Anything But Easier

Once Big And Strong

A/N: Hi! I met Tom Holland last week! It was magical. His eyes were so amazing. And HIS VOICE. OH HIS VOICE. But his eyes were what got me the most. I was at ACE Comic Con in Seattle. My friends and I were at the infamous Q&A panel, so that was interesting lol I loved it though. I couldn't hear a lot towards the end and everyone in the audience was so wound up I didn't think anything of the questions at the time. And since I graduated with my AA last week, I'm hoping to be able to upload more consistently. Anyways, enjoy! 

                                                                          

Christina was outside of her cellular biology class, reading over her notes one last time before Peter barged through the double doors at the end of the hall. Christina and ten other students looked up. Peter wore a grey t-shirt that said "don't trust atoms. they make up everything." and his signature navy blue hoodie. Well, his hoodie was only on one arm and his t-shirt was crooked. He had one arm tucked through his backpack strap and the other trying to shove its way into his hoodie. His eyes were puffy and his hair was messy, like he just rolled out of bed. He sprinted down the hallway, spotting Christina. She sighed his thumping footsteps approached and turned back to her notes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Peter slid down against the wall next to her. His knee brushed against his as he situated himself on the ground and dug through his bag for his notes. Christina felt a twinge of the weird electricity shoot through her leg and she pulled her legs against her chest, wrapping her free arm around them. Peter glanced at her, realized what happened and mumbled a small apology. Christina just nodded and focused on her diagrams and definitions.

It was the morning after the Goblin's attack on The Hole In the Wall. After Spider-Man left, Mr. Nester, the owner of the cafe, arrived. He seemed more concerned about Christina and Michelle's welfare than the condition of his cafe. He was like a father to Christina and Michelle, especially since both of them didn't have the greatest parents in the world. Once he determined both of his employees were safe and assessed the damage of the cafe, he left. The only things that needed to be repaired was a table, two chairs and the shattered window. After Mr. Nester left, Peter showed up. He was out of breath, his hair tousled and he had a small cut on his forehead. When Christina asked him what happened, he said he cut himself when Goblin tossed him through the window. He claimed to have landed on a mattress from a tipped over mattress delivery truck, so he didn't have any other bruises. Christina didn't remember seeing a mattress truck and when she told him, he just blushed and insisted it was there.

Christina risked a quick glance at Peter and saw he put a small butterfly bandage on his scratch. He was hunched over his own notes now, but she saw his eyes focused on her more than the papers.

"How... How are you?" Peter asked quietly, still not quite looking at her.

"I'm fine," Christina answered softly. It wasn't entirely true since she and Michelle hadn't slept well that night. They both had to leave the lights on and had their household weapons, metal baseball bats, within arms reach at all times. "What about you?" Christina's question made Peter flick his head towards her briefly, staring into her eyes for a short moment before he turned away.

"I-I-I-I'm o-okay," Peter stammered. Silence fell between them and Christina felt the urge to check herself to see if he was okay. Her concern for the boy made her bite her lip and try to focus on her notes harder.

"Di... Did h-he g-g-get to y-you?" Peter asked cautiously. The question made Christina's heart rate pick up as she envisioned the Goblin's sickly yellow eyes and menacing green mask. She pulled her legs closer to her. She knew her voice would sound shaky and weak if she spoke, so she just shook her head. She quickly glanced at him and he nodded, letting out a little sigh of relief. "That's... That's good," He breathed. Christina gave him a little nod and bit on her lip.