Spider-Man Imagines I

Different To Me Now (Part One) | Peter Parker [AG]

"Do you think Gwen would like perfume for Christmas?"

You nearly groaned. Every minute of every day, your best friend Peter would talk endlessly about Gwen Stacy. It literally disgusted you - and not because you had a crush on him, no way - but because he was always talking about her.

What she liked, what she wore, what her favorite song was, what she hated, if she hated him -

"Well, do you?"

"I don't know!" you said. You rolled your eyes. "Jeez."

He gave you a confused look. "I was just wondering, okay, because I wanted to get her something. She always smells nice, like cucumber melon - or maybe it's cherry blossom... do you think-"

"Peter! Oh my gosh, I don't know," you said. You stepped in front of him and held up your hands. "I give up! Look, she saved you once when you were getting your butt kicked by Flash Thompson. I get it. She's your hero, whatever. But why get her a gift? She doesn't even talk to you."

He crossed his arms. "B-Because she's Gwen, okay?"

"Don't get her anything," you said, softer this time. "It'll just be weird, you know?" You leaned forward and grabbed his arm, feeling a little bad for being grumpy. "Peter, are you listening to me?"

He frowned and looked down. After a moment, he nodded, lips pressed tight together.

You squeezed his bicep. "Good," you said. You dropped your arm and opened the bag that was slung over your shoulder. "Oh, I have a gift for you."

"You-" he started, but he stopped and swallowed hard as you handed him a wrapped gift.

"Merry Christmas," you said. You grinned. "So, open it!"

He gave you a hesitant smile and tore into the silver paper. It fell at his feet and you bent down to pick it up. Shifting the cardboard box in his hand, he tugged the flaps open and saw inside was the vintage video game he wanted more than anything this year.

"Oh my gosh, ___, you didn't!" he exclaimed.

"I did!"

"Oh, this is amazing," he said. He looked up at you. "Thank you."

You smiled fondly. "You're welcome."

He looked down at the gift, then back at you, then licked his lips. "I, uh, didn't get you anything."

Your smile disappeared. "You what?"

"I didn't think about it," he said, giving you an apologetic smile as he cringed. "I'm so sorry-"

"You didn't get me something but you were going to get Gwen-" You cut yourself off and threw the paper at him. "Peter Parker, you - you're a jerk!" You turned around and stomped off.

"___, hang on," he said. Peter tucked his skateboard between his arm and side and wove his way through the crowd, hand reached out for you. "___, wait a minute! I'm sorry!"

You didn't listen. All you could think about was how he was going to buy Gwen Stacy a bottle of eighty dollar perfume while he wasn't even thinking about you, all the while you were putting in all of this work for his stupid, stupid Christmas gift.

...

You sat bundled up on the roof of your building, eyes tired. You were officially cried out. You shoved your hands deeper in your pockets and tried to think of anything but Peter.

Of course, that was hard when he was climbing up the stupid ladder three feet from you. You wouldn't look at him. He stood at the ledge of the building.

"___, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," he said.

"Yeah? Well, you did."

He scoffed quietly. "What happened to you not caring about gifts?"

You turned and glared at him. "What happened to best friends getting each other things before they run off and buy stuff for a girl that doesn't even care about them?" Your words were acid in your throat.

"Excuse me, I did it so I could have a chance," he said.

"A chance at what, Peter?" you asked. "You literally just stalk the girl!" You touched your chest, eyes filling with tears. "I'm your best friend. Not her."

"My bad," he hissed. "I had no idea that meant you could be such a brat to absolutely needed expensive perfume from me!"

You shot up on your feet, hurt striking you to your very core. "You're impossible," you sobbed. "I never expected anything big. A card would have been fine with me. Just something to let me know you care. It didn't matter how much your game was. I just knew you would want it. I wanted you to know you listened, but-"

His eyes were softening by the end of your rant. He took a single step towards you and you walked around him and headed down the first rung of the ladder.

"___," he began.

"No! You... you are a totally different person to me now, Peter Parker," you cried.

"___, please wait-"

You hurriedly stepped down the ladder. Your eyes were watering, the tears warm against your frozen cheeks. Peter was leaning over the ledge, watching you. In fact, he noticed your foot slipping before you could even process it.

"___!"

You screamed as your feet slipped off the rung and all of your weight rested on your arms as your body jerked into a hanging position. Your fingers, soft and fuzzy gloved fingers, slipped too. You gasped as you came falling down, arms moving to grasp the rung.

Peter practically threw himself over the ledge. You yanked to a stop and looked up, expecting to see his hand around yours. Instead, a single web kept you from falling.

Your lips parted in disbelief.

"It's okay," he said. He pulled you up slowly. "I got you. Don't look down, okay?"

You couldn't speak.

He pulled until you were close enough for him to grab you around the torso. He yanked you up and you came crashing against his body, nearly knocking him over. You stayed paralyzed as he held you, his face in your hair.

"It's okay," he whispered, "it's okay. I got you. I've got you, okay?"

You let him hold you, still frozen in terror. But still -

He was different to you now.