TELEKINETIC │ p.p

Chapter Ten

A giggly Vanessa was sat on the couch, resting her head on Peter's shoulder with their hands still intertwined, listening to Kate tell crazy stories - some true, some made-up.

"I'm tired," Peter mumbled, leaning his head on top of Vanessa's.

"Then sleep, doofus," she giggled, sitting up.

"But I don't want to go to bed," he groans. Vanessa rolls her eyes and leans back into the couch, patting her lap. Peter gasped softly, laying his head on her thighs and cuddling into her flesh and the couch. Vanessa grabbed the blanket from behind her head and covered him up, watching him snuggle into it before passing out. She felt she could do the same.

- - - - -

Vanessa awoke the next morning, sprawled across the couch, to an empty living room, causing her to scan for people. Last night must not have gone the way she thought it did. But what a beautiful dream.

Her head began to pound, worsening as someone knocked at the front door. She groaned, pressing the heel of her hand into her forehead as she slumped over her knees, sliding off the couch and onto her feet, and walked over to the door.

"Hello," she grumbled.

"You don't look so well, darling," a low voice spoke.

"Do I know you?" she questioned, squinting her eyes as she tried to look up at the man, but the morning light was disrupting her vision.

"Your boyfriend does," he replies with a low, almost inaudible cackle.

"I don't have a boyfr-" Arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her into the air as he walked into the house, slamming the door shut.

"Peter! I have your girlfriend!" the man called out, holding tighter onto Vanessa as she continued to kick, punch, and scream. The man clamped a hand over her mouth and squeezed her body hard, instantly shutting her up and relaxing her body, but not in a calm way. Her body ached from whatever happened last night.

"Vanessa?" Kate called out, footsteps padding toward the staircase.

"Hide!" Vanessa was able to clearly yell as she ripped her head out of the man's hand, causing the man to drop her on the floor, adding a tiny toss. Vanessa groaned, hissing a breath in and out. He stood over her, sitting down on her body.

"Where is he?" the man growled in her face.

"I don't know," Vanessa replied, tears trickling down her face. "I really don't."

The man flew off her body, a flash of red and blue the only thing Vanessa saw. She sat up, watching as Spider-Man wrapped the man in webs and opened the front door.

"You really shouldn't trespass," he spoke before flinging the man hundreds of yards, quickly shutting and locking the door. He slid over to Vanessa, helping her stand. "Are you okay?"

She staggered backward a bit, unable to find her balance. Spider-Man held her up as he asked where it hurt. Vanessa looked into his eyes, confused.

"You sound just like-" And that's when it clicked. The disappearance of Peter and appearance of Spider-Man were always timed nearly perfectly, the secret Peter had to keep to protect the ones he cared for, and now their voices sounding exactly the same. Plus, how in the hell would Spider-Man have guessed she was in trouble in the middle of the woods? "Peter?" Vanessa whispered.

"Shit," whoever was behind the mask muttered. Vanessa grabbed the slit where the suit separated from the mask, lifting the mask above his head. She gasped, and would've fallen backward if not for Peter's strong grip.

"You- I- He- When- How-"

"Maybe you should sit," Peter spoke, his voice giving away how annoyed he was at himself for not changing the pitch of his voice or something to differentiate between Spider-Man and Peter Parker. He sat Vanessa down on the couch, and told her he was going to change quick so that Kate wouldn't see him.

Vanessa sat alone, whispering to herself, for only a few minutes before Peter returned in normal clothes.

"Can we talk outside?" he whispered.

"What if that man comes back? Or he's waiting for us and-"

"I got you," Peter replied. He held out his hand, which Vanessa took. It brought back the memory of them last night, making Vanessa's heart clench.

Peter brought her outside, where it was chilled and more private, considering the closest neighbor was two miles away and Kate wouldn't be able to hear what was being said.

"You're fucking Spider-Man," Vanessa spoke, acting as if the news struck her similar to how lightning would. Vanessa's eyes widened. "And I told you how much I admired him, and you just listened-"

"Nessa," Peter interjected, grabbing both her wrists. "Breathe with me." Vanessa listened, taking the deep breaths Peter took, not letting go until he did and not inhaling until he had. "I should've grabbed you some water-"

"Why couldn't you have told me before?" she questioned.

"Because I didn't want what happened several minutes ago to happen at all," he responded.

"How did he even know who you are underneath the mask?" she quizzed.

"I'm sure the villain I dealt with before him told him," he sighed. "Otherwise I don't know how."

"Do you know who that was?" she asked.

"Yes, he's a very bad guy that I've been trying to stop for weeks."

"And you still haven't got him?" she questioned.

"Well, I did just have him-" Peter stopped, then slammed his palms into his forehead. "Noooo," he groaned, realization hitting his body like a bus.

"You just had him, for the first time," Vanessa spoke in monotone, while she realized it all with him, as she zoned out on a spot on Peter's shirt, "but you didn't care about catching him in that moment, did you?"

"My first thought was to get him as far away as I could so I had time to make sure you were okay," he explained.

"Fuck, Peter, I'm so sorry," Vanessa spoke, resting her hand on his shoulder. He covered his face with his hands, calling himself names similar to stupid. "You're not an idiot," Vanessa defends, embracing him. "You're amazing." Peter hugged her back, feeling his heartbeat pick up speed.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" he questioned softly.

"I remember every now and then," she sighs. "Why? Do you?"

"I was drunk enough to not have a filter but not wasted to the point I couldn't remember every detail of the night," he responded.

"What happened?" Vanessa asked, still holding onto him.

"Well, uh- I-I called you pretty, a-and you called me pretty back, whi-which I responded with 'you can't call a guy pretty' - and w-we stared up at the stars for quite a while - when we went back inside we h-held hands and basically c-cuddled - and that's about it." Peter was beyond flustered and couldn't tell if he wanted Vanessa to let go for his body's sake or for her to not let go, saving himself the embarrassment of her seeing how red his cheeks were in this moment.

"Well, you are pretty," she replied. "Guys can be called pretty."

"That kinda takes away the masculinity of a boy, though," he chuckles.

"Oh shut up, you can lose a little," Vanessa teases, unable to suppress her smile.

"We've been hugging for awhile," Peter whispered. "Did you want to let go or-"

"I wanna stay like this forever," Vanessa confessed, curious as to if she was still drunk.

"Forever wouldn't really work, but we can stay like this for a few more minutes," Peter responds, "but I need to make Ned some breakfast or he'll kill me."