Flower Child (Peter Parker, MCU)

Venetian Canals, Not Canal Street

Bongo Cha Cha Cha — Caterina Valence

The air was warm and unbelievably humid, Peter thought, but at least the boat they were sat upon was going fast enough to provide a pleasant breeze. There weren't many seats available on the boat, so a couple of students, Peter included, sat on the edges. It was ultimately preferable, as the views were unobstructed, and he got to see the city of Venice emerge from the humid air around him.

Venice was much larger than pictures could do justice. The Grand Canal was wide and had sailboats, speedboats, and gondolas all sharing the space without fear of running into each other. To their left, an opulent basilica sat dominantly over every other building surrounding it. And yet the other buildings were still interesting in their own respect: flowers bloomed in window sills, contrasting the unique colors of the buildings themselves, which were pinks and tans and reds and greens, all of which were highlighted by the blue water they were next to. Peter was told that the water in Venice was muggy and dirty, which wasn't untrue. But it wasn't the Hudson or the East River, Peter could still see the bluish-green hue of the canals, and thought it was beautiful to behold.

Another sight Peter had that wasn't impeded upon was Lila, who sat next to MJ on the edge of the boat. From where Peter was sitting, the sun shone down on her skin, and she appeared to be almost glowing. Lila had a sunhat clutched in one hand while the other grabbed onto the boat for balance. Her sunglasses were tangled in her honey-colored hair at the top of her head, despite the bright day upon them. Peter didn't mind, he thought the crinkles around her eyes as she squinted in the sunlight were really cute, and it gave him a better chance to see her eyes properly, the lively green that they were.

Her lips were turned slightly upwards as Michelle said something to her. Nodding in what could only be agreement, Lila gazed around at the buildings that the boat was slowly cruising past. Quicker than he thought, her stare turned back to face him, and before Lila could notice Peter's staring, he turned and looked out to his left, pretending he was interested in the towering basilica that sat on the bank as it drew nearer. Had he looked a little longer, he would've seen Lila raise an inquisitorial eyebrow, and a blush settle on her cheeks. When he looked back at her, she was fumbling through the small bag on her shoulder and pulled out her camera.

She looked back up at Peter and smiled, raising the camera slightly in question. He realized she was asking to take a picture of him, and he hastily nodded. Lila quickly placed the camera up to her eye and waited for Peter to smile. Hoping that his nerves didn't reflect in his features, Peter waited for Lila to lower her camera before he moved again. Given that her smile was larger after taking the picture, Peter assumed it must have been a somewhat decent shot. She turned away from him and took a few photos of Michelle, who laughed at a joke Lila said. Afterward, Brad took the camera from Lila and snapped a few photos of Lila and MJ, much to Peter's dismay. But soon enough, Lila took the camera back and put it away, content with watching her surroundings while Peter was content with watching her.

A few turns down canals later, and the boat slowed in front of a building with scaffolding covering the front. The only thing particularly visible was the word "Hotel" on the front, and Mr. Harrington cheerfully called out, "Looks like we're here. They're doing some renovations to this place, you guys are getting some upgrades." He seemed deaf to the murmurings of the group, who were all but enthused to step foot inside the building.

Their teacher taking the lead, everyone got off the boat, leaving their luggage with the people working out front. Two steps inside and Peter noticed that Mr. Harrington got shorter. When he walked into the lobby, he saw why. A single plank of wood stretched over the floor, guiding people over the puddle of water that sat underneath it. The hotel clerk sat in a corner, flipping through an Italian magazine uninterestedly while the rest of the group gathered in the dryer part of the lobby.