Starkly in Love- A Spiderman x Reader

Chapter 7: Home Sweet 'L' Words

  The remaining 2 days in D.C. I spent in a haze. I stumbled along behind the group during the rest of the monument and museum visits, ignoring everything except the blur of thoughts in my head. The bus ride home wasn't any better for a few reasons. One of which I was sitting by Peter.

  Don't get me wrong, I still liked, no, loved him, but it was now we were uncomfortable around each other. I should have been relieved that I was finally let in on Peter's super-secret secret, but I wasn't. I couldn't figure out why I just felt uneasy.  Maybe it was having another person I loved that had to regularly save people, but I couldn't tell Peter that because he already felt bad enough. Maybe it was that that 'Void' guy seemed to be after Spiderman a.k.a. my Peter.

  Whatever the reason, it was a huge relief to finally be back at my high-tech home on a lovely Tuesday morning.

  "I'm home," I yelled, walking through the door after awkwardly hugging Peter goodbye. No one answered me, not even Friday. I hadn't really been expecting a welcome home, but with everything that had changed or felt like it changed I wanted one.

  Sighing, I shuffled up the stairs and into my room. It was exactly how I left it, messy but mine. I dropped my backpack into the middle of the floor where it would get kicked around by me later and flopped onto my bed. Its familiar warmth enveloped me like the hug I needed. Even leaving for the 4 days I was gone I forgot how much I loved my home.

  My room imparticular was beautiful with one wall almost completely glass that had a beautiful view of the ocean in the distant. Even though the mess of clothes, blankets, and bunched up rugs, the dark hardwood floor underneath somehow still looked brand new and shiny. The posters revolving around my favorite books and movies that hung framed on my wall somehow looked dignified and matched with my Hogwarts crest blanket that I was sprawled upon.

  I smiled a little and snuggled deeper into my bed. My eyes started drifting shut and I did nothing to stop them. A little nap couldn't hurt.

* * * * *

  My 'little nap' turned into a nap from 3:30 when I got home to 4:00 in the morning. My body decided that it didn't need any more sleep at 4 like I said.

  I yawned and sat up. I someone still felt like I could sleep for a few more hours after the 12+ hours that I had been asleep. The life of a teenager. And just like every other teenager, I felt the need to check my Instagram and Twitter to like a few things.

  I was about to sneak my way downstairs to hopefully find something to eat when something tapped lightly on my window. I didn't think anything of it until it came again, a little harder. I spared the glass a glance and almost jump out of my skin. The one and only Spiderman was hanging by a single web in front of my window. Peter had his mask on so I couldn't see his face, but if I had to bet on it I'd say he was smiling awkwardly.

  "Tony Stark," I cursed under my breath and went to slid open one of the many panels. 

  Peter slipped easily through the window and landed soundlessly in front of me. I found myself crossing my arms defensively in front of my chest like I didn't trust him which is the furthest thing from the truth.

  He pulled his mask off and there was that uncomfortable grin. "Um... hey?"

  "Hi," I uncrossed my arms then crossed them again. Peter was fidgeting equally as much as me by shifting his mask from hand to hand.

  "So-um- I thought I'd -um- drop by..." he said.

  "It's 4 in the morning," I helpfully pointed out.

  "Well, I-um- saw you were on Twitter."

  "My next question, what are you doing up at this ungodly hour."

  "I could ask the same of you," He evaded my question.

  "Well I asked first," I threw a curveball, "And don't try to lie to me, I have an excellent lie-dar."

  He contemplated this for a few second, his cheeks flushing lightly. "Okay... I guess- I was- um- thinkingaboutyou," he added quickly at the end.

  I felt my cheeks rush to match his clearly red ones. "Me? Why-why me?" The fake confidence lost from my voice.

  Peter nodded quickly. "I-I still feel bad about, you know, Saturday and stuff.." he trailed off and mumbled something unintelligible.

  "What was that?" I asked, ignoring the first part because I had already gone over this with him.

  "I -um- said, that" Peter uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck in that hot way that guys do-"I like you (Y/N). Like really like you."

  Confused and in denial I didn't have enough time to form something intelligible.

  "I know it's a long shot that you would ever want to be with anyone like me. And it was really stupid of me to come and see you at 4 a.m., but just couldn't stop myself, so here I am. Do your worst." He seemed totally and utterly resigned to the fact that I would turn him down; his head was down and he looked ready to get kicked in the gut. Turning him down was the furthest thing from my mind.

  "Peter," I said softly. He didn't move, still set on rejection, so I reached out and took his hand lightly in mine. he stiffed under my touch and I could feel all the emotions going him through him like they were my own.

  "How could anyone not-" I quickly decided which 'L' word I wanted to use-"love you?"

  "What?" his head shot up, brown eyes as confused as mine were minutes before.

  "Peter Parker you are the best person I've ever met, and I don't know how I've managed to not make it painfully obvious that I have loved you from the first second you smiled at me." It was another spur-of-the-moment decision to use the stronger 'L' word.

  It was my turn to look at my feet because even though Peter had literally just told me that he liked me, he hadn't used the ever-terrifying word.

  "Oh thank god," he breathed, hand still in mine, and pulled me into my favorite hug to date.

  I hesitated for the splitest of split seconds before completely relaxing into him. We'ce hugged before obviously but now it was like our bodies fit together like perfectly oiled gears, or like that one more elctron that a cell needed to be complete, or a perfectly even soundwave, or something else science-y.

  "I better not be dreaming," I mumbled into his red and blue suit, letting my eyes drift blissfully shut.

  "Do you need me to pinch you?" Peter suggested quietly.

  "Pinch me and you'll regret it."

  His chest vibrated under my cheek as he laughed and I could have stayed there for years.