Two best friends in a room... they might kiss... or end up completely killing each other.
Tasm!Peter Parker story.
Book [3] of the Paracosm series (but can also be read as a stand-alone).
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⋆ fourteen ⋆
"Hey, where are you going?"
Peter's voice makes Maddy jump violently, whirling around to see him with Monopoly in his hands at the bottom of the stairs. If he'd done this in her early days, she would've caught fire in her surprise – at least that's something she's learnt to control.
"Uh..."
"I thought we had evenings together," Peter reminds her, waving the box as he heads over, taking notice of her outfit. "But you look like you're going out."
"Well..." Maddy pauses, fiddling with the cuff of her shirt sleeve, "I, uh... I am going out."
"Since when do you go out on weekdays apart from work? Have you been replaced with the Flesh or something?"
"No, I haven't– Wait." Madison narrows her eyes at Peter, surprised. "You pay attention to Doctor Who? You're always on your phone."
"I multitask. Don't distract me."
He heads over, putting the box on the coffee table before turning his attention to his best friend, who sighs. "Okay, fine. I messaged Flash this morning, asked if he wanted to go out today. Just to get coffee, so I promise I won't be long. We can play after."
But the very first sentence that escapes her lips is enough for Peter's shoulders to droop. After that weekend, neither of them had said anything about her date with Flash, and he'd had hope that it wouldn't lead to anything. Not that he didn't want her to be happy, but at the same time he can't tell her how he feels, either, not with what happened to Gwen. He's not sure why he doesn't like the idea of them being together, then. Why does it matter so much?
Feelings are so confusing.
He forces the emotions away, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, uh... You two are officially dating then?"
"Oh, God no. I'm meeting up with him so I can tell him that I don't have feelings for him." She perches herself on the back of the couch, not meeting his eyes as she shrugs weakly. "I thought I might be able to, but he's just a friend, and I don't want to lead him on. So I'm going to tell him that I'm okay with hanging out as friends, but just that. Friends."
When she glances at Peter, his expression is unreadable, his back leaning against the kitchen counter, lips pressed together silently. After a few seconds, he finally nods. "Okay. But I'm expecting you to bring coffee back for me."
Something playful creeps into his voice, and relief fills Madison up, the girl rolling her eyes before messing up Peter's hair. "Yeah, right. Make your own coffee."
But even as she leaves, Peter stays quiet, his mind racing with all sorts of possibilities. May's words echo back in his mind over and over, how love doesn't always end up the same way, but he'd never allowed himself to believe that. He avoided relationships so he wouldn't have to lose anyone else, till he met Maddy.
