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spideytingle616 · 3 years

Text

Five Months [5]

Part 4 / Masterlist

*based on the five stages of grief*

Pairing: Peter Parker x Female Reader

Warnings: angst, death, mentions of anxiety/panic, possible implications of sexual activity, blood/injury, swearing

Summary: The first time you touch your soulmate, you’re able to see a glimpse into your future. What happens if your future is also your end?

Word Count: 12.7k wow wow (bold and italics are thoughts, scenes following a +++ are a flashback)

A/N: Thank you all who have read this story! I have had this planed for almost a year, and I’m so happy it actually became a thing, though I apologize for taking so damn long with this part. I hope you enjoy. This chapter features a lot of flashbacks, so buckle up.

Chapter Description: Maybe the universe isn’t so bad…

Month Five, Acceptance: Love, and Never Forget

A new day. A new month. A new semester.

The subway ride feels extra bumpy today, most likely due to the large pit in your stomach. Going to school is never something you looked forward to, but when you got there, someone was usually waiting for you.

Someone that made the grueling day a little easier.

You sigh and slump into your seat. How does a train full of people make you feel so alone?

A completely different person could be seen in your window reflection. Or maybe you were just so numb at this point, your body was nothing but luggage you were simply dragging along.

Fuck, you were exhausted. Beyond the undereye bags and the dry hair, your frame looked like it was ready to buckle down and rest. It was already curling in, prepared to do so when given the chance. Your eyes shut tight as you clenched your fists, trying your best to quiet the anxiety that flowed through your body.

When you open your eyes, you look at your reflection one more time, ignoring the cold stare that met your own. The world keeps going, and so should you.

Everything was more or less the same at Midtown. People were alert after their long break, but they still dreaded the upcoming classes. Friends were reuniting with one another and chatting, and everything seemed normal.

But it wasn’t, at least not for you.

You close your locker, and as you turned away from the wall you were met with familiar faces coming your way. The two friends kept looking at one another as they walked toward you, and it was clear that they felt unsure about approaching.

It wasn’t like you were purposely avoiding them, so to speak. But their worried texts were plentiful, and with everything that has happened, you pushed away from their coddling. Your responses were short, usually, something along the lines of “I’m fine” and “doing good”. Whether or not they trusted that you weren’t sure, but it kept them off your tail long enough for the time being.

Fake it till you make it, right?

“Alright, let’s get this over with,” you joke, opening your arms wide. “Come here.”

MJ and Ned smile at the gesture, quickly accepting the hug. It was definitely something all of you needed. You buried your face into their shoulders, happy to be with them again. Guilt pooled in your chest.

“I missed you guys… and I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting” you sigh.

MJ tightens her grip on you, snuggling her face closer to yours. “It’s okay. We get it. We were just worried is all.”

“Still, it was selfish of me to do.” You pull away, looking between the two. “This whole thing is not just about me. I should have been there for you guys too instead of pushing myself away.”

“Well, we’re here now. Whenever you’re ready, to talk or hang out, we’ll be there.” Ned offers, and a smile reaches your face.

God, your friends were amazing. You couldn’t bear to hurt them even more with your doom and gloom. They deserved someone that would be there for them and listen to their concerns, instead of hiding in their own pool of guilt.

You quickly shake your head before speaking. “Thanks, I think I’m gonna be okay, though. If you guys need more time that’s totally fine, but I’m good. Nothing has to be weird between all of us, we can just hang out like old times, you know?”

Your friends glance at one another, their eyebrows pulled slightly tighter.

“Well, if that’s how you feel, then I’m glad,” Ned says, looking back at MJ for reassurance. “But you know, it’s totally cool if you still need time. After all, it’s been a rough month.”

You bite your tongue back from replying, your jaw suddenly tense.

Yeah, no shit…

+++

He’s gone.

Oh my god he’s gone.

He’s actually dead.

If someone came and ripped your heart out of your chest, it would be painless compared to how you felt now. You continued to stare at Peter even after his eyes closed. If you continued to look at him, maybe you could still pretend that he was alive.

When the police showed, everything was a daze. The flashes of red and blue sirens drew a queasiness deep in your stomach. As the officers forced you to let go of the boy, their voices muddled into the air. You felt completely disassociated from the scene in front of you, and all you wanted to be held in Peter’s arms. There, you could pretend that everything was okay.

“They’re still breathing!”

The shout draws you back into current time, their words shooting a current throughout your body. It couldn’t be…

“Airways are clear, but his respiratory rate is dropping. Get him on the stretcher now. Don’t let him go into shock.”

Were you hearing all this right? Too many things were happening right now, and no one bothered to tell you anything. The police were pushing you away from the scene as if you were a random pedestrian, and you were ready to grab them by the throat and scream at them. When you see Peter getting lifted into the ambulance, his suit now more red than blue, that was the last straw.

You push your way through toward the paramedics. If they were taking him, you were going too. You were right behind the red and white doors before a hard shove comes to your chest, stopping you from coming any closer.

“Excuse me miss, this is private business,” what looked like an EMT said. “Stark Industries does not want anyone seeing this. I’m going to have to ask you to go back with the crowd.”

You stare dumbfounded; at least Ned was able to get a hold of him, but the fact that they were acting as if you weren’t a witness and Peter’s friend angered you even more. “No, you don’t get it, that’s my friend in there. I- I need to be with him if he’s still alive. Please I-“

“Look, as much as I’d like to believe that we were not told anything about other parties being involved. So, to keep this under wraps, we cannot let you ride with us. If you actually do know the patient, you can follow us and figure out your clearance there,” they finalize before walking away and jumping into the vehicle. You don’t even get a chance to breathe before they’re gone, and the only remnant of Peter was the stain on the street.

The EMT did have a point. If you wanted to keep Spider-Man’s identity a secret, you couldn’t draw attention to yourself. Slipping under the newly posted yellow tape, you’re swallowed into the shadows before the police even notice.

Now here you were, in a dirty subway car at ten in the evening. Being a teenage girl, this situation would normally terrify you (Seriously guys, no means no. Why are you even near us to begin with?), but luckily the murder scene on your dress and the hollow glare in your eyes drove most passengers away from you.

Staring into space, your brain tries to process everything that just happened in the past hour. You sprinted across the city to find your dying soulmate, only to find out he isn’t dead? Or at least, not yet. Based on his current state, it could still go either way.

Shouldn’t you be feeling hopeful? Or at least some sort of relief knowing that Peter has a chance? Your body internally cringes at the idea. Getting your hopes up wasn’t great; part of you always hoped for a happy ending with Peter and look where that got you.

All you could feel was dread, and it wasn’t much better than the heartbreak prior.

The car slows down as the rest of the passengers stand and walk toward the doors, but not without giving you a worrisome stare. You ignore their eyes as they pass by; you couldn’t care less about what they thought.

You look down at your hands and focus on blood caked under your nails, trying to rub the residue away. Some looked like it came off, but the red-brown still pigmented your skin. Chest tightening, you lean back in your seat and let your head knock back.

Peter’s blood was on your hands, both figuratively and literally.

---

A chill travels through your spine, bile working its way upward.

Was that really only a month ago?

The bell sounds, its ringing bringing you more despair than usual. Your conversation was brought to an end, MJ and Ned giving you a nod to signal their departure. They forced a smile your way, and you keep your calm composure even after they turn away.

Pulling the straps of your backpack closer, you take a deep breath before walking to class.

---

“First order of business: team captain. Miss Allan’s parting was unfortunate, but both she and I believe this team will do amazing at the international competition this summer. We just need a new captain.”

“Mr. Harrington, I’m honored-“

“Not you, Flash.”

You and Ned snicker under your breaths, earning your partner an elbow from Betty. MJ rolls her eyes at the two of you, but her smile gave away her amusement.

Decathlon was supposed to be done for the school year, but your team’s win at D.C. earned Midtown a spot at its international competition in Paris. You didn’t expect the school board to approve the trip, especially with the large expenses it ensued. But apparently, they found an anonymous donor.

Though no one could figure out who would willingly spend tens of thousands of dollars for a kids’ trip to Europe, no one was complaining either, especially when they were paying to include an actual vacation with it. As ecstatic as everyone was about the opportunity, it also meant that you would soon be back to frequent practices. And as much as you enjoy this club, more work is never fun.

“After careful consideration of each of your prior performances, I’m happy to announce that our new captain will be none other than Michelle Jones.”

Harrington continued his announcements, but you already stopped paying attention. You nudge MJ after the scattered applause, mouth still agape.

“You didn’t tell me you were gonna be captain. Congrats!” you whispered.

“Well, to be honest, I didn’t know until just now. But I would have been pissed if I wasn’t.”

“And I would’ve had to listen to you complain about it, so it’s a win-win… can your first order be to rearrange the seating? I love Cindy, but sometimes she smells after gym.”

MJ scoffs. “Done, but it’s your fault if this all goes to my head.”

“Oh, I think it already has,”

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Just be quiet so I can listen.”

You roll your eyes as you let her turn away from you, grabbing your phone in the process.

You: Guess who the new captain is…

Liz: It better be MJ, I put in a good word for her and everything

You: It is lol. Good choice by the way, she’ll probably be a better captain than you

Liz: whatever 🙄

In the past month since she moved, the two of you found comfort in one another. Both of you fell in the direct line of fire, and as brutal as that was, it also meant that you weren’t alone.

+++

Lately, it seemed that your timing was nothing if not impeccable.

You speed walk to the cafeteria, breath getting heavier with each step. You’re usually one of the first in there, trying your best to beat the rush of students, but you just had to go to the bathroom beforehand. Amateur move, honestly…

Once you turn the corner, you stop in your tracks. Just ahead was Liz and her mom, both with boxes in hand. Her mom takes a right, most likely heading toward the office. All that was left was you and her, and the ten feet of tile in between.

“Hey,” you call out, gaining her attention. A tint of regret coats the air around you as you walk closer.

Where do you start, after everything that has happened?

“Liz, hey. What’s up?”

“Oh, hey. Nothing much, I’m just packing things from my locker and whatnot. My mom’s grabbing my file from the office, and after that we should be good, or whatever.” She sighs, looking down at her things.

“Wait, packing? Are you… are you going somewhere?”

“Yeah, my dad doesn’t want us to see him in trial. We’re moving all the way to Oregon tomorrow. My mom has family there… nice area apparently, or whatever,” She purses her lips. “New York allows prisoners to call as often as they want, so no worries there, plus I’m all set for college so I can more or less breeze through senior year.”

You nod. Though you suppose the situation could have been worse, it was evident that Liz was hiding all the struggles she just got handed. Maybe if you were closer, you’d be able to comfort her, or tell her what she needed to hear.

“Liz, you’ve probably gotten this a lot, but I’m really sorry about what went down. I can’t even imagine what that’s like.”

There’s a pause before she finds your face again. “I think you do though. Maybe not exactly the same as me, but you were part of this too.”

You tilt your head, confused at her words. Setting her things down, she slings her backpack around to her front, unzipping it to find what she was looking for. “Peter left this in my dad’s car, but something tells me it was meant for someone else. It’s a little wilted now, but I still think it looks nice.”

In her hand was the rose that Peter had the night of the homecoming dance. You were so annoyed when you saw it. However, this time was different. You were not sure what you felt, but you were grateful nonetheless.

You take the flower from her, admiring the purple-red petals. Underneath, a card was tied around:

A rose for a rose.

You might not be my date, but can I SWING BY for a dance?

You let out a quiet scoff. If the pun didn’t give it away, the web doodles might have.

“You think I would’ve figured it out sooner,” Liz shrugged.

“If it’s any consolation, I didn’t realize until it was right in front of my face," you joked back, earning a smile.

“I won’t tell anyone, by the way. He was just trying to do the right thing, and it’s not my secret to tell anyways.”

You nod at the gesture, relieved that things were not getting any messier. Not as much as they could, at least.

“I’m sorry too by the way…” she starts. “if I got in the way of you and Peter.”

You shake your head. “No no, it’s fine. Really. That was Peter’s choice to do that. I even told you we weren’t soulmates, so…“

“Yeah, well, I could tell that wasn’t the whole truth. Or at least, I couldn’t believe that it was the truth.” When you don’t reply, she continues on. “Obviously, I don’t know the whole story, or maybe even half of it, but almost everyone thought you two were soulmates before you even said anything. That’s gotta mean something, right?”

You pause for a moment. For someone who was only two years older, she was a lot wiser than you imagined. “Yeah, maybe it does… I don’t know, it’s just so complicated, you know?”

“I can only imagine.” She offers a smile. “But assuming he’s okay, wherever he is, I think it’d be a lot less complicated if you were in it together.”

With that, the conversation seemed to be over. You both knew that you weren’t really friends, but there was still a connection there. What happened homecoming night created a bond between you, a burning ember in a pile of ash. Everything died down, but there are still remnants that continued to burn.

If you guys chose to, you could let that memory die with the rest of the fire. But you could also choose to keep it alive and learn something from it.

Liz clears her throat, breaking the silence. “Looks like my mom’s ready, so I should go catch up. Thanks for saying goodbye.”

“Well, thanks for the mini therapy session. Hopefully, Oregon treats you better. If you wanna, you can text me once you’re all settled. We can talk, or whatever you want, really. Doesn’t even have to be about this.”

Her eyes light up at the offer, surprised at the generosity. “Yeah. I’d really like that. Thanks.”

You watch as she grabs her stuff from the floor and walk down the hall. The two of you send each other one last wave before parting ways, but you don’t move from your spot. Not until she was fully out of sight.

When she’s completely gone, you think about her words again. Maybe it would be easier.

Or maybe it’s just a faster route to trouble.

---

“You, me, Catacombs of Paris. It’s been on my list for years, and we are not missing out on that.” MJ declares, interrupting your daze. You didn’t even realize the meeting was over, most of the group already filing out of the library. “Jeez, how deep was your conversation with your pen pal? You look like you just woke up.”

You huff as you stood up from your seat. “How do you even know it’s her? Could’ve been my mom checking up on me.”

“Well, whenever you and Liz text, which is pretty regularly now, you get that weird crease between your eyebrows, and something tells me you’re not thinking that hard when you’re answering, ‘how are you’ from your parents.”

“You know, I think someone’s a little jealous that I have other girl friends to talk to.” You joke, checking her shoulder. “Any other creepy spots you’re forcing me to go to?”

Your friend’s face lights up, relishing at the opportunity to talk about her interests. You knew she had hours' worth of knowledge on the subject, and it gave you the chance to avoid talking about yourself. It wasn’t easy to distract MJ, but you had your ways.

It was easy to distract yourself from your current situation with Liz. After all, she was more or less doing the same thing. Your relationship was symbiotic; One of you would talk about your problems so the other could take their focus away from theirs, and vice versa. Mutual therapy, as you both called it.

The bonding made you feel safe. You made a friend and found someone that would need time to heal too.

At least, that’s what you thought.

For the last few conversations or so, the tone has taken a rather lighthearted turn. Liz started her new semester at Oregon a week earlier than Midtown, and she was already coming for the title of Ms. Popular. Though, with her being a hot, new senior, you shouldn’t have been surprised.

She was using her mom’s name for more privacy and was basically starting fresh. Liz even said she could still go to NYU if things died down after the trial. You were ecstatic for her, of course. She was incredibly strong for taking her life into her own hands and making the best of what happened, yet deep down you still couldn’t help but feel frustrated. In the end, even the people that have it worse still find ways to turn it around.

Your stomach turns. Maybe it wasn’t time that was the issue.

Maybe it was you.

---

Life’s kind of funny. Less than a year ago, you thought meeting the Avengers would be impossible. The only time you ever saw them was on the news or some badly edited PSA. For you, they seemed more fictional rather than real.

Now here you were, in the same car that Tony freaking Stark uses, being driven to the one and only Avengers Facility.

Despite the news about the Sokovia Accords, and the infamous “Civil War”, as they coined it, the building continued to stand tall and proud. The squeaky-clean windows and trimmed hedges were simply another reminder of how this lifestyle was beyond you.

Peter has been staying here for the past few weeks so the doctors could track his progress in private. With his mutated DNA and dangerous alien technology, they wanted to make sure there was not any permanent damage to his systems. Though this caused him to miss the rest of the semester, he knew it was for the best.

Despite taking a nasty hit, his super healing got him back on his feet, more or less. Just a few hours of physical therapy and some tests were enough to get Peter back to full mobility. However, he was still advised by the doctors to take things slow. Just because he could move doesn’t mean he should so soon.

This was the fourth or so trip here, yet every visit still felt like the first. All of this was so overwhelming, but you try not to let it show as you walk through the glass door. When you couldn’t find Peter in his room, your panic started to become visible.

Finding one guy in a 300,000 square foot building? How hard could it be?

Answer: not impossible, but still rather embarrassing.

After a few wrong turns here and there, you eventually made it to what seemed to be your destination. You wound up in a gym twice the size of your school’s. It had every piece of equipment one could need to train for a life-or-death mission, and you were struck with awe once again.

Your attention quickly focuses on the sounds of leather on leather. Across the gym was a boxing ring, holding none other than Tony Stark and your best friend.

The two didn’t notice you yet, so you took your time heading closer. Peter was in deep focus, his grey shirt tightening around him every time he threw a punch. Sweat covered the top half of the fabric as his curls brushed his forehead, and you could feel your throat drying up at his appearance.

You would have shown up earlier all those other times if you meant you got to see this…

“Y/N! Hey!” Peter greets when he finally sees you. “Sorry, I should’ve texted you that I was still in here. Guess I lost track of time.”

You wave it off. “Don’t worry about it. Looked like you were doing some good work.”

“Yeah, I sure hope so. Did you know the only fighting knowledge he had before this was from movies?” Tony interrupted, pointing a glove at the guilty party.

“Hey c’mon, Rocky is a solid resource,” He defended. “You ever seen it?”

The billionaire paused, mentally going through the five stages of grief. “Yeah kid, I think we’re done here. He’s all yours.”

“Sounds good,” You respond, turning back to Peter. “Something tells me you might need to freshen up before we start studying, so I’ll just meet you in your room. If I can find it, that is…”

The boy nods, feeling extra gross and sticky now that you brought it up. You send the two a small wave before walking out of the gym, trying your best to retrace your steps. Peter watches you until you vanish, to which Tony raises an eyebrow.

Maybe it was just him, but the spiderling was rather obvious with his emotions.

“Normally I’d say, ‘don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’, but clearly you don’t listen to that,” He says, snapping Peter back into reality. “Just keep it in your room, alright? Last thing I need is to spray this whole place with disinfectant.”

Peter’s mouth parts, slightly uncomfortable at his mentor’s words. “What? No, it’s not like that at all. She’s just helping me with all the schoolwork I’ve missed.”

Tony immediately stops, punching pads half on. “That- that’s it? You get a second chance at life, and all you’re doing is studying?”

He shrugs. “Well, you know, I haven’t taken my finals yet-“

“Finals that you can pass if you just study the night before like a normal kid.” He walks closer to Peter. “You escape the jaws of death and the one thing you want to do is study? What happened to you teenagers and wanting to ‘live a little’?” He mumbles the last part, shaking his head. “You shouldn’t use this experience as an excuse to shy away. I’m not saying go off and be reckless, but at least have a little fun, yeah? Do what you want.”

From one man who had a near-death experience (or several) to another, maybe he had a point. But then again, if you try to sacrifice yourself multiple times, you must be more than okay with the thought of leaving this world and the people you care about.

Tony finally finishes packing up, while Peter was still in the ring, contemplating.

“She’s a good one,” he shouts to the boy, getting his attention. “Might even like her more than you.” He pauses, realizing how that sounded. “No offense, of course.”

The boy’s face sours as Tony keeps walking. “Some taken… oh and hey! I know it was you that paid for the Europe trip!”

“Nope! Wrong billionaire!” He swings the door open, turning around to look at Peter. “But uh, I think there’s a light festival the same weekend you’re in Prague. You should check it out.”

“Uh-huh…” he grins, playing along.

+++

Thanks to his powers, Peter’s hands always got extra sticky when he was nervous. So, when Mr. Stark called him to come to his office a week or so after the incident, he tried his best to keep his hands to himself.

“Hey, Mr. Stark. You wanted to see me or something?” he asked, awkwardly shuffling through the door.

Tony looks up from his phone and nods at Peter. “Kid, hey. How you feelin’?”

“Oh, well I’m actually doing pretty goo-“

“That’s great,” Tony interrupts. “Anyways, here you go.”

He slides a paper bag toward the boy, to which Peter responds by checking his surroundings. Was this a test? Because there are some major drug deal vibes happening right now.

“What the heck are you doing, kid? Just take the damn bag.”

Peter snaps back to the man and quickly snatches it off the desk. He peeks inside and is shocked when he sees the bright red and blue suit. He clutches the bag closer, afraid it would be stripped away from him a second time.

“You- you’re giving it back to me?” Peter grins.

“Well, it didn’t really teach you anything when I took it away, so I might as well just give it back. Plus, your other one looks ridiculous compared to this.”

His smile falls a little, and Tony quickly backtracks for clarification.

“What I mean is that you did good work. I didn’t believe in you after the ferry incident, but you were determined. You followed your heart and ended up catching the guy. However, you also ended up getting shish kabobbed and almost died, which isn’t as good.” Stark mumbles the last part, getting a little off track. “I told you before that if something happened to you, that it would be on me. But if you won’t listen to me then… I guess I have to mentor you, and make sure you know what you’re doing.”

Peter’s eyes widen. “As in…”

“Training every morning. We can practice using all your suit’s abilities along with combat in case you’re stuck without it. We’ll track your health and progress to make sure you’re not pushing it. Last thing we need is you showing off and hurting yourself.”

“Yeah, got it.” He replies, mouth agape. “I- thank you, Mr. Stark.”

He couldn’t believe it. This was all happening so fast. A few days ago, he thought he was supposed to be dead on the sidewalk. Now, everything seemed to be going well. Maybe too well? How was Mr. Stark so calm about it?

“Well, to be honest, you shouldn’t be thanking me. It was your girlfriend that pretty much convinced me to do this. Y/N or something?”

He cocks his head. “Wait, Y/N? What do you mean?”

“We met at the hospital when you were under surgery.” He shrugs. “Kept telling me how you were a good kid who was going to help the city at all costs, that you were soulmates and this was doomed to happen, you should get another chance, etcetera etcetera,” He dismisses with his hands. “It was pretty moving, really. She really believes in you, so I thought I should do the same.”

Peter tries to keep a neutral face, but this information made his mind go even faster than before. You never mentioned that you met Mr. Stark, much less had an actual conversation with him. With all the crap he’s pulled on you, you still said all that. And to an Avenger, no less.

He doesn’t comment about Mr. Stark’s confession, only giving him another thanks followed with a goodbye. From the looks of it, Tony was rather done with the conversation anyways. He leaves as awkwardly as he came in.

As Peter walks back to his room, he notices the air around him feels lighter. Fresher, even. He smiles at the thought.

For the first time, in a very long time, Peter was optimistic for the future.

---

Never mind, maybe he should have died that night.

Studying was a far worse punishment.

Peter groans and buries his face deeper into his pillow, a string of obscenities following shortly after. You turn and frown at the sight. Sure, you weren’t any better during finals week, but this was just sad.

“C’mon dude,” you said as you shook his shoulder. “Get up. We’re almost done with this.”

He groans louder at your comment. “Too much work. Math isn’t even real.”

You shake your head in amusement. “Yeah okay. Tell that to Gonzales, I’m sure you’ll keep your number two spot after that.” You snort, not registering Peter’s shock as he propped himself up.

“Two? Don’t you mean one?”

Shit. “I mean, not exactly. Finals week happened a little bit ago. Grades change, you know?”

“Okay…” He gives you a look. “Well, then who scored high enough to beat me?”

Your lips tighten, but your silence, in turn, answers his question.

“No…” Peter realizes. “You- no….”

“Pete-“

“You’re first now? You took my freaking spot?”

Your mouth hangs open trying to think of a proper response and your friend scoffs. “Wow,” he says, shaking his head. “After all this time, I didn’t realize my best friend would become my enemy. Now I actually have to try.”

“Ouch. A nice congrats or something would have been nice, you know,” you reply, rolling your eyes. “Whatever, at least I’m being nice and trying to help.”

“Help? Or sabotage?” Peter smirks, sitting up. Stiff from his previous meltdown position, he clasps his hands together and stretches his arms upward. He doesn’t get very far before he flinches back down, hands now gripping his side as he quietly whimpers.

You immediately assume the worst as you turn closer to Peter, but he shakes his head, a sign telling you it’s nothing serious. He takes a few more deep breaths before looking at you, now sheepish.

“Sorry bout that. I think I overdid today,” he explained, gently rubbing his abdomen.

“Peter…” you pout. “Thought the whole point of you being here was so that you wouldn’t overdo it.”

“Yeah yeah, I know. I didn’t think a late-night workout would cause too much trouble,” he says, and your eyebrows furrow, disappointment evident. Peter slumps further down, throwing his hands up. “I won’t do it again, okay? It’s my last weekend here, anyways. I’ll take it easy for the next few days. Promise.” He then offers his pinkie to you, and you accept it with a sigh.

Your eyes wander down his chest, stopping at the top of his waist. You’ve never actually seen it, the wound and the scar that it left. At least, not since the incident. Your chest tightens at the thought. It was so bloody, and dirty, and just plain gross.

It was supposed to be the end of him, the end of everything you had. And now here he was, studying for a calculus test.

How was all that a month ago?

“Does it always hurt?” you ask before you could stop yourself. Peter follows your stare before looking at you again.

“Nah, just sometimes,” he starts with a small shrug. “It’s usually a dull ache every now and then, but it hurts more right now, cause, you know…” He looks away in shame. “Speaking of, I need to put this cream stuff on before I forget, supposed to keep it clean and help with the healing. I forgot to put it on after training.” He leans forward to grab the tube off his desk, and you could tell the easy motion was rather painful.

“I could do it if you want,” you offer, eyes widening immediately afterward. The two of you have been keeping physical distance between one another, and now here you were, basically asking to caress him. “I mean- if you think it would be easier.”

He takes a moment to think before giving a small nod, not saying anything as he hands you the cream. You both seem unsure of this, but you slowly grab the tube anyways. You take your time unscrewing the cap, giving Peter a chance to change his mind. When you look back up, he’s already staring at you, waiting for your next move.

You scooch closer toward Peter, and the air starts to get thicker. Tense. One wrong move could ruin this whole thing. You cringe at the thought. It’s not that deep, you tried to rationalize.

But this was Peter. Every small action meant something more.

Fisting the bottom of his t-shirt, you bring it to his chest to reveal the scar. You let out a shaky breath, looking at the newly exposed skin. It was the same as the last time you saw it: You could still see the tinges of pink under the lights, and his chest was still firm. But now all that was blemished with a horrid red line on his right.

That fucking scar. If looks could kill, your stare could probably reopen the wound that was once there. It makes you so frustrated to know the memory still stains his body. Peter once mentioned that his powers speed up his healing process, but marks like these last a lifetime for normal people, so you imagined that if it were to go away, it wouldn’t be for years.

You shake the thoughts from your head as you squeeze the cream onto your fingers, using your thumb to warm it up. Shifting your weight forward, you lean in even closer to him and gently touch Peter’s skin. The contact causes him to tense at first, but he eventually softens under your touch as you massage in the substance.

Peter doesn’t take his eyes off you. He watches how softly your fingers graze his scar, and how his skin was burning at the contact. It reminds him of that weekend: The hungry kisses, the skin on skin after you took your shirts off. Even when you were pulling him for more, you were never rough. You let him dip his toes first, making sure he was doing what he wanted.

Mr. Stark’s words come back to him. Live a little… have some fun… do what you want…

And right now, Peter thinks he wants more.

He sits up straighter (or at least as much as he could) and brings his hand up toward you, tracing your jaw with his fingertips. His thumb rubs the center of your cheek, bringing your focus away from his scar. You don’t realize how close the two of you are until you face him again. Peter’s stare flickers between your eyes and mouth, and you swallow hard. Though his touch was warm, your mind was frozen.

Were you supposed to do something? What did Peter want? Your questions were soon answered as he started to close the distance between you, ever so slowly. And though a part of you wanted to meet him halfway, memories cloud your head.

Blood.

Rubble.

Tears.

Peter holding on for dear life.

Fear shooting through your veins.

With a sharp inhale, you put your weight on your palms and back away. Peter stays where he is, his body a few seconds behind. After a few seconds, he lowers his hand down as concern floods his eyes.

“I- I should go,” you announce. Pushing yourself off the bed, you quickly pack your stuff away, not bothering to check if you got everything.

“I thought we were going to study more-“

“Just look up some practice problems online and you should be good. The curve helps a lot too.” You zip your backpack. “You’ll be fine without me.”

Peter fumbles for an excuse. “Well, it’s getting late, though. Wouldn’t you rather spend the night like last weekend?”

“No, it’s cool. Happy said they always have a driver on call just in case. Might as well put use them,” you shrug. “Anyways, bye!”

You quickly slam the door behind you, and Peter cringes at the sound. What the hell just happened? He brings his palms to his eyes with a heavy sigh. The last thing he wanted was for things to be awkward, yet he still managed to drive you out of his room and onto a two-hour car ride instead. Did he misread the situation that bad?

Meanwhile, you were still on the other side of the door, eyes wide. Did you really just do that? You were always so upset when Peter didn’t communicate with you, but now you were no better. You turn back to face the door, hand on the doorknob, yet the turn never came. Eventually, you let go and back away, and pull out your phone before turning the corner and out of the hallway.

At that same moment, Peter decided to stand up and follow you. Even if you wanted to leave, he didn’t want all his feelings to go unsaid. He pushes through the soreness and reaches the door, yanking it open.

He sticks his head out into the hall, but he doesn’t see you. Peter’s frame shrinks. A big part of him wanted to chase you, to see if he could catch up before you had the chance to go, but if you were already so far gone, it must be for a reason. With a frown, he slowly shuts his door, hoping that maybe you’ll come back before the click.

You never do.

Sleep never comes to you that night, thoughts about a brown-haired superhero circling your head. You knew that leaving was not the best idea. And not turning back when you had the chance was also not the greatest call. But at that moment, the idea of confronting your fears and worries seemed so much worse.

Grabbing your pillow, you smother yourself as you let out a quiet scream. By the time you uncover your face, you can already see the sun.

---

Neither of you mentions that night. Not that you were purposely avoiding the topic. In fact, you wanted to apologize for your abrupt exit, and maybe talk about what was going on between you two, but there was never a good time to do so.

Peter’s reappearance was not going as smooth as you thought it would. No offense to the boy, but you didn’t think many people would notice he was gone. But with the lack of Spider-Man sightings, and all the chaos surrounding homecoming weekend, people were chatty.

The first day he came back to school, Flash kept asking what happened to the friendly neighborhood hero. Poor Peter tried his best to blubber an excuse about him having a mission out of the country, but that just confused his classmates even more.

Others were asking why he missed all those weeks of school, which caused him to create an elaborate lie about having an extended family in Europe. It took everything for MJ not to outright laugh at the scene, which you later scolded her about.

Combine that and all the work he needs to catch up on, you thought it would be best to wait a little longer.

Eventually, Friday rolls around and all of you have survived another week. You, Peter, Ned, and MJ were talking around your locker before school when Ned claps his hands together, a lightbulb turning on in his head.

“Oh, dude! Now that we’re all here, we should all play some D&D!” He grins, getting giddier by the second. “We finally have a good amount of people, plus it’ll be a good way to have Betty get to know you all better as a group. I got this new book for Christmas and I’ve been planning a campaign for weeks. Spoiler alert: it’s awesome!” He quickly spits out, looking toward the group for a response.

Turns out Betty and Ned were soulmates, though no one knew until recently. Except for MJ, of course. When she gossiped about it homecoming night, Ned spilled all the beans.

They found out a few weeks after D.C., but though the two of them were pleased with the pairing, Betty didn’t feel ready to go into a relationship. Ned was accepting of this, being the sweetie he is, and the two of them are slowly building a friendship, though they are quite affectionate with one another. It was adorable, and slightly jealousy-inducing all at once.

MJ crinkles her nose. “I suppose I could try it. No promises that I’ll enjoy it, though.”

Ned, Peter, and you all stare at one another before bursting into laughter. Your amusement confuses MJ, but she doesn’t interrupt the moment.

“Oh Michelle,” you begin, grabbing her by the shoulder. “You are in for a world of fun.”

“Does that mean you’re in?” Ned points to you.

“Of course, dude! You’re the best Dungeon Master around. That, and your mom always has tons of snacks for us whenever we play.”

“I’ll take what I can get, I guess,” he scoffs. “Should we plan for tomorrow or something? I need to add a few more details and Betty should be free then too.”

“I’m good.”

“Same here.”

“Actually, I can’t. I’m busy.”

The three of you turn to Peter, who shrinks down in size and offers a shy smile.

“C’mon Pete. I get you have a lot of catching up to do but I’m sure a small game break wouldn’t kill you,” you said.

“No no, I get that.” He shakes his head. “It’s just that I was gonna start patrolling this weekend… “ he explains, and your blood runs cold. “But you guys go on and play without me, I promise to join next time.”

Ned nods, the three of them continuing to talk like normal, but you stay silent, keeping your eyes in Peter’s direction. Patrolling? How come he never told you about this?

It’s five minutes before class when MJ and Ned decide to leave, heading to their first period history together. Peter decides to go to class too, but you grab his arm before he gets the chance to turn away.

“Are you seriously going out? What happened to taking it easy?” you hissed. Though your tone was rather snippy, deep down you were terrified for Peter. Sure, he was fine now, maybe even better with all his training, but was he ready to go back out?

Were you ready for him to go back out?

“I’ve been taking it easy for a week, and people are starting to get suspicious. I don’t know if I can make it through another one of Flash’s confrontations without getting caught,” he sighs. “Look, can we just talk about this later? Class is about to start.”

You scoff. “You’re just trying to avoid the subject.”

“No, I’m not. I just don’t want to hear you lecture me when I’m already heading to one. And besides, I already know what you’re gonna say so what does it matter?”

“You literally just described ‘avoiding the subject’,” you bite back, concern turning into frustration. “Nothing good happens when we don’t talk, Pete.”

“Oh really? Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah dude, I’m pretty sure. That’s kinda how a friendship works.”

“Right. Friendship…” A pause. Peter’s face hardens as he looks at you. “Fine, let’s talk: why didn’t you kiss me?” he asks, jaw clenched.

Your hand lets go of his arm and falls slack. When you said you wanted to bring up the almost-kiss, you didn’t mean now. Why was he turning this on you?

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, if I can’t avoid the subject, then you can’t either.”

You shake your head. This was not the time to talk about this. He takes your silence as an answer and moves a step back.

“I’m going out. Tonight,” he announces. “I’m not waiting around.”

He doesn’t give you a chance to reply before he turns around and walks away. The action surprises you; Peter was never the one to walk away. If he was, it was because there was a danger that he needed to tend to.

This time, he willingly chose to.

You mull over what he said before he left. I’m not waiting around. He said it with such conviction. It almost sounded like he wasn’t talking about Spider-Man.

He was talking about you.

+++

You didn’t realize the Avengers had their own private hospital section, but considering their job description, you shouldn’t be surprised.

The stale, air-conditioned air of the hospital welcomed you the minute you entered. Goosebumps prickled your exposed arms as the atmosphere around you shifted.

Yeah, you really didn’t like hospitals. Especially now.

The nurses didn’t know anything of you or your involvement either, so they couldn’t let you go past the designated waiting room, leaving you all alone in a stuffy room. You’ve been staring at the fish tank for the last five minutes, waiting for someone to at least come in and talk to you.

Ugh, fuck this.

You texted MJ and Ned the news about Peter, which was a rather chaotic conversation. You promised you would let them know the whole story soon, but now didn’t feel like the time. Not when your other half may or may not be alive.

When you left the school, Ned spammed Stark Industries with emergency messages, which finally got Tony Stark’s attention. You overheard some nurses at the desk talking, and apparently, he was somewhere in the building, talking down a woman. You had no doubt that it was May.

God, if you thought you’ve been through it, you couldn’t imagine how she felt. To find out your nephew, who was basically your son, is a crime-fighting superhero is one thing. To find out he was almost killed and is currently fighting for his life all in one night is another. You were surprised her head didn’t explode right then and there.

Another ten minutes pass by before May comes out from the patient area, eyes red and completely distraught. Tony Stark was close behind her, holding the door open as May’s crouched figure passes through.

You stare at the two of them and accidentally make eye contact with the billionaire. He sends you a nod before heading back to the hospital rooms, like it was the only safe thing to do. The anger from before quickly disappeared; at least you weren’t the only one in shock.

“Oh, Y/N,” May says when she spots you. “I didn’t know you’d be here. It’s super late, I think it’s safer if you went back home. I don’t want your parents to worry. Do you need me to call and talk to them? I can take you home if you need me to.”

“May, you don’t-“

“I mean it’s probably best if I go do something. I don’t think I can sit here for very long without pulling my hair out.”

“May-“

“This is all just hitting me so hard. I mean, how did I not even realize this? I feel so stupid. God, the nerve of Tony to pull this. I should have never trusted him-“

“It’s my fault, May.” You snap, ceasing her rambles. “I did this… I fucking caused all of this. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do and one thing led to another and… I killed him. I killed Peter. I am so sorry, May. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

May doesn’t respond right away, still processing everything you said. Her shoulders slump down slightly as she cocks her head. Out of all the news she got tonight, this one confused her the most. But as she focused on you and your shivering body, she realized she wasn’t the only one that had a rough night.

She takes your hands. “Let’s talk, alright?”

The next fifteen minutes were spent by you blubbering about everything. The soulmate memory, his Spider-Man secret, how you tried to keep apart, and how you found him downtown. You skip over the rather intimate parts, knowing it was probably not going to help May. Your face is red and splotchy by the end of it, and a handful of tissues covered the small table next to you.

May doesn’t say a word until you’re done. Though a nice gesture, her silence was more due to her complete shock.

“I am so fucking sorry, May,” you whisper at the end. “I should have told you, or someone, at least. It’s just that, it was Peter’s life on the line. I didn’t want to do anything and hurt him. I thought it was best if he made the call, but look where that got us.” You wipe your eyes and look away. The guilt was unbearable. May was nothing but caring to you, and you repay her by killing her nephew.

“God... I knew Peter was having a rough time, I always heard him at weird hours of the night, but I thought it was just school or something. I’ve always checked on him, but he would always say he’s busy.” She shakes her head. “I don’t blame you, though. I mean, I’m not exactly happy this all went down the way it did, but I can’t be mad at you for at least trying to save him, even when it hurt to.”

You sniffle at her words, trying to suppress any more tears. “He still got hurt, though. Peter being my soulmate cost him his life…” you whisper the last word.

May offers a sympathetic smile as she smooths your hair. “You know, people say the reason for soulmates is to be with someone you love forever, but it never takes into account some people’s forever is shorter than others,” she explains. “When Ben died… I was so angry at the world. Why give me this amazing person if I only got them for a short time? Sure, the world can give me another soulmate or something, but it almost defeats the purpose… makes it seem that I had to have this one soulmate before I had to a ‘real’ soulmate. Even after all this time, part of me will always want him…

“But even if Ben isn’t with me forever, I was with him for his forever, and I found a way to be okay with that. I gave him all the love I possibly could have, and I have no doubt in my head that it was worth it.”

You smile and nod at her words, but she could tell you weren’t completely getting the point. “You and Peter are great together, friendship or more. There’s no way he regrets spending his time with you, and I don’t think you do either. The two of you always had something special. Don’t push away from that, even if it might seem easier.”

You find May’s hands and give a firm squeeze, a silent way of saying thanks. For months, you have been trying to go for easy: less drama, fewer risks… but it was still a whole lot of pain. And for what? Never getting to be with your best friend in the way you truly wanted? May made it seem like the choice was obvious, and you wondered if it actually was.

A few quiet minutes pass until Tony Stark steps into the waiting room and approaches the two of you. You and May quickly stand up, waiting for the worst. You already experienced Peter’s “death”, you didn’t need to go through it again, especially if it’s real this time.

“Is he going to be okay?” May quickly asks, hands close to her chest, protecting herself from any hidden blows.

Tony’s mouth tightens before answering. “More or less…” he starts, looking down before continuing. “The wound was deep, and if he couldn’t heal as fast as he could, this would be a different story. However, it was still caused by dangerous, alien hybrid technology and he was already in a rough state prior to the… stab.” He cringes at the word. “Scrapes and bruises, a broken rib, some significant brain injury… Dr. Cho is doing the best she can, but as of right now, he’s in a comatose state.”

You gulp at the news. “So, what does that mean? When will he wake up?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know.”

“But- but he will wake up, right?” you clarify.

A pause. Tony’s jaw ticks. His eyes quickly leave you before blinking and meeting yours again, but you notice it. The doubt behind them.

“I don’t know…”

---

It’s almost midnight, which means you’ve spent the whole night worrying.

You were out on the fire escape freezing your ass off. It would only take ten steps maximum to grab something warm, but the bite of the wind kept you alert.

You weren’t going to leave until you knew Peter was safe.

He barely talked to you since this morning. He sat near Ned at lunch instead of you and took different routes to class. You texted him a few times throughout the day, but he never replied.

So, when you sent a message checking in on him with no response back, you weren’t sure if it was him ignoring you or that he was in danger. You let out a sigh of worry as your breath dissolved into the night.

You never realized how nice your view was. The most use your window got was when Peter came in, but that hasn’t happened for months. It’s crazy that you consider that a simpler time in your relationship.

Your ears focus on the sounds of the city. The bustling noises often brought you comfort, knowing that there were thousands of people going through the motions of life. Tonight, however, it sent a feeling of loneliness to your veins. New York kept going on while you were wallowing and worrying. It didn’t need you, even though you needed them.

A sudden urge to cry makes your throat tightens. You really hope that Peter was alright.

When you check the time again, you saw that a new day began. You decide to shove your phone back in your pocket. Watching the clock every ten seconds wasn’t going to help.

You sigh, maybe you’ll feel different today. Maybe you’ll feel warmer because holy shit is it cold outside. At what temperature does hypothermia kick in? That seems like a question to Google, not experiment.

You’re about to turn back when you hear a soft thwip, and a Peter hanging outside down on the stairs. You weren’t too sure how he was feeling at the moment, his covered eyes not giving any hints, but you send a soft smile nonetheless.

“I’m not a damsel in distress if that’s what you’re thinking,” you break the ice.

Peter turns himself right side up, taking a seat on the railing next to you. He pulls his mask off and drops it in his lap, and you can see his face isn’t as icy as this morning. But his mouth was pulled tight, unsure how to go about this.

“I’d consider frostbite to be a crime,” he shrugs. Luckily, you had your window open this whole time. With a quick webshot, Peter sticks and catches the sweater hanging on your chair before offering it to you. “Especially if Spider-Man can stop it.”

You bite your cheek. Part of you didn’t want to give in, but there was no way you could last another minute out here. Slowly, you grabbed your sweater, your fingers grazing the fabric of his suit. A way of saying thank you.

“Slow day?” you ask, pulling the sweater over your head. The extra layer was already warming you up, and your body relaxes a little.

“Well, considering the biggest thing I did today was helping tourists find their way to the subway, I’ll let you figure that out,” he laughs. “Though I suppose some good work is better than no work at all. At least the city knows I’m back.”

Peter realizes that the last sentence wasn’t a good idea, your face slightly dropping at his words. He tries to keep talking in hopes of distracting you. “So uh, any reason why you’re out here tonight?”

“I was waiting for you. Couldn’t sleep until I knew you were safe, I guess.” you sigh, looking back at the skyline. “I also wanted to apologize, for how I reacted. Even if I didn’t agree with you, I could have at least listened to you.”

Peter awkwardly nods, guilt surfacing at your confession. “I mean, I could have done the same thing too. I was so focused on the dumb rumors I let Flash get into my head. That was my first mistake,” he jokes, causing you to snort. “I’m not trying to get into myself into any death matches anytime soon, but I still want to help out, you know?”

“Always the hero… I learned that back in D.C.,” you sigh. “I guess I’m still trying to figure things out. Everything just feels weird right now, and I don’t think I’m making it any easier.”

He doesn’t say anything and faces back toward the city. He takes a breath of the city, smelling the mix of laundry detergent from your apartment basement and the exhaust from the streets.

For all his life, Peter was dedicated to New York. He loved going to the museums with May and Ben; he always tried to pay street performers with whatever spare change he had in his pocket; he rolled his eyes every time someone brought up New Jersey; most importantly, he wouldn’t take off the suit until he knew his home was safe, even if it was almost morning.

He’s done everything he could to protect his neighborhood and the people who need it most, yet he feels… almost distant from it all. As if Peter was trying to find something more to it. A faint memory passes through his head- what did Ben use to say all those years ago? Something like, “home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling”?

Peter’s brain sticks to the thought.

Suddenly, the last month hits him.

“I thought of you,” he starts, still looking out into the night. “When it happened, all I could think about was you.”

Your face softens as the beating of your heart becomes audible.

“I was so… angry about it all. I was so pissed off at myself. Even if I knew that was gonna happen, even if I knew or thought I guess, that that was the end, I was an idiot for not spending my time with you. I should’ve used whatever time I had trying to be something more to you, instead of pushing away what we already had. At least if I did die, I would be at peace with everything,” he chokes up a little at the end. “You’re my best friend, and one that somehow gets me. This place is my home and I’d do anything for it.” He turns his head closer. “But it’s nothing without you. Life feels complicated, it’s always been complicated… but I think it’d be easier if we were in it together.”

You bite your lip and pick at the skin. They’ve been chapped since you came out, but it didn’t stop you from using it to cope with your nerves. Peter was laying it all out on the table, and you were the one left silent.

“You don’t have to tell me why we didn’t kiss, it’s completely understandable if you rather just let it go. I’ve pushed you away too many times, it’s only fair you get to do the same at least once. But I want you to know this.” His eyes were bright under the moonlight.

The last hurrah.

“I would keep you in any possible way I could. I told myself that I need to be able to do what I want, and I want you, for however long I can get you,” he sighs. “If you’re not ready for that, okay. If you never want that- fuck – that’s okay too. I love you. I will always love you,” he says, passion dripping from his words and into your heart. “If you could wait for me, I can wait for you too. Whenever you’re ready, just say when. I don’t care what I’m doing, or where I am, I’m always going to be here with you. Even if you don’t want me, I’ll be here.”

I’ll be here…

+++

It took five days for Peter to wake up.

Five days of nonstop worrying and utter stress. Five days of you traveling to the hospital first thing after school until your parents texted you to come home. Five days of you not sleeping because you were waiting for the call, and you had no idea what to expect when it did.

The first day was somewhat bearable. May and you slept in the waiting room that night, and when you woke up, which was about four hours later, she took you home. Sitting in a sticky, vinyl chair was not helping you, and if May had to wait there for another minute, she was afraid she’d have another meltdown.

You were still a little numb from it all by the time you got back. It wasn’t until almost midnight that you started to realize, oh shit, you don’t know when Peter will wake up. If… he’ll ever wake up.

That first night you cried in your bed until the morning. Your face was swollen for the rest of the day, and when your parents came back on the second day, they were panicking that you had an allergic reaction.

You told May not to tell them. They didn’t need to know, and they didn’t need to coddle and worry about you. May, who didn’t exactly think it was a good idea, reluctantly agreed anyways. So, when your parents were fussing about your appearance, you laughed it off and told them you watched The Notebook the night before with some friends.

It was just easier that way.

The second day was spent with you wallowing in your room, waiting by your phone for something. May told you she would keep you updated and that you shouldn’t worry, which both of you knew was just empty advice. Hearing nothing was just as bad as hearing something.

Later that day, MJ sent a few news articles about the Vulture and his arrest. Apparently, his suit gave out not too long after he left the scene, causing him to suffer some internal injuries and harsh burns. He got caught by Stark Industries and was arrested quickly after, and is currently awaiting trial. It was likely that Adrian Toomes would be under bars for a while, and that brought you both relief and guilt as you tried to sleep.

The third day sent you to school, and at least gave you something to focus on. The tension between you and your friends was palpable, but no one bothered to address it, not sure where to even go. The only mention of that night was with Liz in the hallway before she left, and that was enough for you.

You went back to the hospital on the third day (after telling your parents you were staying at school for newspaper), and though there was nothing new about Peter’s condition, you still wanted to be there just in case. May was too busy with work to come in unless there was an emergency, and you hope that brought her more relief than stress.

You spent your visiting hours watching Peter sleep, or whatever people did when they were in a coma. You at least liked to pretend he was just sleeping, it made you feel better about his chances of waking up.

His face was so pale and frail under the fluorescents, and you wished he could wake up just long enough to get some actual food in him. You hoped he was at least somewhat at peace right now and resting away all of the stress he’s put himself under. The stress that you were also a cause of.

“I’m sorry, Peter. For everything,” you whisper. Even if he could hear you right now, you’re not sure you want him to. You slowly stand up from your chair and step closer to the boy, brushing his curls back. Gently, you lean forward and press a kiss to the top of his head, brushing the area with your thumb afterward. “I hope you’re doing okay…”

The fourth day is mostly the same. After school, you lied to your parents and went straight to the hospital. You quietly worked on homework while sitting next to Peter, glancing at him from time to time and sending his hand a reassuring squeeze every now and then. He looks the same as yesterday, and you’re not too sure if that’s good or not.

“You know he’s not going anywhere,” you hear from the doorway. Their voice was instantly recognizable. “Dr. Cho says he’s doing alright, though. Still don’t know when he’ll wake up, but he’s alright for now.” Tony Stark says.

You scoff. “No offense, but that ‘for now’ part doesn’t seem so reassuring.”

“Fair enough,” he shrugs, taking a seat next to you. “But considering this is probably my fault, I’ll take that over nothing.”

You shake your head. “It’s not your fault. It was bound to happen either way, no matter what you did, it wouldn’t have changed anything.”

“Yeah, that’s what everyone says, isn’t it?” he mumbles.

“Trust me, I actually mean it. If we’re going to put blame on anyone it should be on me… or the universe or whatever.”

Tony tilts his head. “Universe as in…”

“-soulmates, yeah,” you answer. “In our future, we saw each other after the incident, and I thought he died… now here we are.”

“Right, here we are…” he repeats. “They told me someone else was there at the scene when I got to the hospital, but I wasn’t sure who they were referring to until I saw you afterward. Nice to meet officially meet you…”

“Y/N,” you introduce yourself.

Tony nods. “I’m sorry about how all that went down though. I knew the kid wants his identity to be a secret so I tried to keep everything under wraps as much I could.”

“No hard feelings,” you smile. “I was definitely upset at the time, but I could tell you were just as worried as I was. You wanted to protect him… I do too.” You turn and look at Peter, watching his chest go up and down with his breath. “I’d do anything for him.”

You don’t notice Tony’s faint smile as he watches you and Peter. Young love was beyond him, and watching it happen right in front of his eyes was both sweet and nauseating.

“I should be heading back, I only came here for a quick check-in. Still have some loose ends to tie up regarding press, but nothing to worry about.” He stands up, straightening his jacket. “Glad we got a chance to chat.”

“Me too.” You watch as he walks away, words still at the tip of your tongue. “For what it’s worth Mr. Stark,” you begin, gaining his attention again. “Peter is the type of person who would do anything to save people. He looks out for his family, his friends, me… I can’t imagine someone who’s more of a hero than him, and that includes the Avengers. No offense,” you half-joke. “Whatever you decide to do with him, I hope you give him another chance. He’s really amazing- powers or not.”

He nods, impressed at your words. Tony doesn’t say anything, choosing to offer you a smile before turning away, leaving you and Peter alone. You don’t stay much longer after he leaves, and you follow yesterday’s routine of kissing Peter’s head before heading out.

The fifth day is rainy, perfect to match your somber mood. School decided that today would be a great day to kick your ass and give you tons of homework, even though finals week was already fast approaching. You also forgot an umbrella this morning, and your clothes were still damp from your walk from the subway station. For the cherry on top, no one has had any updates on Peter since he went under, and your hope was starting to falter.

Without thinking, you took Peter’s hands in yours and started to fidget around with his fingers. The cuts on his knuckles were turning pink and gradually healing, while the calluses on his palms were still evident. Much of the skin around his joints were rough, but it meshed so well with the smoothness around it. You were never touchy with other people, but you desperately wanted Peter to squeeze your hands back. At least show some indication that everything was going to be okay.

When you actually felt a squeeze, you almost couldn’t believe it.

You straighten in your chair and turn your head up. A slow flutter of the eyes and a twitch of the lips make your body tense in anticipation. Is he…?

“Peter?” you whisper.

A quiet groan escapes his mouth as Peter’s eyes gently open, taking in the bright lights. You sigh in relief and blink away at the tears trying to come. This better not be a dream.

“Y/N?” he asks, voice dry and scratchy.

“Oh jeez, maybe don’t talk yet. I’ll go grab you some water and tell the nurses you’re up, okay?” you loosen your grip on Peter’s hands, but he squeezes again.

His head does the tiniest shake as he stares down, watching where your fingers touch his. “Stay. They’ll figure it out.”

You bite the inside of your cheek. “Fine,” you give in. You’ll be out of here soon enough when they find out, and you wanted to spend time with the boy who came back from the dead. “If I get in trouble though, you cannot play the ‘sick patient’ card.”

Peter lets out a gravelly laugh, his body still trying to figure out how to be awake. “I’ll try my best…” he mumbles.

“You’ll try your best? Seriously?” you scoff. “You finally wake up and your first words are some half-ass promise?”

He takes a deep inhale, both humored and annoyed at your teasing. “Fine. I promise I won’t… as long as you promise to be here.”

You smile at his quiet words, taking his knuckle and forcing his pinkie finger up. You gently wrap yours around it, looking him dead in his tired eyes. “I promise I’ll be here,” you whisper.

”I’ll always be here…”

---

A month ago, you promised Peter that exact same thing, and it feels like you already broke that promise. The world has offered you a second chance, and you were doing the same thing Peter did the first time: pushing away out of fear. Could you really waste another five months doing that again?

Could your heart handle that?

“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable or something,” Peter stammers. “If you need some time alone, that’s cool,” he offers, fumbling to put his mask back on.

“-Peter, wait.”

He immediately freezes, looking at you with wide eyes. The wind was starting to pick up, and his curls gently blew in the breeze. The dry air irritates his lips as he picks at it, waiting for your next response.

You move closer to him, inch by inch on the railing; your hands are almost touching, your pinkie desperately wanting to link with his gloved one. You take a deep breath and let it trap in your chest as you stare at the boy in front of you.

Peter Parker.

Spider-Man.

Your soulmate.

But most importantly, your best friend.

The wind moves through your hair and chills your body, yet it jumpstarts every nerve in your system. Peter was alive; you were alive; and fuck, was it a good feeling.

You wanted more, so you leaned in. Your nose touched Peter’s and your mouths closed the gap. A small, innocent kiss to tell him you want more, and that it was his call to keep going. When you stop, and Peter realizes that yes, you did just kiss him, he comes back for more. And he’s not looking to stop anytime soon.

His hand lets go of the railing and wraps around the small of your back, keeping you close and balanced. He keeps the other one gripped tight to the metal; he doesn’t trust himself to not get dizzy from you.

You cradle Peter’s face and deepen yourself into his presence. Your heart is hammering against your chest and you love it. It makes your body heat up and radiates the air around you. You hum against his mouth as you suck on his bottom lip, making Peter whine at the feeling. Your sweater rides up as you press yourself closer, and his thumb draws circles on the exposed skin. The small action makes you smile; you were only half-sure you weren’t crying at the amount of love that was running through your veins.

It seems like forever until you two are pulling away, absolutely blissed out and breathless. Neither of you go that far, faces still just a space or two away.

You look into Peter’s glassy eyes. If something were to happen to him, if you had to say goodbye to him in the worst way possible, if you had to grieve for a lifetime in order to move on, if you had to spend every day thinking of him and crying until your face was red and dry…

It was worth it. You were grateful to be loved by Peter Parker.

You catch your breath and take a slow inhale. It smells like cedarwood. Home.

You lean forward again and Peter meets you halfway. Your lips are just touching when you whisper into his mouth his new favorite word.

“When.”

Part 4 / Masterlist

Taglist: @eridanuswave @spideylovin @mktravelbuggie @bintfalastin8 @runway-to-my-aid @selfcarecap @peterbenjiparker

#tom holland #peter parker #peter parker x reader #Peter Parker fluff #peter parker fanfiction #Peter Parker angst #peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader smut #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x you #Peter Parker fanfiction #five months #Peter Parker imagine #spider man fanfic #marvel imagine #marvel #Tom holland x reader #Peter Parker series

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serpentupemotions-blog · 5 years

Text

Guilt (Part Two) - Sweet Pea x Reader

Summary: You’re out of your element during a second trip to the Whyte Wyrm, but your feelings for Sweet Pea are only growing stronger. Being Archie’s sister makes navigating the Southside versus Northside issue even more difficult as you try to figure out where you stand with Sweet Pea.

A/N: Oh my God, I finally got it done! This is part two of a request I got by @babbbiegirl (who probably wasn’t wanting all of this, but I’m very grateful for the inspiration the request gave me!)

I’ve come to the realization that the three things I struggle with the most are: titles, summaries, and figuring out how to end stories. So, all three are mediocre at best, but hopefully the rest of it makes up for that.

Warnings: Some pretty mild swearing

Word count: 8,307

You walk out of your bedroom when you hear the familiar sound of Archie slamming his bedroom door, always just a little too hard for no particular reason. Hurrying after him you pull your jacket on, covering up the plunging neckline of the shirt you were wearing. “Archie,” you call, almost running down the stairs.

Archie turns to look at you when he hears you yell his name, picking up the keys to your dad’s truck that he was borrowing for the night. “Yeah?”

“I’m coming with you,” you tell him confidently, coming to a stop in front of him.

“To FP’s retirement party? Like hell you are.”

Crossing your arms over your chest you push yourself in front of the door. You both may be teenagers now, both too mature for your age after dealing with everything you had been through, but sometimes you still acted like children.

“Y/N,” Archie sighs, “get out of the way.”

“I’m not moving unless you bring me with you.”

“Why do you even want to go?” Archie asks impatiently.

Your cheeks warm up as the truth immediately comes to mind, seeing Sweet Pea again. You had taken extra time to get ready, tried on many different outfits, all in hopes that he would notice you. There was no way you were letting Archie leave you behind. But there was even less of a chance that you were about to tell him the truth. “I grew up with Jughead too, I have just as much reason to go as you do.”

“You’re not coming.”

“Yes, I am,” you say, not giving in as you press your back into the front door.

Archie glares at you, not saying anything for a minute before checking the time on his phone. “Fine, let’s go, I don’t want to be late, I told Veronica I would be there five minutes from now.”

You turn around with a smug smile on your face, opening the front door and walking to the truck. The drive is quiet for a few minutes until Archie looks over at you for a second before returning his eyes to the road ahead of him. “Stay with me, Veronica, Jug or Betty, I don’t want you hanging out at the Wyrm alone.”

You roll your eyes, knowing that Archie was focused on the road and wouldn’t notice it. You wanted to tell him that you had already been to the Wyrm before, to prove yourself as being able to do things without being coddled. But you kept your mouth shut, because you were aware that the ten seconds of feeling smug would never be worth the repercussions of telling him about your trip to the Whyte Wyrm after the fight.

Archie pulls into the parking lot at the bar, already crowded with motorcycles. A small crowd of older men stand under one of the few lights on the exterior of the building smoking, each of them wearing a Southside Serpent jacket. You wait till Archie gets out of the truck before slipping your jacket off quickly and abandoning it on the seat of the truck. Closing the truck door, you notice Archie looking around nervously. Something was up with him and Veronica, you could sense that. As much as you didn’t want to see your older brother dealing with relationship issues you found a silver lining in it, that it would distract him from feeling like he needed to babysit you the whole night.

Walking into the Wyrm the atmosphere is shockingly different from the night after the fight. The bar is packed with bodies, conversations blending into a steady drone of noise, rock music playing loudly, the occasional crack of pool balls against each other coming from the back of the bar. “Come on,” Archie says, gesturing for you to follow him to a table in the far corner.

Knowing you just had to wait till Veronica showed up you oblige, sitting down in an empty chair without complaint. “When’s Veronica supposed to get here?” you ask looking over your shoulder, trying to find Sweet Pea without making it too obvious to Archie that you were looking for someone.

“She’s almost here,” Archie tells you and you notice Jughead approaching, looking tense.

“Y/N, I didn’t know you were coming,” Jughead says, stopping beside you and glancing at Archie.

“I didn’t know she was coming until fifteen minutes ago either,” Archie says, immediately justifying why he hadn’t said anything to Jughead about you coming.

“Clearly neither of you want to hang out with me,” you say and push your chair back, “so I’ll go find someone else to hang out with.”

“Y/N,” Archie says as you stand up, “I told you to stay with one of us tonight.”

“I can take care of myself, Archie. Figure things out with Veronica, don’t worry about me.” You say it like you’re doing him a favour, giving him space so he can work on his relationship. But it was just a thinly-veiled excuse to get away from Archie and Jughead. Turning away from Archie you weave through the crowd of people, eyes scanning the crowd the whole time to find Sweet Pea. You eventually spot him by the bar, talking with the, much too young to be bartending, girl standing behind the bar. Taking a deep breath, you walk over, stepping up to the empty space at the bar beside him.

“What are you doing here?” Sweet Pea asks, his voice accusatory.

His words sting more than you wanted to admit and you force yourself to smile anyway. You couldn’t show him that you were upset by that. Jughead was like a brother to you, but you weren’t here for him. None of your friends were here. You had come for one person. “Couldn’t get enough of this place, I guess.” Your tone is sarcastic, and you glance around you, trying to make it seem like you weren’t there to see him.

“Your brother isn’t going to do something stupid tonight, is he? That you think you’re going to have to apologize for.”

You roll your eyes, turning your head to look at him now. “If he does something stupid it’ll be with his own relationship.”

Sweet Pea watches you for a moment before nodding and shrugging, indicating that he wasn’t concerned in the slightest with Archie and Veronica’s business. You were glad, because that’s not what you wanted to be talking about. “Toni, Y/N. Y/N, Toni,” Sweet Pea gives the briefest of introductions, gesturing towards the girl behind the bar. You stare at him for a second, biting the inside of your lip to try and hide the smile on your face. You hadn’t told him your name. Which meant he must have asked about you. He hadn’t told you his name either. But you both knew, because you both had asked Jughead. Both pretending that you weren’t interested in the other person, just curious about who they were.

“It’s nice to meet you,” you say to her with a friendly smile, extending your hand over the bar and shaking her hand quickly.

She glances at Sweet Pea and you pretend not to notice the smirk on her face. “You too. Do you want a drink?”

You agree to a drink and she slides the club soda you asked for towards you a moment later, all the while her eyes flicking between you and Sweet Pea.

“What about you?” Sweet Pea asks suddenly.

You look up at him, eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“Are you going to do anything stupid tonight?” he asks, a smile on his face. It’s almost shocking, seeing him smile. It was possibly the first time you had seen him smile, seen him not angry about something.

You smile and take a sip of your drink, looking around the crowded bar again. You were a little surprised Archie hadn’t come to find you or sent someone else to come and find you. “Well I don’t have any plans to do anything stupid,” you say, turning your attention back towards him, “but I don’t have any plans not to either.”

“Well at least you can’t do as much damage as your brother,” Sweet Pea says, chuckling quietly.

“Shouldn’t underestimate me.” You look away as soon as Sweet Pea tries to make eye contact with you, a smile on your lips, taking pleasure in knowing you had gotten his attention.

Your smile fades quickly as you watch a miserable looking Archie and Veronica walk onto the stage across the bar, Mad World playing over the speakers.

“Oh, this should be good,” Sweet Pea comments, chuckling. “I’ve gotta get a better view of this.” Sweet Pea begins to walk away, and you hesitate before following him, not wanting to stand at the bar alone.

Sweet Pea leans against a wall, arms folding across his chest as he watches Archie and Veronica begin singing. You come to a stop beside him, but you wished you were both still standing in the back of the room, watching Archie and Veronica was giving you an incredible amount of second-hand embarrassment. “Oh God,” you mumble and Sweet Pea snorts at your comment, glancing over at you.

You alternate between watching Veronica and Archie sing and staring at the ground in front of you, not being able to look for too long. You peel your eyes from the ground when the singing stops, just in time to catch Archie fleeing from the stage, Veronica already gone. A chorus of boos erupts around you and you hear Sweet Pea joining in. Reaching over you playfully hit his arm, smiling in relief, because at least it was over. “What? You weren’t enjoying that?” Sweet Pea asks jokingly, a smirk on his face.

“Couldn’t have been farther from enjoying it.” Your relief doesn’t last long as you watch Betty take the stage. This time you can’t take your eyes away from the stage, eyes wide in shock as you watch her strip her clothes off on stage. As she starts to dance you look around, the room filled mainly with middle aged men, most of them watching intently, a few glancing towards Jughead for his reaction. FP appears from the crowd as the song ends, clapping and ending the horrifying silence that had filled the room.

FP takes the stage and begins a speech that changes the tone in the bar drastically. There’s an energy his speech evokes, a riled-up excitement that filled you with anxiety. You became acutely aware that you were an outsider as the room erupts in cheers and applause when FP announces that he isn’t retiring. This wasn’t a celebration that you were supposed to be apart of. Pulling your phone from the back pocket of your jeans you text Archie, asking him where he went. You wait a couple minutes before putting your phone back in your pocket, crossing your arms over your chest and pressing your back into the wall, looking around the room in hopes that you would find Archie. You watch as Sweet Pea walks away from you, a sinking feeling in your stomach. Sweet Pea heads towards where FP was standing, surrounded by fellow Serpents, happily slapping each other on the arms, laughing, and cheering about FP’s announcement.

“Hey, Northsider,” a guy’s voice drags your attention from FP and the celebrations happening around him. Turning your head, you look at the guy the voice came from, a bit older than you but still far below the average age of the people in the bar. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m Jughead’s friend,” you defend quickly, straightening your back and inching away from him, wishing you could just disappear.

He chuckles, his eyes not leaving you, though he had yet to actually make any eye contact, his eyes all over everything except your eyes. “What’s your name?”

You swallow a lump in your throat, looking around again for Archie. “Y/N.”

“Well, Y/N. Can I get you a drink? Something to loosen you up a little, you look terrified.”

You bite the inside of your lip, feeling equal parts angry and anxious. If you had a little more courage you would have told him that if he thought you looked terrified it was because you were and to back off instead of trying to get you drunk. But you didn’t have that courage. “No, I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Come on, lighten up, have some fun. Everyone else is celebrating. What do you drink?”

You shake your head again, “nothing, I’m not drinking.”

“You have to have a celebratory drink.”

You wanted to tell him that you weren’t celebrating. That you weren’t a Serpent and you had no idea whether this was something that should be celebrated or not, that you didn’t even really know what it meant that FP wasn’t retiring. But you couldn’t figure out how to say that, too scared to say anything in case the anxiety took over and you said something wrong.

The hot air in the bar is permeated with the scent of alcohol and cigarettes and your lungs suddenly refuse to allow you to fill them completely. Your breathing is shallow, your heart racing. The stuffy warmth surrounding you and making you feel dizzy.

“Hey,” Sweet Pea says, walking over to you. “Where’d your brother go?”

You let out a breath that you hadn’t realized you were holding when Sweet Pea returns. A sudden pain in your jaw alerts you to the fact that you had been clenching it, becoming aware that ever muscle in your body was tense with anxiety. You shrug and look around for what felt like the hundredth time, not seeing him anywhere. Of course, he was always so insistent upon watching over you until the one time you did need him, and he was nowhere to be found. “I don’t know, probably with Veronica somewhere.”

“I’m going to hang out with Fangs and Toni for a bit, why don’t you come with me?” Sweet Pea suggests, reaching over and placing his hand on your lower back before you have a chance to say anything. Not that you needed to say anything, anyone paying attention would have noticed your change in demeanour when Sweet Pea had returned to your side, the relief he had brought you simply by walking over. You walk along beside him, the pressure of his hand on your back guiding you through the crowd of people and back towards the bar where Toni was standing with Fangs. It’s not until his hand leaves your back till you realize how much you wished he would keep it there, or anywhere on your body. You wanted to feel his hands on you, and even the thought of that scared you. Because tonight had done nothing more than reaffirm that he had no interest in you. He was looking out for you, being nice, but only because your brother had disappeared.

“Thanks,” you say to Sweet Pea once you both stop walking.

Sweet Pea shrugs off your thanks, silently letting you know it wasn’t a big deal. But you couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a big deal, that if he had the chance he would much rather pawn you off on someone else you knew than have you hanging around with him and his friends like a lost puppy.

“Hey, I’m Fangs. You were here after the fight, weren’t you? Archie Andrews’ sister…you were soaking wet and terrified, if I remember correctly.”

Your cheeks flush, forcing yourself to smile and you nod at his statement. That was not the first impression you had been hoping for that night, but that’s evidently what had been received. “Yeah, that was me,” you laugh softly, “I’m Y/N.”

Pulling your phone from your pocket you check your text messages again, in case you had missed something.

“You can sit down,” Sweet Pea says, gesturing to the empty barstool he had left between himself and Fangs. He was sitting on his seat sideways, one arm resting on the bar top, turned towards the empty stool he was offering. Hesitantly you step closer and sit down on it, still worried you were accepting an empty invitation. Toni places another club soda down in front of you with a reassuring smile. It was a simple gesture, a glass full of carbonated water, yet such an appreciated one. It was a welcoming gesture in a rather unwelcoming place. Sitting there with them it felt like you were in a bubble, separate from the rambunctious celebrations that had given you so much anxiety not many minutes prior.

You listen to them talk for awhile about FP, about him not retiring and what that meant for the Serpents, about Betty’s dance. You listen in fascination as they discuss it all in an incredibly casual manner, realizing how different their lives were to your own.

“Y/N,” Jughead’s voice causes you to turn around, your knees brushing against Sweet Pea’s as you spin around on the barstool.

“Sorry,” you whisper to him, the corners of his lips curling into a smirk when you make eye contact. Looking away from him you’re met with a very clearly upset Jughead. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I was just talking to Archie, he’s outside in the truck, he told me to find you and tell you it’s time to go.”

You glance down at your phone, not seeing a message from Archie.

“Your brother really knows how to wreck a party,” Sweet Pea says, and his words seem to make Jughead upset as he turns his attention to Sweet Pea with an intense glare.

“Yeah, well, unfortunately he’s my only way home, so I guess I have to go,” you tell Sweet Pea, standing up from the barstool. “It was nice to meet you guys,” you say to Toni and Fangs before looking back at Sweet Pea. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

Jughead turns to head towards the door with you. You can’t help yourself, you look back over your shoulder once you get a few feet away. “Y/N, wait,” Sweet Pea calls when you look back. He gets up from where he was sitting, walking over to you while fishing his phone out of his pocket. “Could I, uh, maybe, get your number?”

You smile up at him, a little surprised by the way he stumbled over his words. Of all the things you expected from him, being nervous to ask for your phone number was not one of them. “Yeah, sure.” You give him your phone number, watching him put his phone back into his pocket. “Have a good rest of your night, Sweet Pea.”

He stays standing there as you turn around and walk out of the bar with Jughead. The crowd of people seemed to have calmed down a bit, or maybe you had just gotten used to the energy in the room. You get into the truck with Archie and you head home despite not wanting to leave. You keep quiet about the fact that you had given your number to a Southside Serpent, to Sweet Pea, to the boy who not too long ago showed up at your house ready to fight your own brother.

It’s a few days before you get a text message from Sweet Pea and you had yet to tell anyone about your feelings for him, not your best friends and sure as hell not your brother. You were aware of the fact that it was still dangerous waters you were treading, maybe it was calmer now than weeks ago, right after the fight, but it was still treacherous.

Sweet Pea: ‘Do you have any plans tonight?’

You had been on your phone when you got the message, reading it immediately. But you made yourself wait to text him back. Even though you thought that rules about waiting to text someone back, so you didn’t seem overly eager were dumb, you still fell into the trap. You wait as long as you can stand before opening your text messages again, realizing as long as you can stand was only ten minutes.

‘Nothing important, why?’ You press send and stare at your screen, immediately wondering if you should have said something different, reading and re-reading the three words. The appearance of three little dots in the bottom corner makes your heart race, happy to see that Sweet Pea didn’t care about waiting any length of time to respond.

Sweet Pea: ‘Toni, Fangs, and I are going to see a movie do you want to come?’

You read the message, disappointment overwhelming your body. You had wholeheartedly been anticipating something a bit more date like, not hanging out with him and his friends.

‘Yeah, sure. At the Bijou? What time should I meet you guys there?’ you toss your phone down onto your bed, laying back on your pillows with a groan.

Sweet Pea: ‘We’ll be there at 8:30’

‘See you then’

You look at the time, two hours. Crawling off your bed you head downstairs, finding your dad and Archie in the kitchen. Archie was leaning against the counter, absorbed in his phone while your dad was cleaning up the kitchen. “Can one of you give me a ride to the movie theatre later?”

Your dad nods, taking a couple plates out of the drying rack by the sink and placing them into the cupboard. “Who are you going with?”

“Just some friends.”

Archie looks up from his phone when he hears your vague response. “New friends?”

You already knew where he was headed with that question, and his suspicions were correct. “Yes, new friends. I’m allowed to make new friends, Archie.”

“Who are they?” Archie asks, his phone completely out of his hand now as he stares at you suspiciously.

Your jaw clenches in irritation, exhaling heavily, glaring across the kitchen at him. “I don’t have to tell you.”

“Please don’t start arguing, you two. I can’t deal with that right now,” your dad says, and you sigh, leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. “Yes, Y/N, I can drive you to the movies.”

“Great, thank you,” you say, turning around and leaving the kitchen before Archie is given the opportunity to ask anymore questions about who you were going to the movie with.

“Thanks for dropping me off, I’ll call you when the movie is over,” you say to your dad, opening the truck door and jumping out. The cold air sends a shiver through your body and you’re grateful you didn’t have to walk to the theatre, even if that meant making Archie suspicious. Walking into the lobby of the movie theatre you see Sweet Pea first, his back was turned to you, but it was hard to miss him, taller than almost everyone in the building.

“Hey,” Toni greets you first and Sweet Pea turns to face you as you walk over.

“Hi,” you reply and look up at Sweet Pea, smiling politely at him. You were trying your best to pretend that you were fine with him wanting to be just friends, but you weren’t sure you could play that role very well.

“Should we go get tickets?” you suggest, gesturing towards the ticket counter.

“We already got them,” Sweet Pea tells you, reaching over and handing you a ticket.

“Oh,” you say, taking the ticket from him while reaching for your wallet. “How much do I owe you for the ticket?”

“Nothing.”

You look up at him, your wallet still in your hands as you begin to unzip it. “How much was it, Sweet Pea?” You couldn’t not pay him back for the ticket. Him paying for you was too much like a date for you be okay with. If you were just going to be friends, you were drawing that line right away.

“I knew this was going to be weird for us,” you hear Fangs say and you look up, seeing that he was talking to Toni. “It’s like a double date, except we’re not dating.”

“We aren’t either,” you say quickly. For someone who wanted it to be a date more than anything, you were pretty quick to correct him on that. But if you didn’t then Sweet Pea would have, and it would have hurt more hearing it from him. “We’re not on a date.”

You pull a twenty-dollar bill from your wallet and shove it into Sweet Pea’s hand, sighing as he refuses to close his hand around the money. “Just take the money.”

“I’m not taking your money,” Sweet Pea tells you, holding eye contact as he easily folds your hand closed over the bill, keeping his hand around yours for longer than was needed to get his point across.

You break away from the eye contact and the physical contact at the same time, your heart hammering so hard against your chest you thought it might just give up altogether. “Fine, whatever. Thanks for the ticket,” you mutter, shoving the money back into your wallet.

“God, this is weird. I’m going to get some snacks,” Toni says, and Fangs follows closely behind her as they walk across the theatre lobby.

You turn back to look up at Sweet Pea once you were sure Toni and Fangs were far enough away to not be able to hear your conversation. “Do they…did you tell them… this isn’t a date, right?”

Sweet Pea shrugs and a tiny smile grows on your face. “No.” And with that the genuine smile turns into another forced smile as you look around the room to mask the chance that he would be able to recognize any disappointment on your face.

Once Fangs and Toni return you head into the theatre with them, not saying anything else to Sweet Pea. Fangs takes the lead and heads down a row halfway down the theatre and the rest of you simply follow suit. You sit down in between Toni and Sweet Pea, immediately feeling nervous about how close you were to Sweet Pea. You run your clammy palms along the tops of your thighs, adjusting in your seat as you try to keep your arm from touching Sweet Pea’s. You wouldn’t have minded being this close, your arms touching, if you hadn’t been spending the last couple hours trying to convince yourself that you could get rid of your attraction to Sweet Pea if you just tried hard enough.

The movie starts and no matter how hard you try to just focus you can’t keep your mind on the movie and off Sweet Pea. Every time you see him move out of the corner of your eye you’re pulled back out of the movie. It didn’t help that you had no interest in the movie, but the Bijou was a one theatre establishment so it’s not like there had been any other choices. As the movie continues to drag on you feel Sweet Pea’s leg press against yours and you look down at his thigh. Maybe he didn’t even notice, his legs were long, the theatre was old and small, he didn’t have a lot of space to stretch out. But you noticed, you noticed enough for the two of you.

“Sorry,” Sweet Pea whispers and you turn your head to look at him, realizing he had caught you staring at his leg. Your cheeks burn but the darkness of the theatre is enough to hide that from him.

“No, it’s fine,” you whisper back, turning your head to look at the screen, your body tense as you feel him staring at you now. A couple minutes pass and you turn back to him. “I’m going to the washroom, I’ll be right back,” you whisper, standing up and doing your best to get around Sweet Pea. You bump into his leg, placing your hand on his thigh to stop yourself from falling right on top of him. “Shit, sorry,” you whisper, moving your hand quickly and finally getting around him. If only he hadn’t been so tall, or he hadn’t made you so nervous that your legs felt like they were made of jelly, then perhaps you could have made something of a graceful exit. Instead, you feel your face get even warmer as you hurry out of the theatre.

The lobby is quiet, and you walk over to the bench along the wall, underneath the poster for the movie you were bailing on. Sitting down you stare blankly at the ground, at the dark carpet, covered in stains from years of spilled soda and buttery popcorn. Why you ever thought he would be interested in you as more than just a friend, you could no longer remember. You were just some stupid Northside girl, you grew up in a sheltered life, you had a loving family who did everything to protect you. Until this year the worst thing you had experienced was your parents divorce.

“Do you really hate the movie this much?” Sweet Pea asks, chuckling as he sits down beside you. You look at the large space he leaves between you two, sighing to yourself.

You turn your attention to him, leaning against the wall that the bench was pushed against. “Well I don’t love it.”

“Are you alright?”

You nod quickly, “yeah, I’m fine.” You fiddle with a loose thread on the seam of your jeans as a silence comes over the two of you. “You can go back and watch the movie, I’m just going to stay here for a few more minutes.”

“It’s not a very good movie,” Sweet Pea says, and you laugh quietly, staring across the lobby as Sweet Pea sits beside you doing the same thing. “Did I like, I don’t know, upset you when I touched you?” Sweet Pea’s voice is quiet and nervous, so unlike the way you recognized him.

“No,” you say quickly, leaning forward and turning your body towards him. The last thing you wanted was for you to be putting your anxieties onto him. You had to figure out your feelings, without dragging him into the mess of it all. “No, you didn’t.”

Sweet Pea nods still focused on something across the lobby. Or maybe focused on nothing in particular, but he hadn’t turned back to look at you. “Good.”

You nod despite him not looking and feel your cheeks get a little warm as your mind once again wanders back to how attracted you were to him. Your eyes glance down to his hands, resting casually in his lap. To the rings on his fingers, wondering the backstory for each of them, he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to wear rings just for the hell of it. Your eyes travel up his body, his large arms covered in layers of flannel and a very worn-in leather jacket. When you get back to his face Sweet Pea is staring at you, watching you completely check him out in the least discreet way possible. “I probably could have made that less obvious,” you say quietly, needing to say something to break the silence.

Sweet Pea chuckles, shifting closer to you on the bench. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

You swallow nervously, looking at the closing gap on the bench between you and Sweet Pea. “I don’t want to just be some stupid, naïve Northsider to you.”

“What?” Sweet Pea is visibly taken aback at the change in topic and tone. “Where is this coming from?”

“It’s just, you and your friends have so much going on in your lives. So much stuff that I don’t even know the slightest bit about. I grew up in the suburbs, I spent most of my childhood with two parents. My life has just been so safe, so sheltered. The other night, at FP’s party, I just felt so out of place and that’s your life. That’s your world and it’s a world I don’t know how I could ever fit into…as your friend, or something more. I like you. But I get it, I get that I’m just some stupid, helpless Northsider who you had to rescue at that party because I’m so out of my element in your world.”

Sweet Pea looks away from you when you finish talking, you watch him lean forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he runs his palms together anxiously. “I don’t know what to say, Y/N.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything. I’d rather you be honest about not feeling the same way towards me.” You tilt your head back, resting it against the wall behind you and staring at the ceiling, noticing the flickering of the light above you, threatening to burn out at any minute.

“That’s not what I meant,” Sweet Pea says, sitting up straighter to look at you.

Leaning away from the wall you look into his eyes, trying to figure out what he did mean then, if he didn’t mean that he didn’t have feelings for you.

“I don’t have anything reassuring to say to you. You’re right, we’re nothing alike. But you’re not naïve or helpless. When you showed up at the Wyrm that night after the fight, that was pretty far from being helpless,” Sweet Pea says pausing as he chuckles quietly, bringing a smile to your face. You really hadn’t considered that to be much of display of bravery, especially not after Fangs recalled it as you showing up looking terrified. But Sweet Pea seemed to recall that evening differently. “And you didn’t need me to rescue you at the party, I did that because I wanted to hang-out with you, not because I thought you were helpless…but you’re right, the Serpents, that’s my life and maybe it is better if you stay away from it.”

You nod slowly before suddenly reaching your hand over and sliding it into his, folding your hands together. You knew you had to do it quickly, before the sudden burst of courage propelling it disappeared. “I don’t want to stay away from you though.”

“Then don’t.”

“Okay,” you state in a matter-of-fact tone, trying to ward off the nerves that were bubbling up.

“Okay,” he repeats with a smirk, his thumb grazing over the back of your hand.

“Maybe we could go on a real date sometime, you know, like without your friends chaperoning it,” you say teasingly, laughing softly.

“How about tomorrow? We could make up for the terrible movie with dinner at Pop’s?”

“It’s a date.”

Three weeks of spending almost every afternoon with Sweet Pea pass easily, almost too easily, all of your previous concerns seeming obsolete. Spending afternoons down by Sweetwater River, throwing rocks into the rapids while Sweet Pea teased you about not being able to throw well. Making out on Sweet Pea’s couch with a movie neither of you really intended to watch playing in the background. Playing one-on-one basketball at the court in the park near Sunnyside Trailer park, which never involved near as much actual playing as it involved making up your own version of the sport, along with rule-breaking amounts of physical contact. Spending hours laying on a blanket in an empty field near your house, staring at the stars and talking about everything and anything you could think about. Sweet Pea somehow was always able to make you happy, no matter how bad a day you had been having.

But the reality of what you two had been doing, sneaking around and keeping your relationship hidden from as many people as possible, came crashing to the forefront with the announcement of Southside High shutting down. It was one thing to hide your relationship from Archie when he never saw you two around each other, it would be another thing entirely to hide it with all of you in the same school. Everything had happened so fast, one day your relationship with Sweet Pea was isolated from the rest of your world and the next morning you were arriving at school knowing everything was going to change.

“We need to talk,” you say to Archie, walking down the sidewalk on your way to school. You had been texting Sweet Pea all morning, worried about this very conversation, but knowing it would be better to tell Archie yourself rather than wait for him to figure it out on his own.

“Okay,” Archie draws the word, eyes narrowing. “What about?”

You swallow hard, your mouth dry as your heart races. “You know who Sweet Pea is, right?”

“Yeah, he was at the house the night of the fight.”

“I know,” you say, watching the sidewalk ahead of you as you walk slowly towards the school.

“How do you know that?”

You shake your head and sigh. You knew you had to do this, that you had no choice but to tell the truth, but you simply didn’t want to face it. “Doesn’t matter, that’s not what I’m trying to tell you. Sweet Pea and I, we’ve been, please don’t get mad, I, we, it’s just…we’ve been like, hanging out.” You almost wince at the way your words come out, choppy and uncertain yet somehow you hadn’t even managed to say what you were trying so hard to communicate.

Archie is silent for a few minutes and you nervously pull on your sleeves, fiddling with them while you wait for some kind of response. “That guy showed up to our house with his gang ready to attack me, Y/N,” Archie exclaims. “How do you even know him?”

“Because you pulled a gun on him, Archie. Don’t forget about that,” you say it too loud and Archie slows down, glancing around him in all directions to ensure nobody was around to have heard what you said. “I met him at FP’s party,” you lie. It wasn’t a hard lie to tell, you had formulated it the night after the movie, when you realized that there was a chance of getting caught and you would need to have a lie ready on the back burner.

“And now you’re friends with him? He’s in a gang, you can’t be around that stuff, you’re going to get yourself in trouble, or hurt, or…worse.”

“Jughead is a Serpent too, we still hang out with him. You were in a street race, Archie. You don’t get to tell me that dating a Serpent is going to get me in trouble when you’re even more involved than I am.”

Archie comes to a complete stop and you’re a few paces ahead when you realize he’s stopped. Turning around you cross your arms over your chest, eyebrows raised as you wait for him to say something warranting a complete halt in your walk to school.

“Dating?” Archie repeats your word, a word that you hadn’t even realized you had used until he was saying it again. You feel your breathing quicken, chest heavy as the intensity of the look in Archie’s eyes fills you with anxiety. “You just said you were hanging out with him, how long have you been dating him?” Archie says, the word dating coming from his mouth filled with disgust.

“We went on our first date a few weeks ago,” you admit, truthfully, because you could no longer find a point in lying or trying to delay telling the truth.

Archie looks away from you, shaking his head. “When were you going to tell me? If they didn’t shut down Southside High would you have just kept this a secret? You can’t be with him, Y/N, he’s dangerous. He’s going to hurt you, or get you hurt.”

“No, he’s not. You don’t even know him, you can’t say those kinds of things.” You take a step away from Archie. “I told you now so that you wouldn’t have to figure it out yourself or hear it from someone else. But I didn’t tell you so you could try and talk me out my feelings for him.” You turn back around, still a few feet ahead of Archie when you continue walking towards the school. Archie doesn’t try to catch up with you, stays standing where he is till you’re far enough ahead that he knew he wouldn’t catch up to you without trying.

Walking into the school you see Veronica standing behind a table in the entranceway, looking around you expectantly. “Y/N, where’s Archie?” The table in front of her is covered in sign up sheets, baskets of school buttons, lanyards, and in true Veronica Lodge fashion, vases of flowers to make it all look more put together.

“He’ll be here soon.” Walking over you look down at the table, everything laid out so perfectly. You absentmindedly run your hand over one of the lanyards, biding yourself some time to think of what to say to her. “I’m dating Sweet Pea, I told Archie so you may as well know now too,” you say bluntly, turning to head to your locker before she could say anything about it.

You stand in front of your locker for much longer than was necessary, rearranging the books on the shelf for no reason aside from wanting to avoid having to resume the conversation with Archie. Eventually you walk towards the entrance of the school, slowly, but in that direction, nonetheless. You wanted to see Sweet Pea, to be around for his first day, but there was a flurry of anxiety about it in your stomach.

You see the crowd of students in the school foyer, but you could tell it wasn’t a crowd waiting to sign up for extracurriculars, it was a crowd to observe the drama that Cheryl Blossom and Reggie Mantle were hoping to stir up. You stop and lean against the wall halfway down the hallway when you hear Archie’s voice telling everyone to put the differences between the North and Southside aside. He was so ready to take that position, as long as it didn’t involve you, but when you were involved then he was acting very differently about it.

Mr.Weatherbee emerges from his office, telling everyone to get to class and dispersing the forming crowd. When you see Sweet Pea headed in your direction you push yourself off of the wall, a smile on your face. Fangs and Toni knew that you and Sweet Pea were dating, it didn’t take much work for them to figure that out after you and Sweet Pea missed half of the movie at the theatre that night and they found you holding hands in the lobby. But Jughead on the other hand, you weren’t sure if he knew or not. You had told Archie, you didn’t know if Sweet Pea had told Jughead.

You walk over to Sweet Pea, noticing the anger on his face. You had missed something, something that happened before Archie’s declaration to put differences aside. But you were determined to do what you could to make the day better. “Hey,” you say, looking over at Jughead who smiles in the way that makes you aware that he knows. Maybe he figured it out at FP’s party, watching you give Sweet Pea your phone number, maybe someone told him. Either way, it was a relief knowing that it was one less person to inform.

“Hi.” Sweet Pea reaches over and takes your hand without hesitation, making your cheeks warm up a little. Spending so long developing your relationship in secret made holding hands in a hallway full of people feel so incredibly unusual. But there was a level of validation to it, that you were together regardless of the ongoing tensions in the town, in this school hallway, between the Northside and Southside. “Your school’s really welcoming,” he comments sarcastically.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” you say softly, smiling at him for a moment before looking over at Toni, Fangs, and Jughead. “I’m glad you’re all here,” you add quickly.

“Y/N,” Archie’s voice calls from the hallway behind you and you unconsciously squeeze Sweet Pea’s hand tighter as anxiety fills your body.

“Did you tell him?” Sweet Pea asks as you stop walking, Sweet Pea stopping with you as his friends continue on their way to their classes.

“Yeah,” you say quietly and turn around, keeping your hand in Sweet Pea’s hand as you watch Archie jog over.

Archie’s eyes are immediately drawn to your hand connected with Sweet Pea’s, his jaw clenching at the sight. His chest heaves with an unnaturally large breath before he finally says anything. “We need to finish the conversation we were having before.”

You keep yourself as steady as you can, as unaffected by Archie’s obvious anger as you can manage. “Okay.”

Archie looks up to Sweet Pea for a second before turning his focus back onto you, gesturing to the edge of the hallway. You knew what he wanted, to talk to you away from the presence of the very person he wanted to talk to you about. But if he wanted to say something about Sweet Pea, about the Serpents, you weren’t going to make it easier on him. “What else did you have to say, Archie?”

Archie doesn’t respond immediately, looking around the hallway. There was no shortage of stares as students walked down the hallway, intrigued by the situation unfolding. “You need to at least not be so obvious about it,” Archie’s nods to your hand, still linked with Sweet Pea’s. “I don’t want you to get pulled into anything Reggie and Cheryl plan on doing.”

You can feel Sweet Pea watching you, that feeling you get when you know someone is staring without needing to actually see it. You run your thumb across his hand reassuringly. “That’s not going to happen, Archie. I’m not going to let them scare me into staying away from someone I care about, because that’s exactly what they want.”

“I’m just looking out for you, you have a perfect school record, don’t mess that up. Dad would-“

You cut Archie off before he has the chance to say anymore. The coolness of your façade starting to waver as anger eats away at it. “No, Archie. Don’t try and blame dad for your feelings. You know he wouldn’t be nearly as critical about this as you are.”

“Because he doesn’t know about the fight, doesn’t know that you’re dating a guy who brought his gang to our house,” Archie’s tone is hushed, but his hands are gesturing wildly, telling the story of his anger clearer than his tone.

“You’re right, he doesn’t know about that. But he doesn’t know about the gun, either. Step off the pedestal, Archie, you lost your moral high ground months ago,” you say quietly, stepping closer to him in hopes that nobody around would hear you mentioning the gun. “We’ve finished this conversation now.”

“Come on, let’s go find your class, can’t be late on your first day,” you say to Sweet Pea, looking up at him. You notice the smug smile on his face as he stares at Archie and before either of them has a chance to do or say anything to each other you pull on Sweet Pea’s hand, guiding him along with you and away from where Archie was standing, routed in place with a mixture of shock and anger.

The day goes by slowly, filling you with more and more anxiety until the final bell rings. The first day for the new students was officially done, it hadn’t gone well, but you hoped that meant it could only get better from here.

“Are you busy now?” Sweet Pea asks, walking up from behind you in the hallway as you put your books in your locker. His arms wrap around your waist, watching you arranging your textbooks in your locker.

You shuffle closer to him, pressing your back flush against his body to give yourself space to close your locker door. “Not unless I’m busy with you,” you say, turning around to face him.

Sweet Pea’s hands rest on your hips, the corners of his lips curling into a smile. “Good, let’s get out of this place.”

“I know it hasn’t been a great day, but it’ll get better,” you say, smiling gently and leaning up to kiss him. “Nobody will be able to resist your cute face for long.”

Sweet Pea chuckles and reaches over, taking your hand in his and walking down the hallway beside you. His Southside Serpent jacket was in his other hand now that Weatherbee was on the hunt to take down anyone wearing gang paraphernalia. “Are things going to be okay for you at home now that Archie knows about this?”

“He’ll just have to get over it.” You walk through the door that Sweet Pea pushes open, holding it for you before following you outside. “How was your class? Are you working on the same stuff you were at Southside High?”

Sweet Pea wraps his arm around your waist as he takes up his spot walking beside you again, the door falling shut behind the two of you. “Pretty much, just in much nicer classrooms with textbooks that aren’t held together with duct tape.”

You laugh softly, glancing up at him. You hadn’t realized it was possible to be as happy as you were about a high school getting shut down. Things felt entirely normal with Sweet Pea for the first time. You wouldn’t have to lie to Archie anymore. You could walk around holding hands, didn’t have to avoid hanging out places that Archie might go. You were talking about classes, about school, and maybe that was boring, but they were completely normal things to talk about. You couldn’t deny the comfort that the normality brought you, the happiness that being with Sweet Pea without worrying about what Archie would do. Things felt like they would be okay.

Thank-you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, even if the ending wasn’t great.

Tags: @gruffle1 @sweetpeasbabydoll @lydiasobrien

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littlemeangreen · 5 years

Note

Hey can you do the smashers and s/o as parents

(I've also got some Smashers and a pregnant S/O here so that can go hand in hand with this post. S/O will be gender neutral as always unless pronouns are specified! The child will also just be called Kiddo because these are broad headcanons and not my detailed headcanonsabout the kid themself...does that make sense?? Probably not xjdjdn)

Skaar

Skaar makes sure to watch Kiddo closely when they're born, he wants to give you a break from your pregnancy and he even stops eating as much just so he can give you a break.

He struggles with giving you privacy, especially when you take Kiddo out to town and show them off to everyone in Vista Verde. It's an annoying thing but it makes Kiddo laugh when you tell him off for it.

When Kiddo gets older, Skaar begins teaching them how to swordfight. You're worried but you trust Skaar more and Kiddo proves to be incredibly talented with swords. You almost have a heart attack when you watch Kiddo do a backflip and slice a training dummy down the middle.

It takes a while to decide how to teach Kiddo. You can't really send them to a human school and a mutant school isn't really in the question either. You dont exactly want to homeschool them and deny friendships but it eventually becomes the best choice when Samuel and Bruce offer to teach them.

Kiddo has Skaar's appetite and it honestly makes you laugh when you see just how much they can eat. You stop laughing when they pull of eating contests against their father.

They have a really good relationship with the both of you. Kiddo tends to speak to you more about worldly issues like life choices and relationships with people while they tend to ask Skaar more about feelings and and dealing with bullying or discrimination.

Rick

Okay, one thing I always hated from te show is how he names his kid Rick Jones the Third. Rick probably doesn't want Kiddo to feel like their just another shadow of their parental grandfather so he let's you name Kiddo.

He's always really unsure about holding Kiddo when they're a baby, mostly because of his spikes. You finally get him to hold them after wrapping them up in about five blankets and he Cries Straight Away.

Rick loves doing his webshow even more with Kiddo by his side. They often work on elaborate introductions together and it's great to see just how many people love Kiddo, though you're always sure to check every comment before they see it.

The one thing you hate is how Rick gets Kiddo to sit on sit on his shell and then begins to roll down a sand dune. Its torture on your poor heart to see him do this with your baby.

Kiddo is rather excited for taking over the webshow one day and often has a game of making ominous threats to their father that are clearly inspired by the Halloween episodes from Brooklyn 99.

You're actually the one who taught Kiddo how to play an instrument. You decided that they could learn one like you and Rick did and now whenever they're misbehaving? You make threats of making Kiddo join a family band with you and Rick and the fear on Kiddo's eyes is real.

Jen

Good lord, you really do think its possible to die at the sight of Jen smiling and holding a baby Kiddo in her arms. Don't even get you started on waking up and seeing her asleep with Kiddo sleeping in the same position.

You're actually the one who takes care of Kiddo more since Jen deserves to carry on being a super hero and a kick ass lawyer. Nothing makes Jen more relaxed than coming home to her S/O and baby sitting and perking up at the sight of her.

Jen really loves taking Kiddo to work with her if she hasn't got a serious case. She likes inspiring them and making sure that Kiddo knows that they can be anyhting if they work hard for it.

You're always careful to make sure that Kiddo grows up knowing that they can tell you both anything. It wasn't fair that Jen had to grow up with so much guilt in her childhood and you're determined for them to be different.

Jen loves taking Kiddo out on little missions as well. She's always sure to being a few of her Lady Libarators or A-force but Kiddo gets to see what its like to be a super hero up close and Jen lives for showing off to her kid and making them proud of her.

You always enjoy doing makeshift court hearings with Kiddo after they come back from Jen's work. Though you'll never get why you're always found guilty...

Red

Tbh I really like the idea of him having twins but since these aren't specific headcanons then I'll just stick with one kid.

Red is admittedly emotional at having a new little baby. You cried a few times over how damn cute the sight of him holding them in a hand was.

He's always a bit over protective of them when they grow up, he wasn't there for Betty but he could be there for Kiddo and ensure that he didn't do the same mistakes.

You never thought Red would be a mother hen yet it always seems to be him to goes running over when Kiddo trips and once he literally shoved Skaar over a cliff to get to Kiddo when they said they were cold.

You would have thought Betty would be mad at her new sibling but she proves to be a really good sister! She often visits to give stuff to Kiddo or to take them out and do dangerous stuff that puts you and Red on edge but you trust her...sorta.

Red doesn't like pushing Kiddo too much about being a soldier but you can see the barely restrained manly tears in his eyes when Kiddo salutes and often shouts "Yes sir!" To him. Its fucking hysterical and makes you melt.

Hulk

He's had five kids so far so baby number six? That he has a possible chance of loving and actually watching grow up?? Hulk is taking that chance and never lets Kiddo out of his sights.

You don't think you've ever seen a man who loves his baby so badly. Hulk can just sit and stare at kiddo for hours, jumping and freaking out when Kiddo sneezes or moves.

He gets...a little better when Kiddo starts growing up, mostly because you and Kiddo ensure that he can never take his Papa bearing too far. There's still been a few incidents where he's overbearing and there's been a few grizzly fights between Kiddo and Hulk. Yes I'm making bear puns.

Depsite that, you're always sure that they patch things up and Hulk mostly tends to learn from his mistakes and starts to encourage Kiddo in getting more independent, making choices and mistakes to help them learn in life.

Hulk ends up taking Kiddo to his mother's grave. He wants Kiddo to know the importance of family and he wants them to know about the good parts of their family. He ensures to tell them the bad parts when to make sure that Kiddo doesn't go down the path Brian did.

You know that lots of people hate Hulk so you always make sure to teach Kiddo about the hate and why they should be better than it and how hard to punch someone if they being given shit for people talking smack about them or their family.

Leader

He just...cries non stop. You actually thought he was the baby at one point but no, it was just Samuel holding Kiddo and sobbing.

He makes every development seem like its worthy of an Olympic medal. Kiddo rolls onto their stomach? He's writing it down, recording it and running through a wall to drag you in and get you to watch.

You were kinda surprised that Samuel didn't always try and push Kiddo onto being an over achiever. He grew up being made to feel like he was stupid and worthless so he's always sure to let Kiddo know that what they already do is the best and that they're litreally a one in a million child.

He doesn't let them see the morbid experiments he does but Samuel loves letting Kiddo do science experiments with him and they have a thing of making the most exotic type of bath bomb every year for your birthday.

Samuel is constantly thrilled over having a smaller version of you about. He's like every soccer mom combined and actually disguised himself and joined Kiddo's PTA in order to make sure that fucking Sahndrah ("who the fuck puts a double H in Sandra??") Doesn't exclude Kiddo just cause they're smarter than her twins.

You're a bit more relaxed and often worry about having to remind Kiddo to eat since they inherited Samuel's complete disregard for his health. Its murder having to chase two small scientists about and getting them to sit down and eat a meal every now and again.

#ask #anonymous #my writing #s/o tag #x reader #hulk and the agents of smash #hulk and the agents of s.m.a.s.h #Skaar #rick jones #jennifer walters #she hulk #general ross #red hulk #hulk #incredible hulk #the leader #samuel sterns

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wrinkledparchment · 5 years

Text

Hellfire and a Match; Bill Denbrough x Reader

Summary: After getting captured by Pennywise in Bev’s place, Bill unleashes his hellfire to save you. He’s forced to confront his fears, and in the end, his feelings.

Word Count: 2,631

A/N: AHEM! Huge credits to this post because I only just started reading the book and didn’t really pick up on the cues in the movie. Also, no joke but this reminds me of Ruthless!Connor.

Warnings: Death, Violence, Untamable Rage, Mentions of Georgie, Pennywise being an absolute ass

Forever Tags: @stranger-marvel @dogsandrocketsocks@ @shishterfackisback @reginawashere15 @perfectlybalancedtears

“N-No, not h-h-her,” Bill shook his head.

You couldn’t possibly be gone. The paper crinkled in Bill’s hands as a few stray tears fell. You were supposedly missing. Just like Georgie had been. Just like Betty Ripsom and newly, Patrick Hockstetter.

IT was lurking somewhere, and Bill knew it. It was him. He was responsible.

Richie’s words echoed in the back of his mind. Georgie was dead. Were you dead? Gone forever?

No, Bill thought, not if I have anything to do with it.

You tried to silence your breathing. You’d woken up in the sewers after an encounter with IT, and you had narrowly escaped Pennywise. He was waiting for you, you knew that. But you would avoid him as long as possible.

Maybe there was an inkling of a chance that the Losers would search for you. Based on the state of the Club before you’d gone, you weren’t sure how likely that was, but Bill . . .

He would always be there for you. And you knew just as well as anyone that he would search every corner of the Earth to find you.

Bill wasted no time in finding Richie, stomping into the arcade. When Bill approached Richie, he just continued to mash buttons.

“I’m pretending this is you, Bill!” Richie exclaimed, and Bill growled.

It was a deep, guttural sound from the bottom of his chest. I don’t have time for this, Bill thought.

“Richie, we need to go now,” Bill reprimanded. It was such a low, angry sound for the boy that it scared Richie into turning towards him, losing his game of Street Fighter.

When Richie made eye contact with Bill, he nearly whimpered. There was a fire, an overwhelming rage burning in his eyes with the might of a thousand forest fires. It was terrifying, and Richie easily complied.

“Where are we going, Bill?” Richie asked, and Bill’s lip tugged downwards, a feeble attempt at a frown. Bill didn’t have the heart to display his grief.

Bill needed to get you back. That was that. He didn’t have time to waste with sadness, there was already a lot of time he’d wasted.

“Back to the sewers,” Bill answered, before grabbing Richie’s hand and tugging him harshly out of the arcade and towards a payphone.

He needed to get to the Losers right now, he had no time to waste. Richie looked towards Bill, down to his pockets, wondering where his change was.

“What are you looking at me for?” Bill spat, and Richie quickly made eye contact with him but immediately looked away.

“Why are we going back to the sewers, Bill?” Richie asked, and Bill’s expression softened a bit.

Oh, Richie thought. Now he knew why Bill was so insistent.

“IT got Y/N,” Bill stated, and he saddened after saying the words, but tensed up again.

Bill didn’t have it in him to stutter, to show weakness, to be slow and empathetic. Whatever you were going through right now was more important. His heart ached without you, knowing you were in danger, and there was no way he was going to allow this to go on for much longer.

“Give me your quarters,” Bill stated, holding out his palm.

Richie wanted to deny him, but should he? No, absolutely not. Bill would get them one way or another, and Richie reminded himself that you were either in danger, dying, or already dead.

Richie cared about you too, of course, he did. So he emptied his pockets of his remaining quarters, handing them to Bill, and waiting patiently as Bill called each Loser.

He sounded less angry over the phone, so they all met up at the Neibolt house. Bill and Richie were there first, and Richie could tell that Bill was anxious to get back into the sewers.

If it weren’t for this dire situation, he knew Bill wouldn’t have been as keen, but you were the one missing. Everyone knew that you were Bill’s favourite loser, possibly in more than a friendly way. So to have Georgie gone and now you, Bill’s own personal hell had been unleashed.

Luckily so, Bill kept his own hellfire inside himself, only for release when those he loved were attacked. A grieving Bill Denbrough, and not just an attacked Bill Denbrough, was absolutely terrifying to everyone, whether they were on the receiving end of his wrath or not.

Nobody protested this time, not once. They all followed solemnly into the Sewers. Bill trudged on, shining his flashlight everywhere. You must be here somewhere, Bill thought, you have to be.

Bill and Richie led the group, Stan taking up the back. As the group began to get separated, screams were heard, sobs echoed throughout the Sewers. It was up for debate whether or not Bill even heard anything at all.

He was in a different world, one in which his only mission, his only purpose in life was to find you. He would accomplish his mission. He didn’t care how.

But your phantom appeared in Bill’s peripheral vision. It wasn’t you, and Bill knew that, but he followed anyway. You guided him to the hub of the Sewers, Pennywise’s home.

He looked at all the floating bodies, and found himself searching for you. Georgie was dead, Bill understood now, but you . . .

You must’ve held on for him. You weren’t there. You were alive, that was why. And then, he caught sight of Georgie.

He followed him, the Losers screaming after him, trying to find him. Eddie found him first, watching the elder Denbrough interact with his brother.

“Georgie,” Bill called, watching his younger brother walk towards him. Bill inhaled sharply when he saw that Georgie had his arm missing, without his slicker.

“What took you so long?” Georgie complained, facing Bill.

Bill blinked away a few tears. The destructive fire that was burning in his soul calmed for a moment, staring at the person he’d missed so much. Worries about you, Pennywise, Neibolt and the Sewers were gone for just a few minutes.

“I was looking for you this whole time,” Bill responded, more tears escaping.

He’d been planning, scheming to get Georgie back and betting his sanity on it for nearly a year, and now . . . this. He finally found his brother, the reason he dragged you into this whole mess, the reason you were now missing in the sewers.

He’d finally found his brother, but . . . at what cost? His love’s life?

“I couldn’t find my way outta here,” Georgie voiced, bringing Bill’s attention back. “They said I could have my boat back, Billy.”

Bill glanced down towards the paper boat, covered in gulf wax, and ‘S.S. Georgie’ embroidered on the side. The one he’d given to Georgie the day of his demise.

Bill took a few shallow breaths, “Was she fast?

“I couldn’t keep up with it,” Georgie responded.

Realization dawned over Bill. This . . . this thing was not Georgie, it was IT. Using his late brother as a pawn in his game. Seething rage spiked again and Bill tried his best to contain himself.

Even though the being in front of him wasn’t Georgie, it was scarring and if he made it sad, the image would be burned into his mind forever.

“She, Georgie,” Bill replied, “You call boats she.”

The thing didn’t show any response, still wishing to guilt trip him. It wanted to get into Bill’s weak spot, it wanted to play Bill for a fool. He was not a fool.

“Take me home, Billy,” it begged, a sombre expression laced into every syllable.

The Losers all gathered behind Bill, watching the encounter. Everyone looked to each other, confused, but turned back and eyed ‘Georgie’ carefully. Even the missing arm, the boat, and the dirt all over his young face.

“I wanna go home,” it pleaded, and Bill swallowed the lump in his throat. He let out a shaky breath. “I miss you, I wanna be with mom and dad!”

“I want more than anything for you to be home,” Bill cried, a well-full of tears spilling, mixing into the sewer water. “Mom and dad, and . . . I miss you so much,” he continued, approaching Georgie.

“I love you, Billy,” it affirmed, and its eyes were watering too. It was putting up a good act, but . . . Bill knew his brother.

“I love you too,” Bill agreed. Taking deep breaths, Bill suddenly pulled away and levelled the bolt gun with ‘Georgie’s forehead, “But you’re not Georgie.”

He pulled the trigger as sobs escaped the being, and it’s expression froze as it fell backwards. It stayed that way for a few moments, the Losers all terrified.

Did Bill just kill his real, alive brother? Surely not, Bill knew that it wasn’t Georgie, it was IT, and Bill . . . No, he couldn’t have-

It began to shake violently, grumbled, distorted noises coming out of the agape mouth and Bill watched in fear as it sprouted, one by one, parts of Pennywise’s attire.

Just as quick as it began, it all stopped. Georgie was fully in the suit, and then, a leg sprouted, making it taller. Then, another leg, an arm, the other arm, and finally . . . Pennywise sprung up, completely himself.

Bill was right, it was Pennywise, or rather IT, but that didn’t matter right now. His heart was thumping loudly against his chest, and that was the only thing he could hear. Not even the Losers screaming “KILL IT!” caught his attention.

The eyes began to twist around to look at Bill, yellow and outlined with blood red. Bill was scared, or rather spooked, and he wanted to run. Far, far away.

But then, he remembered. You. Your laugh echoed through his mind, your smile fogging his vision and he thought of how you made him feel. He felt special, unstoppable, unforgettable when he was with you.

He’d die to feel that again. He’d die to see your face again, or hear your laugh, or make you smile. He’d die for you.

This thing, this clown had taken you, hurt you, and now . . . It was Bill’s time for payback. This was the time to release his hellfire, for this monster was the reason Bill didn’t have you by his side right now.

Time began again, and Bill’s eye twitched. Pennywise, if it weren’t for keeping up his all-powerful illusion, would’ve whimpered just like Richie had. He would’ve backed away and allowed Bill to have you back. Hell hath no fury like a grieving Bill Denbrough.

Bill shot Pennywise with the bolt gun again, but it wasn’t enough. The fire inside Bill was burning and he wanted it gone, he needed to get his payback on this thing. He wanted it to hurt, and he wanted it to last.

He took the bolt gun and hit It with the barrel, then kicking the clown. He grabbed a pole nearby and stabbed it through the chest. Soon, everyone joined in, bashing and kicking it with all their might.

It turned into everyone’s fear, Beverly’s father, Stan’s painted lady, Eddie’s leper, Ben’s mummy. But lastly, it turned to Bill. It was you, your face, your hair, you.

“Bill,” the monster murmured, and everyone stopped for a moment. “I don’t wanna die.”

“Y-You’re not going to die,” Bill assured, and you just shook your head as tears flooded down your face.

“I’m down here and it’s all your fault,” IT spat, still full of sadness. “I trusted you and now I’m going to die.”

Bill was still. There were a few moments of silence . . . IT lunged at him and put him in chokehold. Bill sobbed, and as he looked up, it was Pennywise again.

“Let him go,” Beverly demanded, but was met with a shake of the head.

“No, I’ll take him . . . I’ll take all of you! And I’ll feast on your flesh as I feed on your fear . . .” his finger began to wag, and he snarled as he continued.

“Or . . . you’ll just leave us be. I’ll take him, -- only him -- and I’ll have my long rest, and you will all live to grow and thrive and lead happy lives . . . until old age takes you back to the weeds.”

“Leave,” Bill begged with a higher pitched voice than usual. “I’m the one who dragged you all into this, I’m so sorry.”

“GO!” Bill repeated, giving in to Pennywise.

Richie approached but before he could say anything, there was a screech of metal near the entrance to the hub. There stood someone with a steel pipe in their hand, and they neared the group.

The dim lights of the sewer finally revealed their face, and it was you. Bill let out a breath as he smiled, relieved to see you alive. He even forgot he was about to die.

The same burning rage reflected in your eyes. You held your own hellfire, and you swallowed back a sob. Your face was strict, angry, and Bill didn’t like the look on you. You were beautiful all the time, but Bill . . . he loved your smile more than your snarl.

“Release him,” you stated, voice as cold as ice.

You aimed the steel pipe at Pennywise’s head. Pennywise was even more frightened of you than Bill. IT’s grip ceased, and Bill was in shock.

“You will pay for what you did to Bill, to Bev, to all of us . . . especially Georgie.”

Pennywise found himself backing up, closer to the entrance to the void, his home. He was absolutely horrified.

“Leave and never come back, or so help me God, you are in for one hell of an experience. Get. Out.”

Pennywise obliged and fell back into the hole, and you raised your chin slightly in triumph.

Bill was still sitting exactly where Pennywise had released him, and with no words but a gentle smile, you held out your hand. He pulled himself up with it.

“Wow, you two are a match made in hell,” Richie finally broke the silence.

You chuckled before turning back to Bill. “A match, huh?” Bill slyly smiled and nodded, wondering to himself how he got a badass girl like you.

You let out a breath before speaking again. “Thanks for coming to save me, guys.”

“You fucking saved us,” Richie countered and you shook your head.

“I couldn’t have done it without you all. Teamwork makes the dream of getting out this hell hole work.”

You weakly grabbed Bill’s hand before he intertwined your fingers with his, raising up the bundle and kissing your knuckles.

“I hate to ruin the moment, but we should all probably go get fucking changed out of our sewerwater-drenched clothes.”

“Yeah, probably,” you added, and you all shuffled out. You and Bill held hands all the way to your house.

After changing out of your awful clothes, you sat down next to Bill on your bed.

“You think we’re a match?” you asked, snapping the quiet in two. Your legs swung absent-mindedly off the bed, and your hands resting in your lap.

“I risked my life to save you. Of course, we’re a match. I’m in love with you.”

You turned to Bill, watching as he studied your face. “Good, because I’m in love with you too.” His face brightened.

“We can burn up in hell together, then.”

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all-of-the-imagines-for-eve · 6 years

Text

Tattoo ~ S.P. (Part 11)

A/n: So I’ve been avoiding a hard core smut... would you guys be mad if I did one? I have this really AWESOME idea for one but I don’t know if you guys would want me to. Let me know!

Word Count: 2284

"And you sure you guys don't need me here?" Y/n asked, biting her lip with her eyes wide with anxiety and guilt.

Betty chuckled, placing her hands on either of Y/n's shoulders. Veronica had pasted on a smile but she was struggling to not break down and beg Y/n to stay. V and B had talked and knew that even though they'd love the girl's comfort and any extra help she could give, Y/n deserved this break. Plus Sweet Pea has made a promise.

If they worked out, they would go on a road trip for the summer. They would leave and head out.

Turns out Toni and Cheryl had the same idea but the two couples didn't want to go together. There are just some things you don't want to see your friends doing and sides you don't want to know exist. So when Sweet Pea has sat down with Veronica and Betty and asked that they encouraged Y/n to do this, it had moved not girls even more than they'd already been. Veronica just couldn't be that selfish. Especially with Sweet Pea's unexpected gentleness while asking them. And especially with him being gentle towards Veronica.

So the girl hugged Y/n and watched her leave. Betty waved, hiding her sadness at losing her friend's presence but Veronica being more jealous. Not that she wasn't happy for Y/n but more just that she envied her ability to go on a summer road trip with her boyfriend.

As Y/n met up with Sweet Pea, pulling him by the jacket into a kiss, Betty put her arm around Veronica's shoulders.

"Come on," the blonde sighed. "We've got to figure things out for Archie. We only have the summer." V nodded and the two girls left.

Y/n was already feeling better, though. Sweet Pea's smile wiped away all of her guilt and anxiety and created bubbling excitement that refused to let her stay still. They'd both saved up during the preparations and used that and whatever they could spare to just get out of here.

With Y/n wanting to help with Archie and the Serpents struggling, even Sweet Pea struggled to leave Riverdale. But their friends had insisted and he had made a promise.

That night they left. Each on their own bike, wearing a backpack with whatever they felt they NEEDED to bring, they just drove.

As they passed the 'Welcome to Riverdale' sign, Y/n hollered on the top o her lungs and with the wind whipping her around wildly, Sweet Pea couldn't help but noice how beautiful she looked as he laughed at her enthusiasm.

The further they got from the town the less dark and terrible they felt. As if the heavy feeling was sourced from the air in the town that they breathed. It was like taking a breath of fresh air after being shoved in the city for too long. Getting good sleep and being fully awake after so long just drifting and struggling to stay awake through classes or work.

It was the rush of Summer and freedom all in one. The adrenaline of leaving behind all responsibility and worry- school or other wise.

They had their route planned on a map that Y/n had stashed in her backpack and now they followed the first string.

They were taking all of the backroads and finding all the hidden places and lost nooks. They wanted all the small towns and the fresh air and small town feeling without the doom and death that Riverdale always choked them with.

Speeding down open roads with no one in sight was probably the best feeling in the whole world. And they got to experience it together.

When the sun was over their heads and burning their hottest, they pulled to the side of a road for a break. They had even planned these little pit stops to do some walking and hiking and adventuring as much as riding. Neither of them liked the idea of just driving over half the time they were out. So they'd planned meaningful breaks.

They drank water and stepped close together as Sweets intertwined her fingers with his. "Want to go exploring now?" He asked.

He looked so alive and young that Y/n had to catch her breath. His anger had melted away and it was as if a spell had been cast on him. His hair was soft and wind blown and his eyes were soft and warm and his smile was contagious.

He blushed at her awed stare and she grinned wider. "Who are you and what have you done with my grumpy boyfriend?" Y/n teased.

Sweet Pea forced a frown. "I'm always grumpy," he huffed. His voice was somehow deeper.

Rolling her eyes, she pulled him down to her by tugging his jacket like she always did and he instantly broke into a grin against her lip. "Always?" Y/n mumbled into the kiss.

He hummed. "Always."

Stepping back, Y/n smiled up at him. She began taking steps further into the woods and he smiled as he walked after her. She giggled, turning around so her back was to him. Her hands dropped from his jacket but he immediately took a step up next to her, snagging her hand and holding it in his. "So do you just wanna walk?" Y/n asked. "Let our feet carry us?"

His eyes scanned the surrounding woods. It was warm under the sun and he paused to take his jacket off, tying the arms around his waist and then taking Y/n's hand again since he'd had to drop it before. In the woods the shade was thick and it was actually really nice. He wanted to stay here for as long as she would let him. He hoped the rest of the stops were like this too. "I don't care," he shrugged. "Just walk."

"Okay," she agreed, smiling. They walked in quiet for some time until he asked her how her body was feeling after the ride and now walking like this. She responded and calm conversation struck as they looked around and mentally marked their way and kept walking.

It was peaceful and quiet. They whispered in order to disturb it as little as possible. They were filled with such calm that neither of them could muster up the ability to explain or express it. The deep greens and rich browns were spectacular though. An animal paused in their path and both of the teenagers froze to look at it. It was a raccoon. Nothing special. It still seemed spectacular though.

Suddenly thy were noticing all these little details and began to talk to each other about what was around them.

They played iSpy for a long stretch of time, soft chuckles passing between them several times. They never ran out of obscure things to do. It became vague categories instead of specific items. Dirt. Leaves on trees, leaves off. Little whatever things that they’d laugh and tease each other about because they were both being problematic in a really petty way.

As the sun crawled across the sky, Y/n pulled Sweet Pea short as she stopped. “Should we head back?” She asked softly, a dreamy and content smile on her face.

Sweet Pea pulled her close. “Yeah, sure.” Their lips pressed together, his head dipping and her popping up on her toes so they could meet in the middle.

“You’re so much taller than me,” Y/n grumbled.

Sweet Pea laughed. “I’m so much taller than everyone,” he pointed out.” She sighed, nodding, her face telling him, ‘you have a point’. “Come on.” He nodded back the way they came and she jogged ahead, her back to him as she pulled him after her. He smiled, thinking about all of those posts about couple goals and traveling and realized that was his life right now. As Y/n pulled him along he let her fall ahead so that he could see her leading them through the woods and he could silently melt on the insides.

This was paradise. Being with her in the middle of nowhere. He had three whole months head of him full with this. He still couldn’t believe it. Believe how lucky he was.

Y/n didn’t really realize until they pulled into tonight’s hotel. They’d thought about camping out but they didn’t want to pack tents. When they’d cross Toni and Cheryl halfway, the four had decided that since it would be towards the end of the trip, they could spend those last two or three weeks together. After Cheryl had been upset about not being able to go on the couple’s vacation with Betty, Jughead, Archie, and Veronica, Toni had asked if Sweet Pea, the two girlfriends, and Y/n could do their own on this trip. And so they had their three weeks. Those three weeks would be spent camping.

For now, though, hotel rooms were much preferable for spending alone time together. A bed and comfort and warm. A shower. So until then Y/n and Sweet Pea had decided to go to hotels. They were kinda run down and off road but Y/n loved it and Sweet Pea wasn’t picky about where he spent his nights with her.

The couple walked into the room and dumped their backpacks on the ground. “This,” Y/n whispered, grinning at the peeling wallpaper and duck taped TV antenna. “This is it.”

Genuinely amused at her starry eyed expression, Sweet Pea busted up laughing. “You look like you’re looking at a gold palace.” Pulling her back into his chest, he planted a kiss on her neck once he was calm enough. “Girls rant about how low maintenance they are but you actually expect so little and are amazed by such simplicity. It’s amazing.”

Y/n blushed. “I mean I wouldn’t want to live here. But if we’re going to go on a road trip, the best part is the shorty hotels you stay in. Those have the most possibilities for secret corridors and hidden passageways and chilling secrets waiting to be revealed. And even if they don’t have it, they do have the creepiest staff and the best stories. Whether the story is about how terrible the stay was or about the hotel itself... well that’s part of the adventure.”

Biting his lip, Sweet Pea hugged her close, humming in agreement. She leaned into him, her eyes closing in content. Slowly, the taller boy placed his lips on her neck again. He left long, slow wet kisses on her warm skin and she shivered. It was so hot in here compared to the cool weather from when they were riding all day or walking in shade.

His hand wandered past her waist to press again her most sensitive parts through her pants and she took a sharp breath. “It’s been hard to see you riding all day. Walking around. Wanting you.”

Y/n turned to face him. “Is it going to be like this every night then?”

He smirked. “Would you be opposed to that?”

Her smile wavered as she fought a smirk to match his. “What about when we’re camping on a tent right next to Toni and Cheryl?”

His eyes sparkled. “We’ll have to be quiet.”

Just then he scooped her up and moved towards the bed and she giggled harshly.

It was after the activities of the night that she realized it. When they were curled up together under the sheets with all the lights off. She lay on her back and Sweet Pea was curled around her, laying on her chest and cuddling with her like she was a body pillow. She liked being laid on so this was a perfect position for both of them. Sweet Pea was asleep and she ran her hands through his hair softly, slowly, soothingly. It just suddenly clicked.

He was here. With her. He was all hers for two and a half months before she had to share him with anyone else for even a second. At first her heart squeezed and she wondered if he would get tired of her. Maybe every day wouldn’t be as magical today once they got used to it. Maybe every night wouldn’t be as lively as tonight once he got bored of her. Maybe this trip had actually been a bad idea. Maybe he’d be overstimulated by her and eat used to having her around and it wouldn’t be fun and new and amazing to have her by his side anymore.

Then, in his sleep, Sweet Pea tightened his grip around her, his face temporarily tending before he melted back into her again. “Love you...” he mumbled faintly.

She realized that her body had gotten all right and her heart was racing and in his sleep he’d registered it just enough to respond. In his sleep. He must love her so much. Wouldn’t that mean that none of the things happening in her mind would happen in reality? Since she wasn’t a toy or a tool or a temporary but of fun? Since he really loved her?

He really loved her.

Oh my gosh.

She had three months full of time with a guy who she loved with her whole heart who loved her back.

Holy crap!

She was staring at the ceiling with a painful grin on her face when she fell asleep. She’d felt wide awake but the darkness and dreams came anyway. And she fell asleep comfortable and happy and feeling safe and loved and perfectly at peace for the first time in her life.

FTL: @iwannadiehere @alexa-playafricabytoto

TTL: @wavyjassy @skeletoresinthebasement @chipster-21 @slytherinintj13 @pokiekatherine @bcfangirlthatswhy @kaylaphantomhive @savy-girl @keepingupwiththelaufeysons @pixiiiie

#sweet #pea #jordan #connor #riverdale #x reader #tattoo #imagine #imagines #fan fiction

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serpent-jugheadjones · 6 years

Text

The Partner Revealed - Part 7

Pairing: Jughead Jones x Reader

Description: Revelations on Jason’s case burn through.

Warnings: None I can think of. But I suck at warnings...

Word count: 3281

A/N: Wow, it’s been more than a month since the last part was released and this one is more on the short side. Dog Days final part coming soon :)

Y/N’s point of view

Y/N wakes up in fright, heart pounding off her chest, barely breathing. The loud noises that interrupted her slumber are coming from downstairs. She gets up as quickly and silently as possible and grabs the baseball bat her uncle gave her when she turned 14, which has been neglected to the corner of the room ever since. Gathering all her courage, the girl walks down the stairs slowly, avoiding the creaking steps she learned to skip when sneaking out at night, hoping it’s not Jason’s killer, for a 16-year-old with a bat she doesn't even know how to use won’t stand a chance against someone with a gun that has already killed a teenager.

At the bottom of the stairs someone is coming up with boxes covering their face. She gets scared and swings, missing whoever is there by a hair. “Wow. Sweetie, it’s me.” Her father’s familiar voice calms her. He drops his box at the step and takes the baseball bat from her as she still looks distressed. It takes her a few seconds to process she’s safe, but as soon as she does, her arms are around her father. “No love for moma?” Y/N sees her mother, of whom she’s the spitting image, standing by the open front door. She runs down to hug the woman just as tight as she did her dad. “You guys didn't tell me you were coming.”, she says, happy to see them instead of a killer. “We wanted to surprise you.” “That you sure did.” They all laugh, as that wasn't exactly the welcome they were expecting. “Do you need help unpacking?” Y/N notices the mess everywhere. “No, you go get ready for school. We’ll deal with all this”, her mother instructs, pointing at everything around the living-room with a ‘why did we brought so much stuff’ look.

Y/N gets back to her room without any guilt for not helping them. She’s used to them coming back home with extra luggage. The girl did try to help once, but they just ended up making a bigger mess. It’s a lot earlier than she planned on waking up, so she takes that time to finish her articles for the Blue and Gold. Time flies by and she only notices when her belly roars in hunger. The girl quickly changes out of her pijamas into high waisted jeans and a loose tank top. Reaching the kitchen, she finds suitcases and boxes full of stuff they brought from the trip piled everywhere, making it impossible to eat, let alone cook there. “I’m going to Pop’s for breakfast.”, she shouts grabbing a jacket from the coat hanger. “Wait! We didn't even have time to catch up.” Her mom comes out from behind a pile of boxes. “We’ll do that at dinner, when I come back to this house the way it was before you arrived, young lady.”, Y/N says playfully. “Oh. Bring your boyfriend for dinner.”, Y/F/N requests. “He’s not my boyfriend.” She blushes. “Of course not, you just spend a lot of time with him, talking about him, thinking about him...”, Y/M/N teases. “Ok, I got it. See ya later.” Y/N blows them a kiss and heads out.

The girl is glad to be reminded of Jughead. She texts him on her way to the diner.

From: Y/N

Wanna have breakfast at Pop’s? My treat.

From: Jughead

Would love to, but I’m heading to Betty’s for breakfast. I’m gonna distract her mom while she tries to find out where Polly was taken to.

Y/N doesn't reply, perplexed to why she wasn't included in their plan. She’s not mad at Jug, but rather disappointed in Betty. After the memorial, she was sure they were on the same page. Clearly not. Nonetheless, she’s not gonna let that stop her from getting the best milkshakes in town before class.

Jughead’s point of view

The chair in the Blue and Gold office is way more comfortable than his mattress on the floor. Nevertheless, whenever Jughead tries to sleep there, he ends up staying up late, writing. Tonight is one of those nights. Without any major development on the Jason Blossom case, the novelist doesn't really have much to add to the story but editing is just as important. Jug can’t move past the paragraph about the first time he met Y/N by the edge of Sweet Water River just after the body was removed. It’s the way she’s written in, skeptical and cold, that got him stuck, realizing he doesn't relate to that at all. Even so, at the same time, it’s how he felt back then. Since he promised she’d be the first to read his finished work, the writer can’t imagine letting her read those as his first words about her.

After much editing, he’s finally happy with the end result of Y/N’s introduction to the story. The clock on his screen shows it just turned 6 am. He could try and get some sleep, but the boy remembers the long overdue paper he has to deliver and not a single sentence written yet. School work isn't really his forte. Forty-five minutes go by and Jug’s staring at his laptop screen, motionless, not even all the cold coffee left in his thermos flask would be enough to keep him awake, so he decides to take a power nap before leaving for Betty’s. Jughead just slouches back on the chair and crosses his feet over the table. Leaving the office would mean 15 minutes wasted wondering the school halls till his ‘room’ and he can’t afford to lose a single one. He’s woken up by a text from Y/N, inviting him to eat at Pop’s, rather than his alarm clock.

Of course he would 100 times prefer to have breakfast with Y/N at the Chock’lit Shoppe than with Betty and her mom, but the fate of their investigation could rest with whatever information they can get out of Polly, and for that they need to know where she is. That’s something they can only get from Alice and everything is set for today. Jughead just hopes the Y/H/C girl understands that. He can’t help thinking if she had texted a little earlier he would most definitely have had two breakfasts.

A couple of waffles in, some OJ and both silent and vocal insults from Alice, Betty gives him the sign to get her mom out of the room, which is as easy as asking for the bathroom. When he returns, the blonde is already waiting for him by the front door with an accomplished look. Jughead thanks Alice for the ‘hospitality’ before they leave hurriedly. He can’t wait to share this with Y/N.

Y/N’s point of view

Y/N uses her free period to drop her finished articles at the Blue and Gold not expecting to run into Betty and Jughead in there. “It's a Home for troubled youths.Where disenfranchised teens will learn such virtues as discipline and respect, enjoying lives of quiet reflection and servitude.”, Jug quotes. “Poor Polly.“, Bets says. “So you found out?”, Y/N asks, reveling her presence in the room. She can see the blonde dig her nails in her palms and go from a hateful to calm face within seconds. “Y/N/N! So glad you could join us. Juggie was very helpful in us finding out where Polly is.”, Betty says on fake-nice tone, stroking Jug’s arm, making him cringe and Y/N’s face grow red. “Where is that?”, the Y/H/C girl inquires, trying to not sound weird out by the whole ordeal. “The Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Sounds creepy, I know.”, the raven-haired boy replies. “When are we going?”, Y/N asks enthusiastically, as this would be their first group operation. “I think it’s best if just me and Juggie go. Too many people can call attention.”, the vixen replies coarsely. “I disagree.” Jughead stands up and walks away from Betty. “The more the merrier. If things go south we can create a diversion, plus Y/N can drive us there.” There’s no valid argument Betty could use to explain why she doesn't want Y/N with them. The Y/E/C eyes meet Jug’s blueish ones in gratitude for standing up for her.

The bell for lunch rings and they leave the office to the courtyard. They find the table where Archie is sitting next to Valerie, with a melancholic expression. Betty walks a little faster than them and sits in the corner of the bench, forcing Jug to sit in the middle and Y/N next to him in the other corner. “I think we should do it after school.”, Bets suggests, probably because she knows Y/N has an extra class today. “Sure, that works for me.”, the Y/H/C girl agrees and takes a sip from her soda. Playing Betty’s game isn't really something she wants to do, but she’s not just about to leave Jug alone with her again. “What are you guys talking about? Anything I can help with?”, Archie inquiries, begging to be a part of it, same way Y/N has to fight for her spot in. “What we're attempting is a stealth operation, Archie. If we go in there with the entire Scooby Gang, forget it, we're compromised.”, Jug explains, eating the last of his tortilla chips. The ginger boy looks even more miserable at that, but at soon as Veronica arrives, his gloominess changes, since she offers to play with him at the Variety Show. Y/N understands Jughead’s gestures of asking for her bag of potato chips and gives it to him with a smile, only to watch Betty making fists with her hands once again.

Now that her parents are home, Y/N can’t just skip class so she heads into her classroom acting sick. Lucky for her she’s very convincing and the teacher let’s her out without any problems. She meets Jug and Betty by the front gate so they can walk together to her house where she’ll get her mom’s car to drive them to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy building. The girl asks them to wait on the corner while she gets the car. Y/N’s not in the mood to explain to her parents what they are doing. Not too long goes by and they hear the loud roar of the Impala. “I call shotgun.” Jughead says opening the door so that Betty can seat in the back.

Jughead’s point of view

They arrive at the reception. The place looks more like a prison than a home. Betty hands the nun her ID and she’s allowed in, but Jughead and Y/N have to stay back. “What do you think she’s gonna find?”, the girl asks as they sit on a bench in the lobby. “The truth. Whatever that is.”, he answers. Soon after, they are asked to wait in a room. The doctor insists on them moving, not taking into consideration their attempts to prove they’re fine where they are. “Are we being committed now?” Y/N tries to open the window, to no success. “No. But that may have been a better outcome.” Jug makes her turn around to see Alice Cooper by the door with a furious look.

They are being escorted out by doctors. Before they reach the door, Polly comes out from a corner. She loses control and start screaming at her mom for not telling her what happened to Jason. Y/N tries to block one of the doctors from holding Betty, so the blonde can hug her sister. “Don’t touch her.” Jughead throws himself in front of the Y/H/C girl as the doctor was just about to pin her on the wall. They all watch as the pregnant mourning girl is dragged out. Jug is met with a different, darker view of what he thought was a perfect family.

At the parking lot, Alice instructs Betty to wait in the car and she walks away with both a grateful and apologetic look. Thanks to them, she got to see her sister, although because of that her mother is just about to lecture them. “I didn't expect this of you, Y/N.” The girl can’t meet Mrs. Cooper’s eyes. “She was doing...”, the boy starts. “Jug...” She nods her head from side to side interrupting him. “That’s right, Jughead. Y/N doesn't need you to defend her. She knows she’s wrong.”, Alice spits with her eyes still watery. “No. Betty has a right to know what’s going on with her sister. And THIS... exiling your own daughter because she’s pregnant. I didn't expect THAT from you.” Y/N opens the car door and gets in without looking back at Alice. Jughead follows her actions and they drive away.

“Where should I drop you off?”, she asks. Jughead is silent for a while, figuring out the best way out of this. “How about we just go to Pop’s?”, he suggests, defensively. “Sure. After this, all I need is a double chocolate shake with waffles.” Y/N changes their route to the Chock’lit Shoppe. “Waffles? For dinner?” The raven-haired boy laughs. “Don’t judge me, Mr. Coffee-before-bed-ops-I-have-insomnia.”, the girl teases and they both laugh. Y/N keeping her eyes off the road a little longer than she should’ve. Juggie is sure he caught her glimpsing at his lips but this isn't the right time for it so he just focuses on their order. He’s temped on the waffles as well, but the usual burger wins every time.

Of course he stole a few bites from Y/N’s delicious sweet treat, making the girl fake-mad and him fake-innocent. However, a sweet grin vanishes from his face as fast as it appeared since she offered to drive him home once again. “I think I’m just gonna stay here, enjoy the free coffee refills and write a bit.” Jug hates not being able to tell her why he’s not going home. Luckily she doesn't look suspicious to his reasons for staying. “How about tomorrow we have actual food for dinner? My place?”, Y/N asks confidently. “Sounds good.” The boy loves Pop’s, but the thought of real food makes his stomach fluster. The girl slides off the booth and walks out of the diner, leaving Jug wishing there was a white chocolate and ginger milkshake so he could still smell her.

Y/N’s point of view

Light tapping on Y/N’s bedroom window startles her. “Jug?” She surprises herself as this is the second time she calls him by his nickname. The boy is on a ladder the girl wasn't even aware they owned. “Hey there, Juliet.”, he proclaims, getting in. “You do know we have a front door?”, Y/N asks rhetorically. “There was an unfamiliar car in your driveway.”, he states, looking around the posters on her walls and some of the books on her shelves before turning to face her. “So you decided to climb up?” She waves her hands in confusion. “Could've been the killer. I may as well have saved your life.” Her heart beats faster as he walks closer and closer. “Also...” Jughead breaths in, his eyes switching from her lips to her Y/E/C orbs. He guides his hands to each side of her cheeks. Without hesitation Jug leans in, meeting their lips in a sweet, passionate kiss. Y/N is dazed by his actions and takes a few seconds to kiss back. But their moment is interrupted by her father knocking on the door. “Dinner is almost ready. When is your friend coming?”, he shouts through the hallway. “Soon.”, Y/N replies with a wide smile, looking up at that amazing boy in front of her, who just gave this fortunate overjoyed pleased teen her first kiss.

They walk down the stairs to the kitchen. “Where did Jughead come from?”, her mother asks, suspiciously. “You know Nightcrawler, right? Ta-da!”, Y/N points at the boy, implying he teleported. “Are you hiding a tail under that flannel?”, her father jokes. “No, I've got my holographic clock on.” Jughead shows his wrist, with a bracelet rather a clock, but the reference to X-Men: Evolution still stands. Y/N’s sporting an amazed look at his knowledge on the series. “Ok, Kurt. you can sit here.” Y/F/N point at the seat next to his daughters usual place and winks at the girl. Laughter and conversation fill the room. Y/M/N shares stories about their travel, Y/F/N talks about some of his less bloody cases, and Jughead gives them movies suggestions. Y/N is loving every second of it. However, as soon as they finish the main course, Jug’s phone buzzes. He shows Y/N the text.

From: Betty

Meet me at route 40 by the Maple Syrup sign.

Both teens look at each other, knowing they have to go, because it could be about the case they are desperate to solve. “Mom, we’re gonna skip desert, we have to go meet some friends.”, Y/N tells them, seeing the disappointed look in Jug’s face. “That’s ok, honey. Call us if you’re gonna be later than really late.”, her mother says. “Thank you for dinner Mr. and Mrs. Y/L/N. It was delicious.”, Jughead says. “Oh, please. Calls us Y/M/N and Y/F/N and you’re very welcome.”, her father replies, taking out their plates.

Y/N parks the Impala when she spots Betty by the roadside under the pouring rain. She doesn't look happy, and not about being soaking wet, but at the sight of an accompanied Jughead. “How...” The blonde doesn't even have time to finish when Jug cuts her off. “I was having dinner at Y/N’s when I got your text. It, seemed odd you didn't send her one.”, he speaks firmly, making sure this doesn't go any further. “So, why are we here?”, Y/N asks, looking around. “Polly told me about a getaway car Jason had ready for them. I wonder if it’s still here.”, Betty says, handing each a flashlight and directing them towards the sign. Even with the little visibility they have it’s not hard to find the vehicle, covered with tarpaulin and leafs as it has been there for a while now.

They remove the protective layers and open the trunk, revealing suitcases and Jason’s varsity jacket. “What are those?”, Betty asks, pointing at something in plastic wrap. “Drugs...” Jughead picks one up. “JUG!”, Y/N shouts, making him drop the evidence. “Fingerprints...”, she explains, rubbing everything they touched with the sleeve of her sweater. “This is all evidence, we need to talk to Sheriff Keller and get Polly.”, the blonde girl states. “This whole car is a crime scene.” Jughead takes a few pictures with his phone before they leave to warn the Sheriff about it.

Sadly, by the time Sheriff Keller arrives at the site, the car is in flames, and Polly isn't at The Sisters of Quiet Mercy anymore.

#Sorry this took so long #And is so short #Jughead Jones #Jughead Jones x Reader #Jughead x Reader #Forsythe Pendleton Jones III #Riverdale #Riverdale Imagine #riverdale imagines #jughead jones imagine #Jughead Jones III #Juggie Jones #Jughead imagines #Jughead Jones imagines #imagine #fanfic

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