my guardian angel | peter parker x gn!reader

b o n u s

[ for all the women lovers like me ]

He lowered the glasses back to his side, jaw clenching as he fought back tears. After a few seconds, he shook his head, rubbing his brow before turning to you with worried eyes. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you-" You cut him off by pulling him into a much-needed hug.

He buried his face into your shoulder with his arms tightly wrapped around your waist. He liked the feeling of you. He liked the touch of you. He liked everything about you. But the feeling that you gave him was like no other. When the two of you pulled apart, he kept you close.

"We won," he mumbled, bringing his hand up to your face to glide his thumb along your bottom lip.

"We did." Subconsciously, you leaned closer to him, giving him the confirmation he wanted.

Peter Parker kissed you.

He pressed his lips to yours, only for a short peck, and soon pulled away to see your frozen expression. When the unpleasant realization hit him, his brows furrowed and he took an unsure step back. "That didn't..."

"That didn't feel right," you confirmed once the shock of the kiss had subsided. Such a shame, really. After all this time of chasing after each other, all it took was one kiss to realize it was never meant to be.

"That's kind of annoying. I was gonna give you this." He reached into a pocket in his suit, pulling out a small metal container and handing it to you. You opened it up to see the angel wings charm you had been looking at back in Venice, attached to a chain necklace. There was a tiny crack across one of the wings, reminding you of the crack in yours and Peter's relationship that would remain forever. "I had a whole plan to make sure you like me and then tell you how I feel, but it was all for nothing."

"It wasn't all for nothing. At least, now we know-" You enclosed the lid over the necklace once again and passed it back to the boy. "-that this wouldn't have worked out."

He averted his sad eyes, lips pursing into a straight line. "Did you ever actually like me?" His eyes sought yours once again, allowing you to see the small sparkle of hope glistening in the watery surface.

You scoffed, smiling as you nodded. "Of course I did. Did you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess it was." The two of you fell silent and the atmosphere turned awkward. Incredibly awkward. You found yourself wracking every brain cell to find anything to say, preferably on a different topic. You didn't want things with Peter to be awkward. You didn't want this to be the end of your friendship.

Peter spoke up first. "Let's go. We should check on the others."

"Here, I'll give you a lift." Although he hesitated, he jumped onto your back, letting you give his injured body a rest. You'd already decided to give him a ride all the way back to the group, despite your newfound reluctance, until you spotted two figures sprinting toward you down on the bridge.

You dropped to the ground and Peter hopped off, opening his arms for MJ to run into them while Ned ran into yours. "Oh my God! Guys, you're okay!"

They swapped places, MJ in your arms and Ned in Peter's. "We were so worried."

"We're okay." You tried to pull away but MJ's grip around you remained firm. "Is everyone else okay?"

"Yeah, everyone's okay. You did it," she assured.

"We did it. It's over." You glanced toward Peter, ignoring the previous event and gazing into his eyes with pure joy. "We did it."

"God, I was so worried about you." At last, MJ pulled back, keeping her arms locked around your neck. "I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm glad you're safe too."

"I brought that-" She motioned toward the mace she had discarded onto the ground when she got here. "-in case you needed any help."

The wind blew through her tied-back hair, pushing her bangs out of the way so you could see her entire face. She was gorgeous. So, so gorgeous.

...fuck.

"It's all good." You forced a smile through the lump in your throat, every curse word imaginable erupting in your head. How hadn't you realized already? She met your eyes and you pressed your lips together when you felt your stomach jump. Had your crush on Peter really been holding all of this back?

She sighed, sliding her hands from around your neck to your shoulders, tongue pushing against her bottom lip in deep thought. Your hands remained on her waist, loosely so that you weren't so close she became uncomfortable, yet you were close enough to admire her features. You'd always found her attractive. You'd always enjoyed her company and her touch. But there had never been a voice screaming at you to kiss her. You had never wanted to be as close to her as you wanted right now. Were you just latching onto the first person you found attractive after losing Peter? You didn't care. Whether it would just turn out to be a pointless infatuation, every bone in your body was begging you to act on it.

"Can I talk to you in private?" As soon as the request slipped from your mouth, your hands started to shake. Your brain was clouded with the idea that she had to like you back, and it was only now that you realized there was a solid possibility that she didn't. But you'd already started.

MJ tensed, a thousand questions darting through her head. For once she felt optimistic; she thought this would be the moment you finally said the words she had been waiting for for months. But she was scared, anxious, only finding the courage to utter two words. "What for?" As much as she hoped for a good answer, she braced herself for the worst.

You opened your mouth, shutting it soon after upon finding you had nothing to say. Or at least, nothing you wanted to say yet while your two best friends were still standing a few feet away from you. "We can leave." You both turned to Peter, who was able to read you a lot better than his olive-skinned friend. He knew that he couldn't have you, but she could. "Should we leave? We'll leave."

"Wait what?" Ned looked to his friend, confused and upset at the hurry to leave after only just finding you. "But-" Peter pulled him along the bridge, only giving him the chance to wave and give you a quick 'bye'.

Once they were out of sight, MJ turned back to you, fingers nervously playing with the hood of your suit. "So, what did you need me for?"

"I-" There it was. That lump in your throat was back again. You had started out so bold, but when it actually came to the action, you found yourself stuck. I don't want to ruin things with MJ. I can't ruin things with MJ. What do I do? I could come up with an excuse. Any excuse. But I can't think of an excuse. What do I say? How did Peter do this? What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to do? Kiss her? Kiss her? Kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss her...

Your hands subconsciously squeezed her waist as your heartbeat quickened, eyes slowly falling down to her lips. "Oh." Her nervous voice snapped you from your trance, eyes shooting up to hers only to find her staring at your own lips. She met your eyes for the last time, offering you a sheepish smile before lowering them again until they finally shut as she leaned in. She didn't stay for long, however; your eyes had barely been able to shut before she pulled away. Yet, you stood there with your eyes closed and lips parted, captivated in an infatuated daze.

"Was that what you wanted me for?" You felt it. What was missing with Peter. And when you opened your eyes again at last, you needed more.

"C'mon. You know I wanted more than that."

word count: 1367