unruly › peter parker

five. cute

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"HEY PETER?"

"Hm?"

"You were right," Rhea paused before grinning, "This is the best sandwich in Queens."

"Told you," Peter smirked in triumph, "Although I was surprised you chose to order Sub Haven"

"Why? What's wrong with Sub Haven? It's amazing!"

"It's too much bread," Peter responded matter-of-factly.

Rhea chuckled before bumping her shoulder against his, "And yours? With pickles squished down real flat?"

"Hey, don't insult the best sandwich combo that I came up with," he responded cheekily, getting back at her.

"How cute," Rhea blurted out much quicker than she could stop to consider her choice of words. She finally admitted it, on accident.

His head immediately turned to look at her, eyebrows furrowed in absolute stupefaction and cheeks suddenly kissed pink like a spring rose.

She quickly averted her gaze from him, struggling to prevent the blush from searing through her skin, although her opaque bruise was concealing it quite well. She tried to say something in her defence only to stumble on her words and possibly intensify the already over-bearing awkwardness between the two.  Deciding that mending what she said wasn't going to work, changing the topic was the next best solution. "So... Anyways," she resumed, smiling and bravely looking at him again.

However, her face instantly fell.

Peter naturally turned to take a glimpse at what caught her attention: the simple sight of a store owner on a ladder, changing a burnt out light bulb. It really was a simple matter to him, but to her, it unsheathed a memory. A painful one. The benevolence in his eyes were quickly replaced with tender concern. "Rhea, are you okay?"

She didn't seem to hear him. In fact, she couldn't. Her senses were overloaded with stimulation from her head that she couldn't differentiate from reality. And it was becoming deafening. The dams that protected her from the trauma of that fateful day finally collapsed, forcing the pain that has accumulated to flood into her pounding heart. She was reliving that day, the very day that her father's murder was merely reduced to a perfect lie spoken through the perfect teeth of Lydia Abner, the mother she wish she never had.

The pair stood still in the middle of the pathway. Peter, unable to elicit a response out of her, gently held her wrist in his hand and pulled her aside where no crowd would be able to bother them. That was when Rhea's glassy eyes finally met his, filled with undying, benign worry.

Drawing in a sharp breath and forcing the lump in her throat down, only a single tear escaped her eye while she successfully kept the rest of it at bay. She wanted to speak, apologize for erupting into a mess in front of him, a mess she hoped no one would have to see, but words failed her. Opening her mouth, she tried forcing out a "sorry", but instead, Peter shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile, one that told her, "It's fine, I'm here for you." She felt it. His compassion. It was a bridge that she could trust to hold her weight.

Comfortable silence filled the air between them, and Peter couldn't help but notice how vulnerable she was. In fact, it only led to an overwhelming urge to help her, to protect her, in every way he can. Even the Rhea he couldn't recognize in the alleyway. He wanted to save her.

"Peter," Rhea began, regaining her utmost composure, "I don't want to go home today." She fidgeted with her hands and her eyes became downcast, "Is there a place I can crash at for tonight? Perhaps Eva's?"

"I'm sorry, I don't think so. Eva's parents are really strict. Actually, I don't think they even liked any of her friends, let alone us." He responded, pursing his lips before perking up, "But there's my place. My aunt's really nice, and it'll just be the three of us. Whatever's trying to hurt you at home, you'll be safe from it, I'll be just next to you," he smiled as he paused, only to suddenly go into a mini state of panic, "I mean I'll be next to you in a metaphorical way! You know, like being there for you? I don't mean it literally," he chuckled nervously, hand immediately cupping the back of his neck as a coping mechanism to his awkwardness.

"Peter, you know what? You're cute," Rhea laughed, her eyes turning into horizontal crescent moons as a result of the huge grin that cannot be wiped off her face. She resumed eye contact with him, whose face had gone even redder than before, but now, she didn't quite care about her confession. "Thank you," she was sincere, and she wanted him to know that. She was genuinely thankful to have met him. And she could only look forward to the future with him undeniably in it, as a friend. (Wow did Peter really just get friend-zoned)

"You don't have to thank me," then he gave her a smile that was so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushed through Rhea's system, "I just want to help you in every way I can."

God dammit Peter, you're too pure for this world, Rhea thought, unable to process her sudden urge in wanting to hug him.

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qotd !! ;
if you could spend a day with an mcu villain, who would it be?