Spider-Man/Peter Parker One-Shots

(HC) What Follows NWH

Kinda AU-y but it's just my interpretation of what could've happened to Peter after NWH

It was sort of strange when you think about it. People meet in the most unexpected ways and retain friendships when there's no logical reason for them to have hung out in the first place. But then I suppose that's what fates for, to intertwine stories to give both people what they need: each other.

You shouldn't have been his partner for the project. You wanted the girl next to you in class, but she was sick that day, so you had no choice but to buddy up with the kid that sat in the back of the class alone. He had no friends, at least none that you could tell, and he barely spoke a word to you while you utilized the rest of the class time to work on the project. You remember wanting to get through the workload as fast as possible to avoid spending more time with the lone wolf than necessary.

But fate had other ideas.

So you visited his off-campus apartment to finish up the project. That's where he introduced himself properly, and invited you to dine on his cuisine of ramen while you both discussed the project.

"I can't work on this super long tonight, I've got a, uh, thing," he had told you. You chose to just nod, not wanting to pry into what he meant by that, and focused on the work. It wasn't easy, but he was surprisingly smart.

"You'll have to tutor me. That class is..." You made a face and he laughed.

"The professor isn't very helpful," he agreed. And by the end of the night, when you said goodbye and returned to the college campus, you found he wasn't actually that awful to be around.

So the next day, when your tablemate was still out sick, you chose to sit next to him instead. He was surprised, to say the least, but chose not to say much. And, well, here you were.

It was sort of hard to describe how you got here, to be honest, but you weren't complaining. You rolled over in his bed, seeing him already half asleep after your earlier activities. You smiled to yourself, watching him breathe steadily. In your short time being his friend (with benefits), you realized it was only when he was passed out that he actually looked relaxed.

Slipping out of bed, you put your clothes back on. Peter turned at the noise, looking up at you with half-lidded eyes. "Where you going?" he mumbled.

"I've gotta go back to my dorm," you laughed. "You've never let me stay over afterwards."

"Stay, please." His voice was soft, like a child scared their parents would say no. You bent down, brushing your nose softly against his.

"Sure babes, I can do that." So you slid into bed with him and he immediately trapped you in his arms, like if he released his grip you'd be gone in a flash. You placed a hand over his arm, then tilted your head to kiss his nose. "You know, this kinda feels like a romantic thing." He stiffened at that. "I'm starting to think you actually want to date me."

He stayed frozen as his eyes shifted around the room. "I can't." He had told you before he didn't do relationships; he barely did friends. So this fling or friends with benefits deal was temporary and held no actual feelings. Or so he claimed.

"Why don't you want me to leave?" The question hung in the air for a long moment. You didn't ask many personal questions. You figured out pretty fast how little he liked to share, and becoming friends with him was almost a miracle.

"Because...you're all I have." The last part was barely audible, but the breath catching in your throat told him you heard.

"What does that mean?" you asked, twisting in his arms so you were face to face with him. He refused to look at you, so you set a hand on his chest and the other on his cheek. He leaned into the touch at first, then flinched away like you slapped him.