3: You're Just Like Me

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"Watch this!" Nico said before diving under. Peter followed quickly and opened his eyes. 

Nico pushed the water away from him and started breathing under the water in a little bubble. Peter's mouth opened in shock. He scrambled back to the surface and Nicholas followed him, laughing as he went. 

"You're gonna make me drown!" The teen shouted. Nico just cackled. "Damn your powers are so much cooler than mine.". 

"Yeah sure they are. You have super strength. That's the power I wanted as a kid." Nico said, "I was a huge Captain America fan.". 

"He'd love to hear that." Peter laughed. Nico gave him a curious look but shrugged it off. Peter was weird like that, it was a good weird. 

It had been a week since they first met. They had spent most of that time hanging out in the same spot in the woods talking about their lives after the blip. Peter's aunt was pretty much in the same position as before. Didn't even move. Nico had told Peter everything about his new family situation. Excluding the stuff about his adoption because the legality of that story was really questionable. 

"How would you feel if your aunt May had a husband or wife and two kids when you got back?" Nico asked as they made their way back to the rocky shore. 

Peter's eyes went wide as he even considered it. "I think I'd faint. May never wanted kids, I was sort of an accident cause...well you know.". Nico nodded, Peter had told him about how his parents died when he was young and then his uncle Ben was shot. He didn't say any major details, but both teens knew that with lives like theirs you didn't talk about some things to anyone. 

"I thought my dad didn't want kids either. I was sort of a mistake-in the way adoptions can be." He said. From his expression Nico could tell Peter had no idea what he was saying or what it meant, but he was listening nonetheless. "But he parents them better than he parented me and its wayyyy too obvious he loves the new family more.". 

"He might just be adjusting. He hasn't seen you in five years." Peter said. Nico shook his head, keeping his eyes glued to the forest floor. 

"If the fights we keep getting into are anything to go off of, he'd get rid of me in a heartbeat to go back to his new perfect family." The boy said. Peter put a hand on his friend's shoulder and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Nico's stomach growling. 

The dark haired boy blushed. "Sorry, I didn't have breakfast. Nicole's one of those health food people and made banana muffins. My dad told me to go to my room when I wouldn't eat one of them. He banned me from the kitchen so I came out here a little early.". 

Peter was a bit worried that Nico had just been standing around the woods waiting for him to get there. Wild animals were a thing! Well, Tony told him there weren't any really but he was from the city. He couldn't help but worry about the unknown. But beyond that he had to ask. "Why not just take the muffin?". 

"I'm allergic to bananas." Nico revealed, a light blush on his cheeks as if it was embarrassing to admit to having an allergy. "Touching or eating them makes break out in hives.". 

"And you dad sent you to your room for not eating something that could land you in the hospital?!" Peter asked, outraged and shocked. 

"Its not that bad an allergy." Nico defended, but Peter was having none of it. 

"Come on." He said, grabbing Nico's hand, "We're going to the cabin. We can have a banana free lunch.". 

The darker haired boy's smile was undeniable and warmed Peter's heart. Super teens had to stick together. Literally. Peter had stuck himself to Nico's arm. 

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'Uncle Tony' 's cabin seemed cool. It was in a pretty secluded area and had a cool little tent thing set up outside. It was quaint, much cuter and homier than the monster house that Nicole had apparently designed. 

"Are you sure he wont mind? I'm kind of a stranger." Nico said. Peter shook his head. 

"Its fine. Besides, everyone's out today." The teen said, leading Nico to the kitchen. "Ah! Here we go. May made some food to send with me, I go back down to her every weekend or so, which is probably why we didn't meet sooner. Do you like mac an cheese?". 

"Who doesn't?" Nico said. Peter smiled and pulled the glass container out. He portioned out two bowls of pasta, assuming that Nico ate just about the same amount he did. 

"Oh, is your metabolism super fast? Mine is." Peter asked. Nico thought about it for a second. 

"I mean I get more hungry if I use my powers a lot, but I mostly get dehydrated. If I don't have water nearby I can use my own sweat, which is super gross but works in a pinch.". Peter nodded understandingly. Sometimes powers were gross. The spider bite had been a pulsing zit like thing for days after getting it. 

The teen popped the bowls in the microwave and started it. "So what's your uncle like?" Nico. 

Peter seemed a little flustered at that. "He's great. Really strong and cool and I respect him a lot. He can be a little grumpy at times but he really cares about everyone around him." The boy gushed, "He had a kid, she's 4 now, and he's the best parent ever.". 

"Aunt May would be devastated to hear you say that." Nico joked. Peter's cheeks seemed to get redder. 

"Well considering sacrifices he made for everyone she might agree with me." He joked. 

"Did he do something big for your family?" Nico asked curiously. Peter flinched. 

"Um yeah. I can't really talk about it but he did something great." He said. Nico nodded in understanding. Peter really loved his uncle and his uncle was lucky to have someone like Peter in his life. Hell, the kid's whole family was lucky. 

The pair sat down to eat their lunch, planning what to do next. 

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It became a pretty regular thing, Peter bringing Nico over for food every once and a while. He was careful to make sure no one else saw him. Bringing someone Tony didn't know into his house and lying about who he was probably wouldn't have looked good, but Nico needed help. 

Every time he went back to Queens to spend some time with May he was worried about Nico. It was great to have her around, but they had been together since the blip and he had finished school with her. They had caught up enough and Tony was in such a fragile state after the snap. 

Apparently Nico hadn't finished classes on account of the fact he spent almost all his time after the blip in an emergency shelter. 

No matter how many times Peter tried to see the best in the situation or help Nico adjust he couldn't deny that the man's dad was a major asshole. The man just listened to his wife's orders and penalized Nico for intruding on his 'family'. 

But at least the summer wouldn't suck. At least not with Peter around. 

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I don't really have an authors note for this one 😅

Naabot mo na ang dulo ng mga na-publish na parte.

⏰ Huling update: Feb 10, 2022 ⏰

Idagdag ang kuwentong ito sa iyong Library para ma-notify tungkol sa mga bagong parte!

Summer Upstate (Avengers x Male OC)Tahanan ng mga kuwento. Tumuklas ngayon