STEPPING UP [BOYXBOY]✔️

CHAPTER 16: AN IMPOSTER

QUENTIN BECK
Present

"So... that wasn't you?" Peter pondered over my explanation, completely confused. Which was pretty cute if you asked me.

"It was Jack who tried to kill you who was shape shifting to look like me," I clarified. "He still had the EDITH technology installed into our system."

Peter sat a mere five inches away from me, both of us on the bed. His legs were crossed and he was staring at me with those wide, curious eyes that I loved.

"Why didn't you ever come find me?" he retorted and his leg began to bounce nervously. "I thought you were dead all this time!"

I moved my hand to hold his but he flinched and pulled away. I tried to contain the hurt expression that accidentally let slip onto my features but I think he saw it anyway.

"Honestly?" I mumbled, "I was scared."

"Scared?" he wondered aloud.

I got off of the bed and started pacing back and forth in his room. "I had hurt you in the first place when I convinced you to give me EDITH. The only thing that wasn't on me was the trying to kill you part, which was Jack." I struggled to find the right way to explain, "I thought it would be better for you if you thought I was dead. A whole lot of the blame goes on me either way."

Peter fumbled with his shirt sleeves and looked up at me sadly. I tilted my head and grinned at him fondly.

Too cute.

"If you didn't forgive me then I couldn't live with myself. I can't live in a world where I know you hate me."

He crawled over to the side of the bed and sat on his knees. "And what if I did forgive you?"

I snuck a glance down at his intoxicating pink lips that were like an addictive drug to me. I felt myself being pulled to him like a magnet and slowly came closer to closing the gap between us.

"Then I wouldn't deserve it." I exhaled as he placed his hands on my chest and my words got caught in my throat. "I couldn't let you do that."

His arms reeled me in and I drowned in his touch. "You can't tell me what to do," he teased and leaned in to kiss me but I put my hand between us.

"You deserve someone better than me, Peter. Did you just suddenly forget all of the pain I made you endure? All of the horrible things I did to you?"

His eyes left my face for a second as he frowned and his grip on me loosened. I took the chance to create distance between us, immediately missing the feeling of him against me.

"I-I know," he stuttered and my heart shattered at how delicate his tone was, "I shouldn't get over this so easily... I aware how stupid I'm being. I get it. But you won't hurt me again, I know it," he declared with determination in his voice.

"But what if I do?" I asked despite how sure of himself he sounded.

He groaned out something incoherent before grabbing onto my arm and pulling me toward him again. I recognized the clouded look in his murky eyes. "I missed you so much. When I thought you were dead all I did was kiss you every day," he admitted bashfully. "And after seeing you in that abandoned building for the first time in over a month all I could feel was relief. It was like a huge weight had finally been lifted off of my chest- a weight that I didn't even know was there."

I scooped him up into a tight hug and he nuzzled his face into my shoulder while I absentmindedly drew little shapes onto his lower back with my pointer finger.

"And there's nothing for us to worry about. Jack is gone and everything is fine," he muffled into my skin.

"Peter, there's no way that Shadow went down that easily. There's more coming. I can feel it."