart beating faster. That was an unexpected but delightful surprise.

"You're back!" he called out as he quickly approached. A small smile enlightened Liam's features as he pushed his shades back into his locks. "Hello, darling.", he cooed. Peter was so happy to hear that nickname again. That was what he had been missing. "I was so worried you won't ever come back here.", Peter exclaimed happily, beaming at the boy. Liam's face dropped, and the same look returned to the eyes he had on that rooftop before he left. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me back at first. Look, Peter, I'm so sorry about what happened. I should have told you about the... Internship.", he lowered his voice, briefly looking around. Peter was confused.

"Of course, I wanted you back. You did nothing wrong.", the younger boy replied, tilting his head like a puppy. To him, it is evident that Liam had nothing to apologize for. "I could have told you about Tony's worst-case plan. I..." Liam continued to apologize, but Peter interrupted him. "I'm not mad at you. We were in this together. Nobody could know Tony was actually going to take the suit away. He had threatened with that before. I knew what I was doing. Let's just get over it.", he made clear, his voice firm and determined. He didn't want Liam to feel bad for something they did together. He had known the risk. And he still wasn't regretting anything. Sure, they could have been a better ending to their adventure, but it was what it was. And now that the other teen was back, everything could only get better.

The soft smile returned back to Liam's features as he looked at Peter. "You're just so precious.", he whispered, and Peter immediately turned red due to the velvety intensity in his voice. He was just so whipped. They were standing in the middle of the hallway with none of them being officially out, but Peter just couldn't resist taking Liam's hand for a moment, his skin tingling at the contact. "I'm glad you're back. I missed you.",  Peter whole-heartedly said. That was the boldest he had ever been around Liam. But it felt right and made the other boy's smile grow wider. "I missed you too, Peter.", he replied.  "Now.", he added, detaching himself from the lockers.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" "I would love to." Peter nodded eagerly. Liam waited for him to collect his things, then they two walked towards the exit, so close that their hands almost touched. Peter wanted to connect them once again, but a tiny voice in his head demanded him not to because this was only his, and he wouldn't let a Flash randomly pass by, destroying this feeling of pure euphoria. "Where do you want to go? Pizza or ice cream?" Liam asked as they stepped outside. "Pizza.", Peter decided as he looked up at the dark clouds hanging low in the sky. "Let's go.", the other teen chuckled, unlocking his car. Peter beamed in happiness as he jumped into the passenger seat that felt so familiar. Fuck the Spider-suit; he was going on that date!

And to give his heart another reason to beat faster, he felt Liam grabbing his hand as soon as they had left the parking lot. His thumb drew circles on Peter's skin as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and Peter was enjoying every second of it. He watched the first raindrops hit the windshield happily, a warm, content feeling nestling itself into his belly. This was how it should always be. New York was beautiful in the rain, and so was Liam focusing on driving every time he glanced over. Peter was so happy that Liam was back he couldn't put it in words.

"You know what? Let's have a car picnic!" Liam announced as he parked the car in front of Peter's favorite pizza place. "I don't feel like being among those People." he gestured towards the crowded sitting area they could see through the store window, where half of the street had found shelter from the rain. Peter wasn't that eager to get in there either. A car picnic, whatever that meant, sounded great as long as the two of them would spend time together. "I'd like that.", he answered almost shyly. Liam smiled at him. " Cool, but we still need to get that food." They both looked at the heavy drops falling. "We could run.", Peter suggested. " We could.", Liam replied, opening his door with a smirk. Peter eagerly jumped out of his side and both boys ran over the parking lot, laughing. This was Peter's very own cheesy romcom. And he loved it.