Going Through Changes -> Peter Parker

36.

Apparently, you just needed a well-tailored suit to feel like James Bond. At least Peter did as he stood in front of Liz's house. His excitement grew as he waited for someone to answer the door. All the way here, May had excited him up so he would actually be able to get a word out. This was the first time he ever took someone out, and he wanted it to be a success. Liz deserved it. He deserved it. Another typically teenage experience he had missed out on till now.

Finally, he could hear steps approaching the door, and the boy straightened himself to look at his most flattering self. He licked his lips and tried to channel his 007 feelings again as the door swung open, revealing Liz's father. And that man looked painfully familiar. "You must be Peter.", the man said, eyeing the teenage boy how only a father would be his daughter's first boyfriend. Only this had a completely different meaning to it. Peter knew he was standing in front of the vulture, the man who had almost drowned him, shot at him, and was responsible for the whole mess with the ferry.

"I'm Liz's dad. Put 'er there." He held out a hand to shake, and Peter absently shook it while still staring into the man's face. "Hell of a grip. Come on in here", the vulture gestured for Peter to enter his house, the house Peter had attended a party at. Awkwardly, Peter held on to the plastic package with the flower corsage he wanted to give to Liz as he moved into the house.

It felt weird, like he had entered a lion's cave as he walked through the elegant hallway, passing the kitchen. "Hi, Peter," Lis's mom approached him, taking in his formal appearance. "You look very handsome.", she commented on his outfit. He had met her before but now knowing of her being married to a criminal; her presence gave Peter chills. Indeed she had no idea what her husband was doing. She was always so kind and hard-working." Thank you," Peter breathed out quietly, watching as she stood beside her husband. "You got his name, right?" she asked him teasingly. "Freddie?" the man joked, which caused her to shake her head in amusement.

"I'm gonna go get Liz.", she announced with a smile towards Peter. "Okay," Peter whispered. He wasn't a fan of being left alone with Toomes. What if he recognized him too? Should he call someone, tell them what he had found out? But calling his boyfriend while picking up a girl for prom wasn't a good idea. Of course, to make him even more uncomfortable, Toomes started to clean some knives. Who was cleaning blades when they had a guest? "You all right, Pete?" Toomes asked, his facial expressions unreadable. Peter gulped. "Yeah," he quickly nodded, but his face wasn't matching the lie. "Because you look pale," the other man pointed out the obvious, gesturing with a knife in front of his face.

"You u want something to drink, like a bourbon or a scotch, something like that?" This was a test. It had to be. Peter didn't drink. He never had. "I'm not old enough to drink," he quickly responded, sounding surprisingly confident in that statement. "That's the right answer." Toomes smiled, pointing the knife at Peter briefly, who forced himself to smile back.

Thankfully, Liz was now walking to them, her modelesque frame in a short red dress that suited her perfectly. Looking at her, Peter was once again reminded why he had loved her for so long. She was just breathtaking. "Wow, you look beautiful," her father complimented her proudly. "Please, don't embarrass me, Dad.", Liz returned, her back to the wall and eyeing Peter awkwardly. She knew this wasn't a date but was waiting for him to say something regardless. May had told him to compliment her dress, but not too much. Too much would be creepy, and nobody wants to be creepy.

"You look really good.", he told her truthfully. "Once again, the dight answer." Toomes nodded, clearly content with how things were going. "Is that a corsage?" Liz carefully asked as he caught a glimpse of the packet in Peter's hands. Without looking at her, he pressed it in hers. "Thanks.", she enthusiastically noted. Peter was scolding himself for not paying her the attention she deserved, but her father was just a threat he had to keep an eye on. His spider-sense was telling him to.

Toomes put the knife away. "Well, I'm your chauffeur, so let's get this show on the road." Peter nodded in agreement. He wanted to get out of here and leave that man as far away behind as possible. "No, no, no!" his wife disagreed, who had turned up from nowhere. "We have to take some pictures." Great. Peter wasn't feeling like posing in front of a camera. This was getting more and more awkward. Without knowing about his inner conflicts, Liz's mom was already pointing the camera at them.

"Come on, you guys. Peter, closer.", she advised them. Peter forced himself to smile, and it pretty much showed. His gaze wandered to Mr. Toomes again while the flash went off another time. "Sir, you don't have to drive us..." Peter started trying to get out of this situation as fast as possible. "I'm going out of to2and it's right on my way." the man waved it off violently. "He's always coming and going," Mrs. Toomes explained with a sad smile.

Of course, he was. Her husband was busy stealing and destroying. Peter had to do something, anything. He couldn't just uncover a villain's identity and stay put while he was going for another heist. But first and foremost, Peter needed to find a way to contact Liam about the events. His boyfriend would know what to do. Espionage was his area of experience. Maybe, Peter had to think about what he would do, and he would find a solution. Think, Peter, think.