𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐐𝐮𝐨

twentysix.

"No, no, no, come on, give us a proper smile," Aunt May whined, standing in front of me with her phone taking a million and one photos of me in my graduation gown and silly little cap.

"May, come on I think you've got enough now," I sighed, the muscles in my face feeling numb from constant smiling. You know when you smile too much for photos and you somehow forget how to make a smile look normal? I'm definitely at that point right now.

"Get some with me too," Ben said smiling, doing an awkward little jog towards me and putting his arm around my shoulder.

We took a few smiling before Ben and I morphed our poses into complete and utter novelty. He started by squishing my face with his hands, then I stuck my middle finger up at him, then at the camera with him copying me and May telling us to be serious.

"Do you want one all together?" Tony said standing behind May with his family; Peter, Pepper and Morgan.

"Best friend!" She squealed, running towards me and hugging my legs which were cloaked by the thick dark graduation gown. I laughed, telling her I missed my best friend whilst flicking one of her pigtails, which made her giggle.

"That would be great Tony, thank you so much!" May said grinning, passing her phone over to him and joining Ben and I.

Tony had obviously flipped the camera screen and taken a photo of him and Peter considering they both posed jokingly, but Pepper eventually took over the photographer duties for us.

"What about our two graduates? Go stand with Y/N," Pepper said smiling and nudging Peter's arm with her fingertips.

"Oh no, that's fine we don't need one together," I interrupted, shaking my head and brushing it off. Also, I was just sick of taking photos, let alone one with fucking Peter Parker.

"Gown or no gown?" Peter said walking over to stand next to me. I smoothed my hair out after I took the stupid ugly cap off.

"I'll hold the gowns and hats, you guys will look nicer in your formal stuff," Ben said holding his arm out for us as we unzipped the gowns and thanked him. Honestly, I just felt uncomfortable standing next to Peter in a formal cocktail dress and heels, whilst he stood with me in a suit.

"Don't look so awkward! Jesus Christ," Tony joked, scoffing to Peter that he should put his arm around me like a 'proper gentleman' would.

"It feels like shitty prom photos," Peter laughed, making me laugh with him at how accurate that was to how we were feeling. At this stage, people were noticing the fact that both of our families were together watching their kids take photos together.

Morgan complained that she wanted to join in on the photos, saying she wanted to be with 'Petey and Best Friend'. Pepper smiled, watching her youngest run to Peter as he picked her up and propped her against his hip in between the two of us.

"You look really pretty," she whispered to me.

"So do you," I whispered back, smiling towards Pepper with the camera.

"Okay, we should leave the poor guys alone. They've taken enough photos for a lifetime," Tony laughed, putting his hand out for Morgan to join him.

"You guys are off to dinner now aren't you?" He continued.

"What?" I coughed. Why did Peter tell his Dad we were getting dinner together? Would he not find that weird considering we're basically colleagues? Does Tony know that Peter has seen me without the mask? Does he know we've slept together?!

"Peter said you two had reservations after this whole graduation ceremony," Tony shrugged, looking at Peter with sly eyes as he told his son he would meet him at home.

"You said a week technically counted after graduation, and it is after graduation now," he chuckled, waving bye to his family before my aunt and uncle interrupted.

"We will leave you both to it, be safe okay?" Ben said ruffling my hair like he always did, just to annoy me one last time before they too headed home.

I turned to Peter and scowled once they all left, demanding he tell me where he had made reservations and silently praying he had invited Ned and MJ to join us. He said it was a surprise and that he was driving; proving to me he would stay sober for the night.

"You have to drop me home after dinner," I huffed, walking alongside him towards the student car park where his car was.

"You like leaving as soon as things are over hey?" He taunted.

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I leave when things are over... That's what makes it the end of something, you going home..." I retorted.

"Well you left straight after we slept together and you're wanting to leave straight after dinner... You really just don't like spending time with me hey?" He chuckled, unlocking his car and sliding into the drivers seat.

As we drove, he refused to tell me where we were going for dinner, which annoyed me. I think the main reason was that we were both dressed very formally and that it would most definitely look like a date to the media. Great, I can see the headlines already, 'Iron-Man and his new girl of the month' - how fun.

"You know, your speech was really surprising, I didn't think you'd be so...-" I began.

"Insulting?" He asked.

"Unfiltered," I answered back.

"You told me to be real this week... And forevermore I guess. It's actually refreshing not having to pretend all the time. Just, not giving a fuck," he smiled, pulling over and turning off the ignition.

I looked out the dark tinted windows of his Audi and tried to hold back my smile, a smile of disbelief at where he had driven us.

"Delmars? You can't make reservations at Delmar's... It's a little store in the middle of Queens," I smiled, getting out of the car and trying to balance my heels on the cobblestone pavement. We looked ridiculously overdressed to be here.

"You're right, you can't. But I called him and asked him for a favour. You know how he owns upstairs and uses it for storage?" Peter smiled, walking alongside me. I nodded.

"He uh, might have set up a little table for us on the balcony. I knew you would've hated the fact you had to come out with me tonight and that being seen with me in public would make you nervous... So I tried to make it as casual and low key as I could," he said pointing to the second floor balcony next to the fire escape.

"I'm actually impressed Peter, I didn't think you were capable about caring about anyone other than yourself," I smiled.

"I care about making up for the fact I was a huge asshole to you."