Catch Me // Spider-Man (BOOK 1)

Chapter 11 - Anything but ok

"Are you crazy?" Peter tried to wave off after I had a mental lapse and blurted out that I knew the truth about him.

"Oh no you don't Peter Parker. Don't make me out to be an idiot. I saw."

"You saw what?" Peter suddenly aware of everything around us, not wanting anyone to hear our conversation.

"I saw Spider-Man take his mask off when he was balancing on that car."

"Lauren..."

"Imagine my shock when the face I see is none other than yours, my best friend. It's been you this whole time, the mugging, the bridge and you didn't say anything." If I was going to get out everything that was running through my mind I had to get it out now, even if that meant interrupting him mid sentence.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew?" The bluntness of his sudden questioning response, the urgency in his eyes being enough to quiet me down momentarily.

"I don't know, shock I guess. Trying to work it all out in my head. And I thought if you wanted me to know you would have told me yourself. You must have had a reason not to."

In those next few moments, as we stood on a quiet corner of our residential street the air became thick, heavy, almost as if it was pushing us together. I couldn't take my eyes off of him and he couldn't take his off of me.

"I did...I do," Peter stuttered, stepping even closer to me, so we were only inches apart.

"What?" I whispered.

"You've seen how much backlash Spider-Man has already, I'm gonna make enemies. I thought by keeping it to myself you and Aunt May would be safe. I can't risk anything happening to either one of you because of who I choose to be." Tears were coming to his eyes now, tears I didn't want to see. They weren't sad, at least I don't think they were. They were tears of relief, relief because he'd finally got it off his chest. Someone else now knew the truth, someone he could trust.

"Peter, you know I'm willing to take that risk."

"Well I'm not willing to let you."

"You don't have a choice now. You can't go through all of this on your own. It's too much for one person to handle."

Wanting him to completely understand where I was coming from and also wanting him to see sense, I stepped forward taking one of his shaking free hands in one of mine, gripping on to it tightly and then looking up at him with a smile.

"Plus, I think I've already proved I can get myself in enough danger not knowing you're the superhero. Doesn't make much difference really." Peter couldn't help the half grin that pulled at his lips when I finished.

Before another word could be spoken and before I could react Peter took hold of my only free hand, clutching it firmly in his. He'd gone all serious again and that made me fricking nervous.

"Lauren, that night when you were on the bridge, when I got there I saw you lying on the floor, I was so scared, I didn't know..."

"Pete, that just proves how amazing you are. You pushed through the fear. Even when you didn't know if I was ok you moved forward, you saved that little boy." Now tears were coming to my eyes.

"I'm glad I was on that bridge. I'm glad that I know the truth, that I saw you. You wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because now you're not on your own, now you can share all of that with me. Your fears, your struggles, everything. I'm right here ok, I'll always be right here."

For the next two, three hours Peter decided if I was going to know this then I might as well know everything. We walked back to his house still holding hands, not going unnoticed to myself I might add and went straight up to his room, Peter bolting the door behind him. First thing he did was open his wardrobe, reach inside and pull out, yep you've guessed it, the suit. We sat on his bedroom floor side by side, our legs crossed and the suit laid out in front of us, a constant reminder of the alter ego that could be called into action at any second.