𝐝𝐞𝐣𝐚 𝐯𝐮, peter parker

xxxvii. sit next to me

chapter thirty-seven
sit next to me

    THE FLIGHT was interesting. 

    Sitting next to Brad for the majority of it wasn't the most interesting part. In fact, Nina regrettably enjoyed it. Even if he said he didn't like Star Wars and only had the prequels for Natalie Portman to which he gushed about each time she was on screen, Nina couldn't blame him because she gushed each time Obi-Wan Kenobi spoke or even just looked at something. 

     When she could move out of her seat, she squeezed past him and would make her way over to chat to MJ who glanced up at her each time over the brim of her book like she was the most annoying thing in existence. But Nina just grinned and crouched in beside her (or sat on her lap, not caring about anyone giving her weird looks) to tell her about Brad's reactions to Star Wars, hoping she'd share her bewilderment. Most of the time, MJ just continued to read her book with her chin propped on her shoulder, barely even listening with a few hummus here and there. 

     That was until Nina got in trouble from one of the flight attendants, and she had to leave her friend and sulk back to her seat. 

      What made it interesting was each time she tried to talk to Peter, or ran into him━he'd go bright red and spin the other way. Nina frowned after him, not sure whether to be concerned or suspicious. Like when she got up the third time to go to the toilet (since she couldn't use MJ as her seat), the door opened and there he was. She smiled, wanting to say hello until he froze and in seconds, had closed the door again right in her face. 

      Nina waited there for a few seconds, very awkward. Was he all right? Did he go to the toilet and then realise he had to go again? Because that's happened to her a few times. 

      She glanced around her━checking that nobody was watching━before shuffling closer to the door. She pressed her ear to it, wondering what on earth he was doing in there. If it was anyone else, she'd let it go, but it was Peter, and either something was wrong with him, or something else in regards to this plane. Nina didn't know which was undoubtedly better ... in her experience, they could quite possibly mean the same thing. 

      Until she heard the toilet flush again and Nina went bright red, jumping away from the door as if she had been burned. She face-palmed, groaning softly to herself at her own stupidity and embarrassment. She just tried to listen━(Oh, what was wrong with her?!). 

     She had to get out of here. She couldn't face him if he opened the door again. Nina glanced around her, looking for a place to hide━until she realised she was on a plane and could just go back to her seat, and so she did, rushing down the aisle and climbing over Brad without a word. She brought her knees up, hiding her bright red cheeks with the sleeves of her jumper. 

      Peter stepped out a few seconds later, his hair fixed and his teeth clear of anything he might've missed from his on-flight snack. He grinned, ready to say hello to Nina, only to falter. 

      Brad smiled, holding up a peace-sign (who does peace-signs anymore?). Peter's grin fell and what replaced it was a tick to his jaw. He stepped aside to let Brad in, realising he just spent an embarrassing amount of time in the toilet for nothing. 

      In the end, they were all thankful when the nine hours was finally over, and the light for seatbelts returned━and at last, it was time to land in Venice. Peter got off the plane, squinting at the sudden sunlight and grinding his teeth━step one and two of his plan? Completely ruined. He didn't even have the energy to take a moment to breathe in the fact that he was standing in Venice, spending all of his focus glowering over the heads in the terminal at Nina and Brad who were showing each other their passport photos with MJ still reading her book behind them.