SUMMER JOB || Peter Parker X Reader

Chapter 18: Progress Begins

The next few days were spent in the Brownstone's basement, stooped over a smaller version of your teleportation machine that was coming to life. Laurie had been keeping an eye on the news since your Stark building break in, but nothing had surfaced. Either they didn't know, or they were covering it up.

During the day, Laurie and Lee would be on Uncle Tommy patrol, keeping him away from the basement and making excuses as to where you were (usually that you had gone over to Peters). Peter and you would spend most of your time working on the machine as quietly and inconspicuously as you could, just you two, alone, except for when Laurie would bring you down something to eat.

It was actually kind of nice.

You glanced back at the blueprints (duct-taped to the wall where you and Peter could both see them) and picked up a wire, quickly soldering it into place. This teleportation machine was a little more haphazard looking than the other one had been, but you were working with limited supplies here.

"Hand me those pliers, would you?" Peter asked. You picked them up, handing them to him handle-first. He took them, twisting one of the wires on his side into place. "Thanks."

"No problem." You said, going back to your own work.

There was silence for a moment before you spoke again.

"It kind of feels weird, working on this without Theo." You said.

Peter nodded. "Yeah. Especially when he was the one who came up with it in the first place."

"He hasnt really been responding to my texts." You said. "I think he might have taken it the hardest."

Peter sighed. "Makes sense though. That whole thing was his idea, and then it backfired horribly and people got hurt, even if it wasn't really his fault. Feel bad for him."

You nodded. "I thought about asking him to jump on this whole project but... I don't know. I feel like he would have been upset."

"Let him reach back out to us first." Peter said. "That way we know he's ready."

You set your tools down, leaning back and relaxing for a minute. You watched Peter work, a smudge of grease on his face really accentuating his sculpted cheekbones. He had to most concentrated face on. It was kind of adorable.

You reached forward, swiping the grease away with your thumb. Peter startled, glancing at you. "You had grease on your face." You said, showing him the smudge on your thumb.

"Oh." Peter said. "Thanks."

He set his own tools down, sitting back to look over his handiwork. You glanced at the time, 2:34. Laurie wouldn't be back down with food for at least a half hour more. Now would be a perfect time to ask Peter about what he was going to say in the kitchen that night.

"Hey Peter?"

Peter glanced away from the machinery. "Yeah?"

"Um, that night when we all had ice cream, and you helped Uncle Tommy down the stairs..." You started. "You were going to ask me something, but we kind of got cut off? I was just wondering if it was, I dont know, important or anything."

"Oh... that." Peter said, flushing pink. "Uh... it was nothing really. I just wanted to... ask you if you were okay. Because of your uncle and the attack and stuff."

"Oh." You said, vaguely disappointed on the inside. Maybe he just wasn't ready to talk about all the hand holding and stolen glances. "That was sweet of you."

Peter returned to working on the machine, refusing to meet your glance.

----

Peter went home that night, mentally slapping himself in the face over and over again. He'd had the perfect opportunity to tell you how he felt, maybe ask you out even, but he'd blew it because he was caught off guard. What was he doing?

He walked into the apartment and plopped down on the couch, shucking his shoes off.

"Peter? Is that you?" May called from somewhere back in the house.

"Yeah." Peter responded. He should have told you. Even if he blew you asking him directly, he'd had all day to tell you anyway, but he didn't. He was Spider-Man, for Christs sake! He'd almost died at the hands of criminals dozens of times, yet he couldn't even tell you that he liked you, when you obviously liked him back!

Well, maybe not obviously. Friends held hands all the time, and you'd been through a traumatic time...

"Hey." May walked into the living room. "There's leftover meatloaf if you want. I can heat some up for you."

Peter glanced over at her. "That's okay, I'm not hungry."

May frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Peter covered, getting up. "I was just going to shower and then hop in bed."

May narrowed her eyes. "Somethings wrong. What's going on?"

Peter stood his ground for a solid minute and a half.

May sat down on the couch, patting the spot next to her. Peter sat back down, not really looking his aunt in the eye.

"Is it something to do with the Stark internship?" She asked, concerned. "If it's really bothering you, I could see about a therapist-"

"Uh, no, its not... that." Peter said. "It's really nothing May, you don't have to worry about it."

"It's my job to worry about all your goings-on." May said. "You didn't get in a fight with any of your friends, did you?"

"No... I just..." Peter sighed. "I kind of blew my chance to tell Y/N..." He trailed off.

May placed a comforting hand on his back, rubbing gently. "You'll get another chance."

"I don't even know if Y/N actually likes me though." Peter said. "Like, what if all the niceness if just friendly or because things have been rough lately? I don't know what I'm doing..."

May smiled. "You're worrying about nothing. I'm sure Y/N likes you back."

Peter frowned. "You're just saying that because you're contractually obligated to as my legal guardian."

May laughed. "No, I'm saying that because Tom told me that they tease Y/N about it all the time. You don't have anything to worry about."

Peter glanced over at May. "It's just hard."

"I know, but you've just got to say 'fuck it' and do it anyway, or you're not going to get anywhere." May said, getting up. "Now go eat something before you go to bed, and take a shower, you smell like sweat and musty... something. Were you hanging out in a basement all day or something?"

Peter just shrugged and got up, heading into the kitchen, deciding to heat up some of that leftover meatloaf.  May's words had silenced some of the doubt in him, but he was still beating himself up for letting a perfectly good opportunity slide by.

Hopefully he'd get another one before things got serious.