two sided | peter parker

XLV | connect

『con·nect | verb | form a relationship or feel an affinity』

SHE WHIMPERED, clutching onto the sheets as if they were her only source of life. Peter felt the bed shift momentarily, forehead wrinkles creasing further when he swore that he could still hear Shane Dawson's conspiracy theory videos blaring from his computer. Awake at the sound and usual city noise, Peter shifted up.

Taking a step towards his computer, he exited the browser and closed his other windows. Checking if any other applications were open, he shut the device down and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Sleepily, Peter spared a look outside the window and gazed momentarily, seeing the casual city sights of beaming lights and irritated people.

His attention averted, however, at the sight of his former girlfriend who let out another pained noise. Knowing that it was invoked by her PTSD, he went towards her and shook her awake gently. Peter knew that this wasn't a weird fanfiction; it was reality. Sleeping with her or anyone with nightmares won't magically cure it; it brings comfort, but not an instant remedy.

Y/n took a brief moment, swatting his figure for a second before letting her eyes adjust to the lighting and worry washing over Peter's face. He pulled her close, knowing that she'd probably want to avoid the topic of the nightmare he already guessed about. "You fell asleep watching YouTube videos. I guess I fell asleep after tucking you in." Peter explained softly.

She nodded feebly, letting her hands clutch onto his navy blue t-shirt with another witty science pun on it. Glancing out the window and back at her, he smiled gently and knew how to ease her mind. "Do you want to go look at the stars?" Nodding again, she let him lead her out the window and up the fire escape to the roof.

Of course, Peter made sure to scribble a note in the dark. Although May rarely ever woke up early or wandered the house this late at night, he still had to be careful unless he was prepared to get another scolding later. They sat on the ledge, but Peter took the liberty to put his hand on top of her lap, making sure that she'd have a lower chance of falling.

Minutes of silence passed, the two looking up at the stars whilst Peter named some of the constellations that he'd learned about off the top of his head mentally. Y/n spoke up first, her voice faint and soft. "How do you do this? You always know what calms me down and such. You do all of this, but I can't even confirm my feelings. Yet, just a few days ago, you told me you still love me."

He stayed quiet for a few seconds, rerunning the information through his head one last time before answering completely. Peter swung his legs back and forth, doing childish antics that superheroes usually didn't do. "I don't know. To me, reading you is like a book. It's easy and interesting, watching the story unfold. I-I guess I want to wedge myself in there too, y'know?"

Y/n just looked at him, a pure look on her face as she studied him for a moment. This was the boy who had effortlessly broken her heart. The reason she flew to escape, the reason she didn't want relationships, and the reason she's being put together. Peter, had obviously and truly grown over time. Laughing softly, she looked at him as all her walls came crashing down.

"You don't have to say cheesy things to make me happy. Just kiss me, Parker."

Peter, being the innocent and nerdy soul that he was, even looked into her eyes with a glint of hesitance, as if asking for permission again. With a small nod, it didn't take long until his lips came crashing on top of hers. It wasn't impure or lewd in any sort of way, it was honest and pure emotions of finally letting that person through.

Peter swore that no drug could possibly make him feel as high as he felt currently, not like he'd try them out to see if they would anyways. He savored the moment as sweet mixed with bitter, her lips flavored like the caramel candy she'd been eating before bed. His tasted of spearmint and wintergreen, a mix of his toothpaste and mouthwash.

Cupping his cheek, they just moved closer together. Pulling away due to the lack of air, the superhero was about to let out another long speech about appreciation and how he'd been waiting for this moment ever since she left. Instead, Y/n quickly shut him up with a soft glide of her fingers on the skin of his cheek and an exhale. "Don't ruin this, Parker."

The boy's lips opened, but he only let out a quiet "Okay,". Pecking her forehead, the two pressed their foreheads together like any cheesy scene of a movie. Boring her eyes into his, the relishing feeling of warmth and happiness took over her heart again. She swore that the way she felt was inexplicable, and could only be explained by a jumble of incomprehensible letters.

The silence stayed for a while and enveloped the two comfortably. Leaning against each other, they watched the stars take over the night and truly become the star of the show, though, in Peter's mind, he could argue differently. His eyes averted from the night sky back to Y/n, a girl he loved, but could barely define a relationship with.

He swallowed, gulping slightly. "I've been waiting for this for a long time—" Y/n threw her head back, giggles coming out of her. The sun was still down, the moon and a plethora of stars illuminating the dark sky and contrasting with everything that beamed below it. It was authentic and natural compared to the bright street lights.

"—Jesus, just had to ruin the moment, didn't you?" She laughed. He sighed with a soft smile still gracing his lips. His hand intertwined with hers, his giving a light squeeze before she reciprocated back with an affectionate gaze interlocking with his own innocent one. "Geez, I'm sorry. I-I just wanted to say that I missed you."

She smiled at that, squeezing his hand again. "I missed you too."