𝑬𝑺𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑶. peter parker.

𝑶𝑵𝑬. highly caffeinated beverages.

ೃೀ i.    𝑹𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑫𝑶𝑶𝑹𝑾𝑨𝒀, 𝑺𝑯𝑬 𝑲𝑵𝑬𝑾 𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑭𝑻 𝑾𝑨𝑺 𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹. Laureline watched as he hurtled his way into the coffee shop, looking terrible. Blood ran down his face from spot where his lip had split. He had a black eye, and several other cuts along his face. She rushed over to him, and without thinking, she took his face between her hands, examining him. He didn't say a word as she touched him. She sighed internally, thinking about the one previous time he had been in a very similar situation to this one. Without pausing to think, she led him to the employee's only back room. She instructed him to stay put until she came back to get him.

She made her way back to the register, dreading the next person to walk through that door. She was right to be skeptical; things tended to take a turn for the worst whenever a situation like this arose. She folded her arms across her chest as the person in question entered the coffee shop. He was a boy who went to her school. Flash Thompson was the stereotypical school bully. She had seen him action several times. She had no idea what his obsession with Peter Parker was, but he was always going after the nerdy boy with the cool skateboard.

"Where is he?" Flash asked, returning her to the present.

She raised her eyebrows mockingly. "Where's who?"

"Parker. Peter Parker."

She glanced around the coffee shop, making a show of looking for Peter. The best part about going face to face with Flash was his stupidity. He was so easy to rile up and make fun of. Now, she wouldn't ordinarily openly mock someone. However, Flash was bully and he needed to learn his place. She didn't know much about Peter, but she did know that he didn't deserve being abused for Flash's entertainment. Under no circumstance did anyone else. If she could, she would put a stop to his antics. He was a foul human being with low self esteem. She knew for a fact that it was often easier to others' flaws than one's own. But today, Flash Thompson was about to have his handed to him on a silver platter.

"You do realize," she said casually, "that I could file a report for assault?"

He scowled at her. "No you can't. You wouldn't dare."

She smiled slightly. "I can go to the school and report you. I have video proof of you assaulting Peter Parker. And countless other students. Then, I can also go to the police if you make any sudden moves. This is public property, after all. So, before you try anything, the odds aren't looking too good for you. They aren't in your favor."

"You little bitch," he spluttered. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, yes. I'd dare quite a bit, actually." She glanced at him. "See, people like you always get away with things like this. Peter Parker hasn't done anything to you. And here you are, trying to hunt him down in a public establishment, just because he didn't do the stupid thing you asked him to. That doesn't give you the right to be an asshole."

Flash snorted. "And you're some saint, Laureline Stokes?"

"I don't bully innocent people for fun. So, yeah. I guess that makes me saint."

"Why do you care about Parker so much?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

That was the ultimate question, wasn't it? Why did she care about Peter Parker's wellbeing? She supposed it steamed from the time at that fashion show when she helped out and bought him that camera. Above that, though, was the fact that he was just a nice person. He was kind and despite his closed off nature, she viewed him as someone worth caring about. After all, she had no doubt that that if something happened to her, he would be the first one to come to her defense. She believed that Peter Parker was someone she couldn't live without having in her life.

Out loud, she said, "I care about him like I'd care about anyone. He's a person, and you need to respect that."

Flash gave her a strange look. "But he's so weird," he said after a pause. "Parker doesn't really mean anything to anyone in the big scope of things."

"He means something to me," she replied coldly. "Everyone means something. Now get out. If you don't leave, I'll call the police."

With an irritated look, Flash turned and left. She watched his retreating back, then hurriedly walked over to the emplyee's only room. She wrenched the door open. Peter Parker was staring at her, his lips parted in surprise. She cursed silently. She had completely forgotten that the room's door wasn't soundproof. To top it off, she and Flash had pretty much been yelling at each other the entire time. Which meant that Peter had heard everything she had said in his defense.

"I mean something to you?" he asked softly. "You don't even know me."

She reached out her hand for him and took it. "This has happened on more than one account," she replied, leading him to one of the shop's tables. "I think you've earned the right of being someone I care about."

He gave her a small smile. "Thanks for saving my ass. Again."

"You'd do it for me."

He nodded but didn't say anything.

She stood in front of him, her fingers brushing along the cuts on his cheeks. She shook her head, thinking about how badly she wanted to kill Flash Thompson. She grabbed a napkin and a cup of water off the table. She began cleaning the blood from his wounds and his split lip. Once she was done, she ran her fingers over his hair, probing his head for any bumps. He was very still as she did this, his eyes fluttering closed. She dropped her hands to his shoulders, pondering. He couldn't keep running into the coffee shop like this. Flash and his bullying had to stop. She pulled him into a hug, then let go, making her way to the counter in search of the first aid kit.

"Laureline?" asked Peter.

"Yeah?"

"You mean something to me too." He watched as she moved to stand in front of him once more. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You see me and stand up for me when no one else does."

She smiled. "How could I not see you, Mystery Boy? You're the biggest dork I've ever met. But mark my words, Flash is going to pay for this. I don't know how yet, but he will. And that's a promise I intend to keep."