Peter Parker Swings Out of the Closet

10: Cute Boy

Alex's POV:

I'm sitting in a chair next to Tony Stark, my idol, but all I can think about is Peter. I don't know him that well, but he was in my P.E. class last year and I always wanted to say hi. He's super cute, and sometime last year he became really buff, which only makes him hotter. I'd love to ask him out, but there's only one issue- I'm not out to anyone. I've known since I was 11 that I'm into boys, but I've never actually dated a guy (or anyone) before.

I sit there, looking at Peter and thinking about where I would take him on our first date, when I notice that his eyes are open and staring right back at me. I blush, and glance over at Mr. Stark, who fell asleep in the three hours I was staring at Peter.

"Uh hey Peter, how are you feeling?" I ask, not sure whether I should wake up Mr. Stark.

He just groans and pulls the blanket further up his body, wincing as he moves his arms.

"Do you need anything?"

Peter clears his throat in response and whispers "water," so I quickly go to the water fountain and fill up one of those plastic hospital cups. When I get back he takes a sip of water and smiles weakly at me, seeming unsure of what to say.

"d-do you know what happened?" He asks after an awkward silence.

"When I got to you, you were beaten pretty bad and you were unconscious. I stayed with you until your dad- uh, Mr.Stark, arrived and called a wizard looking dude, and at that point I just decided to stay with you to make sure you're okay." I ramble on, my cheeks burning.

He just nods slowly and looks at Tony. Suddenly I feel brave, and start to ask him out, but I'm interrupted by Peter suddenly crying out in pain, which wakes up Tony Stark.

"Peter, I'm here kid, whats going on, where does it hurt?" Tony says as he rushes over to the bed, kneeling next to peter on the side opposite me. Peter is still groaning in pain, and he's trying to move around but that seems to cause him even more pain so eventually he learns to stay still, and the moaning lessens. I realize that now is definitely not the right time to ask Peter out, so I sit back into my chair and watch as Mr.Stark talks with Peter.

After a few minutes of spacing out, my eyelids grow heavy and I'm falling asleep.

Peter's POV
He slouches in a chair, seemingly asleep, while I tiredly watch him. I'm reminded once again how this could never work; he's probably not gay, and if he is he probably thinks I'm a freak and won't want me. Not to mention the fact that I can't let him know I'm Spider-Man, but I don't want to keep secrets from him.

Shaking off the bad thoughts, I look at Alex and notice how he slightly smiles and scrunches up his eyebrows while he sleeps. He's so cute, and he's nice enough to not only give me his shirt, but stay with me in the hospital for almost an entire day.

I gaze at him for a while, with only an occasional spike of pain, until I remember that I haven't texted Ned or MJ yet and they're probably worried. I try to grab my phone off of the bedside table but with my arm in a cast, I fall just short of being able to reach it.

"Need some help, Parker?" 

I'm startled when Alex talks. I didn't see him wake up.

"Yeah, that'd be great." I say in relief, hoping he doesn't notice my now slightly prominent chest. I smile at him as he hands me the phone, and he sits back in his chair.

There's a moment of awkward silence and we both avoid eye contact.

"You really don't have to-"

"Would you maybe want to-"

We talk at the same time.

"You first," I say. He blushes and looks at his shoes, twisting a ring around his finger nervously.

" I uh was g-going to ask you if you m-maybe wanted to go out with me sometime?" He says the last part quickly and at first I don't think I heard him right.

"Could you repeat that last part?"

"Would you want to go out with me sometime?" He says sheepishly, looking embarrassed.

I sit there, shocked. It isn't until he starts apologizing and saying it was a stupid idea that I respond with "When?"

He seems just as shocked as I was a few seconds ago. "W-when? Ohmygod you actually said yes! That's great, ah I was thinking we could maybe do it once you're healed, or at least a while after you get home from the hospital."

I smile and nod before I can think about what I'm doing. Then it hits me; he doesn't know. Now that we might be dating, I need to tell him.

"Hey, Alex? Before we do that I need you to know something..." I say cautiously.

He looks at me with concern. "What is it? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just that... uhm... I-I'm not really a boy." He looks at me confused before I go on, "Ok well I am a boy, b-but I'm trapped in a girls body. I-I'm transgender." I shut my eyes tightly and wait for his response. After a while I open my eyes, and he's still standing there. "A-Alex? A-Are you okay with that?" I ask, getting anxious.

He looks at me. He comes closer to me, his arms outstretched, and I think he's going to slap me but he pulls me into a hug. "Yes Peter, I'm perfectly okay with that. And you are a real boy, no matter what."

He lays down next to me on my bed after I move over to make room, and that's where Tony finds us a few hours later.

A/N: Thanks so much for almost 3k reads!! I'm so sorry I haven't updated as much as I said I would but I'm trying my best! Comment a scene you would like to see in the near future!