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summary: (see last chapter)
🕷🤍🕷
Peter woke up that next morning at an hour he deemed much to early, however in the hospital it seems time is on a separate clock. One that doesn't apply to the chaotic pattern of time outside the freshly squeegee cleaned glass sliding doors.
Regardless of the hour, the girl was being taken into surgery to fix her arm, the one that was bent at the horrifically unnatural angle when Peter found her under all the rubble from the fire.
Aunt May entered the room to retrieve Peter and take him home, considering the surgery would probably take quite a few hours. And the boy needed food and proper rest. And a shower. The smell of smoke and likely toxic fumes lingered on his skin and was woven into his hair like tiny pungent plaits.
Maybe the fumes he's been breathing in were the source of the strange feelings he was receiving towards the girl. Regardless, he went back to his and May's shared townhome and allowed himself a shower.
And because his aunt ushered him to the upstairs bathroom when he wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. May gave the argument she wasn't going to feed him until he took care of himself. In all reality she knew the boy had a lot to think about, and in a hot shower is one of the only times he gets to really take a moment to think without interruption.
It's like the whole world pauses when one hops into a shower. No one needs rescuing, he can't hear sirens or car crashes, no yelling or fights secluded in the sketchy dark alleyways of the city he calls home. Time stops.
Time. What a funny concept that just keeps circling back around in the vigilante's head.
His mind jumped back to the injured girl within moments, as the thoughts marinated in his head he massaged shampoo into his hair, sighing in relief when he felt his previously itchy scalp soothed with the lather. He doesn't shower enough, he thought, but what can he do? He's got a very demanding job that never stops. He never sleeps because the city never sleeps. A mutual relationship of endless nights and long days.
As he rinsed the soap from his hair and body he leaned his head forward enough for the hot water to run down his sore, toned back. Wincing when the hot liquid blanketed a burn mark he never noticed he'd received. Then grumbled internally when he realized there was likely a hole burnt into his suit and he'd need to fix it before the night's patrols.
That is- if nothing else came up today. Which he secretly prayed was the case seeing as he was finally starting to feel the muscle ache and exhaustion his body had hidden from him with adrenaline. Leave it to a hot shower to resurface everything.
The girl. The topic in question. He wondered how she lost her parents, which lead to him thinking about his own. He physically shook the thought out of his head with a heavy sigh and turned his face towards the shower head so the hot water could run down his face. Why was he so attracted to her? It's not like he's known her for long. Love at first sight maybe? Like all the cringe romance movies and rom com series he finds May watching alone late at night, a glass of white wine in her hand and Uncle Ben's favorite blanket draped over her lap.
He didn't know what. However what he did know was this; there wasn't any way he'd let her recover from the fire trauma alone.
He knows that relationships reasonably isn't a smart move in his line of work, but he'd have to make it work for her. He just knows what's it's like to feel like you've lost everything, and feel alone at the very same time. He didn't want her going through those dark and depressing feelings by herself.
The vigilante finished his shower, dressed himself in an old tee and sweats, then wandered downstairs hoping there wasn't another reason for May to kick him out of the kitchen again. He's hungry, he hasn't eaten since lunch the previous day and it's after a normal breakfast time currently. However, Peter smelled bacon, and he decided there wasn't anything stopping him from devouring it.
May smiled at her nephew when he entered the small dining room, then set a piled high plate of eggs and bacon on the table in his usual spot. Then a glass of orange juice next to it. He smiled, knowing his aunt is taking good care of him supplying him with large amounts of protein and vitamins so his body can replenish itself.
He sat across from her as they both dug into the food, Peter more so than May seeing as her meal schedule was relatively normal.
"I have my pager on and with me. They'll let me know when she's out and we'll go back up there together."
Peter was grateful for his aunt making her a priority, solely because the girl is a priority to Peter. However he was not prepared for her next topic in question. In fact he was a little shocked she brought it up so casually.
"I know you haven't thought about dating again since you lost Gwen, but I think it would be good for you."
Peter almost choked on his bit of scrambled eggs, thank God they're a softer food and went down easier after a few coughs. "Aunt May?"
"I've seen the looks you give her," She knowingly smiled at him. "I'm not new to the love game, Pete."
"Love is a little much," He said, biting into a strip of bacon. "But I think hiding anything from you now is probably pointless."
The two of them shared a laugh and May sipped her mug of warm coffee. "Your uncle would be saying the same thing, y'know."
Peter smiled and looked down at his plate, blushing as he nodded. "Yeah. And then he'd push me to tell her."
"He wouldn't be wrong. How about we get her some flowers or balloons when we go back later?"
Peter nodded, liking the idea of presenting a gift to the girl. Hoping it went better than the last time he tried to present flowers to a girl.
