Lovebug ── PETER PARKER¹

33. Coincidences

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           In the previous weeks, Luna had gotten stronger and stronger, her frustration being the key. Now that all that frustration seemed to have melted away with one ten second long kiss with Peter, it left her vulnerable. Not to a bad extent, but to the point where Mia had actually managed to knock the girl off her feet.

          The worst part? She didn't even care. The girl who'd take pride in being able to knock her friends over with a single kick, who'd successfully knocked over their own teacher in more than one occasion, was actually okay with being on the ground from one hit. Liz had rolled her eyes at the sight of the girl's lovestruck smile, wearing her own smile of amusement as she stood to take Luna's place in sparring with Mia.

          It was obvious there was no way Luna was being pulled out of her little dream world, she'd been that way the entire day. She sat in English with her head leant against her hand, a smile dancing across her lips despite being completely bored with the Shakespeare play they were reading. She sat out in PE and talked to Michelle eagerly, even if the girl had little to no interest in what she was saying. She was biting her cheek in biology to stop her smile from spreading each time she tried to sneak a glance at Peter, only to find him already looking at her with a small smile of his own.

          Of course, word had spread quickly of her and Peter in the hallway, but she couldn't bring herself to care. So when she walked into class and felt lingering stares, she simply flashed a smile to people, not saying a word. Not even Flash Thompson was able to get to the girl, her smile remaining in tact as he nagged her, only getting a middle finger in response.

          "Moonie, my Mom needs me to go with her to my brother's basketball game," Mia informed her best friend as she unstrapped her equipment, handing it to Esther. "I don't know if you want to come, but I know you hated it last time, but she can't drop you today."

          Luna's shrugged, picking up her belongings, "I can take the train tonight, no biggie. Wish Jonathan good luck on my behalf." She hugged both her friends and her teacher before leaving the building, her bag swinging with each step she took. At such a late time, the train didn't take all that long to come, thankfully not crowded enough for her to not be able to find a seat.

           With twenty minutes to spare, Luna decided on taking out the book. She hadn't dared to flip through it since she got it back, afraid to read the words that had gotten her into such a predicament. But now all tension was gone, and she didn't dread opening the book and reading what had brought her to this point. Starting from the beginning, she flipped through the pages, a small smile on her lips as she read Liz's words that Mia had written down. Now she was happy to have the book, to see how her feelings for Peter had developed into whatever they are now, reading through it giving her the chance to basically relive the last few months of her love life. She considered adding today's events, but as the train came to a stop, she realized it was time for her to get off.

           Stuffing the book back into her bag, she practically skipped off the train, eager to make it back to her house. She was ready to tell Andrew everything and watch as he overreacted to every detail, simultaneously lifting her spirits while embarrassing her. But of course, with all the happiness flooding her system, she was left vulnerable. Meaning she didn't even see the arm shoot out from the alley, and yank her into the darkness with them.

            In an instant, she was pulling herself out of the grasp of the stranger, prepared to defend herself. She quickly dropped her fists when she recognized the red masked being, a sigh leaving her lips. "You scared the hell out of me," she mumbled softly, lifting her bag higher up her shoulder.

          Spider-Man's eyes narrowed at her, his arms crossing over his chest. "Well, you should be more cautious around here."

           Her lips fell into a frown as memories resurfaced, and she nodded sheepishly. "You're right, my bad." It was silent for a moment before Luna finally asked, "So what's the occasion? Do you always tug girls into alleyways just to stare at each other?"

          He chuckled, Luna barely able to hear it as it came out muffled through his mask. "Just checking up on you..." He trailed off.

          Luna nodded, racking her mind for anything significant that she'd want to share with her sort or friend, yet sort of stranger. "Well that book I told you about, I got it back," She lifted up the book from her bag as she said this, a blush settling on her cheeks as she remembered the face plastered on the front. "The guy I like had it, and yeah, that lead to some pretty interesting stuff." Spider-Man didn't make an effort to speak again, so she continued. "I mean, he said he likes me now, and I was super happy about it, but I can't help but be worried, you know? Like what if he's just saying he likes me, because I like him, and he knows I won't reject him. I want him to actually like me, not feel obligated to."

         Though she couldn't see it, the boy inside the suit was frowning at her words. She thought he only liked her just he felt he had to like her, when that was far from the truth. He wanted to give her genuine advice, but this was Spider-Man, his dynamic with Luna was completely different than Peter's. So in an effort to not reveal himself, he went with the playful approach. "What does a guy need to do for you to believe they like you? Stamp it on their forehead?"

         Big mistake.

          The frown Luna once wore faded, her eyebrows drawing together as she stared at the figure before her. Isn't it obvious, or do I need to stamp it on my forehead that I have feelings for you Luna? Luna's throat tightened, and she tried her hardest to label it as just a coincidence, but when Spider-Man tensed up as well, she couldn't.

          She blinked rapidly, hoping to come up with another logical explanation as to why Spider-Man would tell her the exact same thing Peter did just a hours prior. But every little "coincidence" seemed to be coming back to her, piece by piece. The black-eye Peter had, just two days after she was attacked outside of the bar. The way he didn't at all seem shocked to see Luna's reaction to the man who tried to take advantage of her, and knew exactly what to do in the situation. All the equipment she saw in Peter's room, new inventions of his that didn't make sense to her. How her book magically appeared in Peter's room, despite her searching, after she told Spider-Man it was missing.

          He could see her putting the pieces together, she was too smart to be seeing everything as just coincidental. There was a lump in her throat, leaving her unable to speak as he stepped towards her. "Luna," He said softly, hands reaching out to grab onto the girl's arms, but she did the unthinkable.

           Without a thought about how it may backfire, Luna's hand shot out, swiftly pulling the mask off the hero. Her heart sunk as she met the shocked eyes of Peter Parker.