Spider-Man Imagines I

Not That Girl (Part Seven) | Peter Parker [TH]

You tugged one of Peter's nerdy science shirts on over your head, carefully mindful of the cut on your chest. It was only slightly baggy on you, but was no different from the graphic t-shirts you wore every day.

You stepped out of Peter's bedroom, heart fluttering to see that he was waiting for you in the tiny hallway. He smiled at you, taking your hand again as he brought you to the couch and sat you down.

Peter ordered pizza and the two of you stuffed yourselves with as much as you could. An entire pepperoni pizza and half a cheese were gone by the time you were full.

After eating, you leaned against Peter's arm, eyes on the television as an episode of Parks and Recreation played. Half an episode in, your heavy eyes closed.

Peter noticed that you were quiet. He looked down at you and saw your closed eyes. A soft snore slipped out of your parted lips. He smiled softly, reaching behind him to grab a throw blanket off the back of the couch. He draped it on you, making sure it covered every part of your body.

Enveloped in warmth, you snuggled closer to him, humming sleepily. He let you.

He watched you for a while, seeing the smear of makeup under your eyes from where you hadn't yet washed your face. He didn't realize he was staring until you moved and he snapped his head away, mind spinning.

He was staring at you. Why was he staring?

He slowly looked back at you as you settled your head on his shoulder. And he thought, for one brief moment, how grateful he was that neither of you had gotten severely hurt in that alleyway, because then this moment wouldn't have happened.

The sound of a key digging into the doorknob made Peter look away. He grabbed the remote and turned down the television as Aunt May walked in.

"Hey, sweetie," she said, shutting the door behind her. She kicked off her shoes and glanced over the top of the couch. "Oh, did you order pizza?"

"Yeah," he said, and he pointed to you.

"Oh," she said, lowering her voice into a soft hush. She gave him a questionable look. "She's not staying the night, is she? Because I have rules about girls, Peter, even if it is just ___. You know that-"

"No, she's not," he said. "She just fell asleep. I'm taking her home in a few minutes."

She smiled. "Okay." She kissed Peter on the top of the head. "Thanks for ordering dinner." She grabbed the box of cheese pizza and took it into the kitchen.

Peter looked back at you. Gently, he lifted his hand to poke your shoulder. He nudged it twice before you started to stir.

"Hey," he said softly. "___, hey."

"Hm?" you hummed, scowling as Peter continuously poked you. You swatted his hand away. "Pete, stop."

He snickered. "No, ___. You have to get up. Come on, I'll take you home."

Your eyes peeled open. You groaned, looking at the bright light of the TV and then away again and at the blanket wrapped around you. You grabbed a fistful of it and held it.

"Did you put this on me?" you asked.

"Uh, yeah," he answered, sliding off the couch. "C'mon, get your shoes on."

On the walk home, you were starting to finally wake up. You rubbed your eyes.

"Sorry for falling asleep," you said.

"Don't be," he said. "You needed a nap. You deserved it."

"I guess I did," you laughed, "since I was nearly killed today." Your hand went to your collarbone, where the pain of the cut had developed into a light throb.

Peter looked at you, seriously this time. His eyebrows pulled together and his lips pressed tight, he stared at you.

"You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you," he finally said. "I mean, I guess I did let that happen to you, but... you're always going to be safe with me. I'm never going to let anything hurt you." He nodded, catching your eye in the light of a street lamp. "I know I don't act serious around you, but you mean a lot to me. Being your best friend is awesome, and I'll do anything to keep you safe. You know, so we'll always be best friends."

You smiled wide. "Because being friends with Ned will just be too difficult," you joked.

"Yeah, really," he laughed. "But I seriously... I need you, ___."

You were in front of your home now. You stopped, turned towards Peter, and stuffed your hands into your pockets. You nodded.

"I need you too, Pete," you said.

"Good, because I've felt like I've been a huge jerk these last couple of days-" he said.

You held up a hand to cut him off. "Peter, seriously. It doesn't matter. You and I are cool." You smiled. "So thank you for saving me and thank you for dinner - and for the t-shirt that I'm still wearing... did you want this back? I can go inside and change and bring it back-"

"Uh," he paused awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "You can, uh, just bring that to me at school, if you want. It doesn't really matter."

"Okay," you said.

He stood there, the silence becoming awkward as he just looked at you. He was racking his brain for something to say, something to think, but he was coming up short on all fronts.

But his mind was trying to tell him something.

You inched towards your house, uneasy in the silence. "Um... thanks again, Peter. Goodnight."

"Night," he said, stammering. His eyes couldn't break off of you.

He didn't move until you were safe inside your house. You paused at the window, waving at him with a goofy grin on your face. He laughed and waved back.

Then, as you disappeared, his hand dropped and his smile transitioned into a warm, thoughtful smile. He turned away from your home, kicking at pebbles on the sidewalk, and froze mid-step.

It hit him like a ton of bricks.

He didn't want to leave you. He didn't want to say goodbye. He wanted to stay beside you still.

Peter hurried away from your house, ignoring his mind the best he could. He pulled out his phone and hit Ned's contact. He wasn't even sure why he was calling until Ned answered and Peter finally spoke.

"Uh, dude, I seriously need your help."