storm | peter parker

II | absence

Why do people fear losing things that they do not even have yet?

—

PETER RAN, ducking under the roof of another shop as the rain continued to soak his sweater and hair. It had already seeped into the comfort of his socks, making him even more uncomfortable. He silently scowled, glaring at the puddles on the road. The senior quickly dodged a splash from a taxi, hissing a curse under his breath.

Usually Peter wouldn't be this irritated, but May's car broke down and she was fretting over the bills of that as he was tasked with her regular chores. True, he could swing around as Spider-Man, but you can't exactly swing into a shop at nine at night casually without someone possibly following you.

Breathing, water droplets dripped from the tips of his lips and to his blue sweater. He swung open the door to the grocery store, glancing at the damp list in his hand as he grabbed stuff off of the shelves and held them close after he forgot to grab a basket. "I always get the same flavor, Leah. You know I'm picky." The voice was familiar and made the hairs on his neck prick.

Leah smiled, brushing a strand of her light brown bangs behind her left ear. "I'm aware. You usually always go for wintergreen." She giggled softly, scanning the item as the girl nodded with a small grin. Y/n rested her elbow on the counter as she watched Leah gather and scan her items before totaling the price all together. "You know me so well," She spoke sarcastically.

Leah rolled her eyes at the tone before totaling up the candy and pack of gum. "Two dollars and twenty eight cents," She clicked her tongue as Y/n smiled and handed her the exact change. Peter watched carefully, knowing that he couldn't approach her unless he was Spidey. Nonetheless, Peter Benjamin Parker was too awkward for social interaction.

He heard the door ring, signaling her exit as he let out a subtle sigh of relief. He grabbed a bag of chips, checking to make sure it was a good flavor before ringing it up along with the other things. "If you need an umbrella, I can give you one." Peter then noticed how totally soaked his entire form was as he shook his head at Leah, laughing softly. "No, it's fine."

She just nodded, cracking a smile. "The response reminds me a lot like Y/n. The girl oddly loves rain." She hummed under her breath, but Peter heard it due to his spider senses. Along with the fact that Leah wasn't exactly a hidden whisperer. "Huh?" He looked up at her as her expression turned from calm to startled. "N-Nothing. Have a good day!" She waved as Peter nodded, paid, and left.

Going into the rain, he ran a hand through his hair as the water worked like gel and formed his hair up. A distant siren made him snap out of his slightly dazed state as he cursed, ducked into an alley, and quickly changed. He pulled off his sweater and pants, revealing the Spider-Man suit underneath. 

Hairs on his arm pricking, he quickly swung away. He got to the scene and was quick to wrap the robbers up with his webs. They were obviously amateurs since they'd instantly set off an alarm upon entering the building. Soon enough, there were three people stuck and passed out on the stairs of the bank while police sirens grew closer.

Peter looked around once before swinging back to the alleyway that hid his clothes and groceries. He groaned, seeing that they were missing. "No, no, no, no!" Someone piped up from above him, seeing the girl from the grocery store. Her gray hoodie slightly flopped over her head as she chirped. "Hello, Spider-Man!"

In her arms were his things, making him freeze and pale. Karen spoke up, "Your heartbeat has rapidly increased, Peter. Shall I call an ambulance or your emergency contact?" He blinked, licking his lips slowly beneath the mask as he stared up at the girl holding his belongings. "Uh, who's my emergency contact?"

"Mr. Stark, of course."

"Right, of course."

"He's labelled it the Iron Dad protocol."

"The what now—"

"—hey Spidey!" She waved, catching his attention again. "Are you done talking to your imaginary friend yet?" He swallowed harshly, remembering the situation at hand as he quickly swung up. He skidded on the rooftop slightly, but caught himself. "Why do you have my things? I'd like them back, please." He tried to be as nice as possible.

The girl cracked a grin, standing up and handing his things back. "I didn't know that superheroes could be a senior at a high school." He froze, completely forgetting about the fact that his I.D. was tucked away into the pocket of his jeans. Y/n smiled, bouncing on her heels. "I won't tell anyone, promise. Besides, your I.D. picture is pretty cute." She snickered.

Holding it, he whined. "Please, please, please don't tell anybody! I really can't afford getting my suit taken away again. A-Along with that, I really don't want to be a part of the press or something." She smiled at him, crossing her arms and taking a step back towards the edge as she tilted her head. "That's not exactly how I roll, Peter."

"I have some tricks up my sleeve too, y'know?"

His brows furrowed at her as she took out a mini umbrella from her pocket and held it up. Clicking a button, the device inflated to make a bubble sort of dome that camouflaged them from the outside world. "Go ahead and change. It's too much of a hassle to drop in the wet alleyway again, huh?"

He nodded, but grew confused when he touched his belongings. They're dry? He was beyond confused, but knew that he was set on questioning her later. His shuffling signaled to her that she was done as she turned back around, chewing the gum on one side of her mouth. "The name's Y/n, by the way. I know your name, so it's right you know mine." He smiled, nodding.

"I know your ability as well, so it's fair that you know mine too, huh?" 

He blinked at her, tilting his head. He didn't sense any 'power' from her and he certainly didn't expect her to have something odd. Though, the bubble cast around the both of them said otherwise. "As you can see, the weather hasn't been the best," Peter's brows furrowed, mind slowly clicking towards the conclusion as she smiled brightly.

"I guess you can blame me for that, Peter."