SUMMER JOB || Peter Parker X Reader

Chapter 24: Trying Again

The public library was full, but not crowded, and you were grateful. It was less likely for anyone to latch onto the group of four kids clustered around one of the computers if there were other people to look at.

Peter was busy hacking in to the weather radar system again, this time from the public computer.

You had searched the laptop for malware when you got home and found none, but had decided to come to the library anyway. There was no other possible explanation as to how TelePro could have known you were coming, and you didn't intend to make that mistake again.

He had definitely known you were coming. There was no way it was a coincidence that you had snuck into his old hideout intending to apprehend him and then the next morning he had staged a bigger attack than his last one and addressed the subject.

"Okay... we're in again." Peter announced quietly.

You leaned in from where you were sitting next to him. Peter clicked back to yesterday, setting the time to 5:32 a.m. And sure enough, a large magnetic pulse showed green around the Harrington building.

"So we didn't just mess up reading it." Lee said, gripping the back of Peters seat and leaning in. "That's definitely teleportation."

"100%." Peter said, zooming out from Harrington Industrial. "Now we've just got to find where he went."

You started scanning the top of the map for the tell tale green dots. It was Laurie who found them first, tucked in on the other side of Peter.

She pointed at the screen, down in the left corner. "Zoom here."

Peter zoomed in on a little block in the Bronx again, showing a green blob covering a little section of residential housing.

"Still in the Bronx." You noted. "You'd think he would move farther away if he knew we were coming."

"Hopefully that means he doesn't know how we're finding him." Peter said, taking one of the sticky notes the library had on the desk and writing down the address.

"And hopefully that means he doesn't think we're going to try again." Lee said.

Laurie nodded. "We can't text about this, this time around either." She said. "Only real conversations, no phone calls, no face time. He can't get wind of it."

Peter grabbed his library card and the address, stowing them in his pocket. "We can come up with another plan tomorrow." He said. "We should probably do some real strategizing this time around too."

Laurie nodded. "I'll see if I can get some real weapons... obviously not guns since none of us can shoot, but maybe something a little more lethal than a baseball bat."

The man at the next computer glanced at Laurie, disapproving and slightly concerned. Laurie glanced down at his boots, looking him over. Her lip curled.

"Oh fucking-" She said, getting up. "Cmon we have what we need."

She started off, the rest of you following in her wake.

"What was that about?" You asked.

"That guy had red laces in his boots." Laurie said. "Racist skinhead. Probably a Nazi too."

Peter glanced back at the man. "Really? He's wearing a Rick and Morty shirt, he can't be-"

"It's whatever." Lee said. "He overheard us, we were going to leave anyway."

You peered back at the man. He had turned back to his own computer, completely absorbed again. Hopefully he didn't tell anyone about the kids in the library talking about weapons. That would be not good.

——

Theo called you later that night after dinner. You took the call right away, stepping out onto the front porch for some privacy, slightly nervous about what it could be. He hadn't reached out to you since before the internship attack.

"Hi."

"Hi." He sounded like he'd been crying.

You took a moment before speaking. "I take it you... uh, saw the news."

"Yeah." He said. "I-um. I assume you guys didn't end up finding him."

"No." You said. "Laurie thinks he knew we were coming somehow." You almost told him you were going to try again, but a little voice in the back of your mind told you to keep that part quiet. Even if you didn't think Theo had ratted you out, TelePro had found out somehow. It was better not to speak about it over the phone.

Theo sniffled on the other end of the line.

"Are you alright?" You asked, tentative.

"Yeah." He said. "I'm okay. Just a little shaken up."

You nodded, even though he couldn't see you. "If it makes you feel better, I think we all are a little."

"I just-" Theo stopped. "People are dead now. That could have been us. He could have killed us."

You inhaled. Theo was right, all of you had been within perfect shooting distance that day at the open house. You were really only alive because of luck. And Peter.

Sweet dorky Peter that was capable of saving lives and ending them if he wanted to. Peter who held your hand.

"But we're alive." You said. "And that's worth something."

"I just-" Theo snuffed again. "I could have sto-"

"Theo." You cut him off. "Take a breath."

He followed your instructions, inhaling deeply and evenly.

"This isn't your fault." You said. "You weren't the one holding the gun. You couldn't have stopped him. It's a terrible, horrible thing that I wish never happened to any of us, but it did, and we can't change that."

"You're right." He said. "I shouldn't beat myself up."

"And if you ever need a hug or anything, you know you can reach out to any of us." You reminded him. "We're here for you."

There was silence for a moment.

"Thanks." Theo said.

"Anytime."

He sniffled again. "I'm gonna go. But I really appreciate you talking to me Y/N."

"Of course. Theo, you're my friend."

——

You were playing Monopoly with Uncle Tommy and Laurie in the living room when the doorbell rang.

Laurie set her piece down, hopping up to get it. "Did we order a pizza?"

"No." Uncle Tommy said. "It might be one of the neighbors though- if it's Mrs. Whitt be nice!"

Laurie rolled her eyes. "Mrs. Whitt is a bigot and deserves it when I'm mean to her."

Uncle Tommy rolled the dice. "I mean, you're not wrong, but that's bad parenting." He mumbled. You grinned.

You could hear the door open as Uncle Tommy moved his piece to Marvin Gardens. He rifled through his money, frowning. "If she's not here I don't have to pay rent, right?"

You picked up the dice. "I won't tell if you don't."

Laurie came back into the room carrying a suitcase.

"Uh- what-"

Your mother appeared in the doorframe, holding two bags. "Hi guys!"