Peter's POV

It was just after 9am when the shrill sound of my phone’s alarm pierced the quiet room, dragging me reluctantly from the comfort of sleep. I groaned softly, squinting as the bright screen glowed in the early morning light. Rubbing my eyes, I reached for my phone on the bedside table, feeling the familiar weight of it in my hand. As I unlocked it, I noticed a few notifications—several messages from Michelle.

Today

MJ: Hey Pete, you're still coming to the park with us, right?

I stared at her message for a while, lost in thought. It had been ages since I’d spent any real time with them, what with my new double life as a sort of superhero. The constant rushing around had meant fewer hangouts, and I could sense they were beginning to suspect something was off. I sighed, realising I couldn’t keep blowing them off forever.

Me: Yeah, sure, I'll see you guys at 11.

After sending the message, I lay back for a moment, feeling the weight of it all settle in. Then, with a resigned sigh, I flicked through my social media feeds, catching up on the usual stream of meaningless updates. A few minutes later, I finally pushed myself out of bed, stretching as I prepared to face the day ahead.

**

I devoured three tall stacks of pancakes, each one generously dusted with icing sugar and topped with plump strawberries, accompanied by two perfectly fried eggs for breakfast. Over the past few weeks, I had begun to notice a significant increase in my appetite—no doubt a side effect of my superpowers, which seemed to demand more energy than ever before.

Halfway through my fourth stack of pancakes (because, naturally, I was still hungry), I was interrupted by a knock at the door. I hastily stuffed the last bite into my mouth, chewed quickly, and wiped my hands on a napkin before rushing to see who it was. As I swung the door open, I was greeted by the familiar faces of MJ, Harry, and Gwen, all smiling brightly at me.

“Hey, Pete!” they chimed in unison, their voices taking on a sing-song tone that immediately lifted my mood.

“Hey, guys,” I replied, flashing them a grin. “Let me clean myself up a bit, and I’ll meet you in the car.”

“Okay, but don’t take too long,” Michelle added with a playful smirk.

I nodded and dashed back into the house, heading straight for the bathroom. After relieving myself and a splash of cold water on my face to shake off the last remnants of sleep, I caught a fleeting glimpse of my reflection. I couldn’t help but wonder how my friends hadn’t picked up on the changes in me—my heightened hunger, the lingering hint of fatigue that never quite seemed to disappear.

With a sigh, I grabbed my phone from the charger, shoved it into my pocket, and bolted downstairs. I locked the door behind me as I stepped outside, feeling the crisp morning air hit my face. Climbing into the back of Harry’s car, I eased into the seat just as the engine rumbled to life.

As we pulled away from the house, I found myself gazing out of the window. The early morning light bathed everything in a soft, golden glow, and the trees lining the road loomed overhead, as tall as small buildings. The sun, still slowly rising, cast long shadows across the pavement, making the whole scene feel almost… majestic.

But my thoughts soon began to drift. I couldn’t help it—memories of Wade kept creeping in. I started thinking about the times we’d spent together, sitting on top of the Empire State Building as the sun dipped below the horizon. The sky would explode with colours—vivid oranges, reds, yellows, and blues—while we lay sprawled on a blanket Wade had brought, eating greasy food from some questionable food truck he’d found. The quiet moments shared in that vast, bustling city had always felt strangely peaceful.

“Earth to Peter, you with us?” Gwen’s voice suddenly cut through my reverie. I blinked, startled, and looked up to find her waving a hand in front of my face.

I shook my head slightly, snapping back to reality. All of my friends were standing outside the car, watching me with curious, puzzled expressions. I realised with a slight blush that I’d been lost in thought again, completely unaware of what was going on around me.

“Yes, sorry, let’s go,” I muttered, quickly stepping out of the car. I fully expected to find the familiar expanse of green stretching out before me, the peaceful landscape of the park we often visited. Instead, I found myself standing in front of a building no bigger than an average house.

“Um, I don’t think this is the park,” I said, a wave of unease washing over me. ‘Are they trying to kidnap me or something?’ The thought seemed absurd, but my nerves wouldn’t settle.

“Really?” Harry drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes.

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“Just come with us,” Gwen chimed in, her tone more impatient than reassuring.

Reluctantly, I followed them inside. The room was small and unremarkable, and I was immediately directed to sit on a stool beside a table. The stool was uncomfortable, forcing me into an awkward position that instantly aggravated my back. I shifted uncomfortably as my eyes wandered around the room, taking in the oddly familiar surroundings.

“Wait... Gwen, this is your house!” I blurted out, the realisation hitting me like a ton of bricks.

Gwen raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “What took you so long to figure that out?”

“It’s been such a long time since I was last here.” I confessed, a little embarrassed,

“And we’re going to find out why,” Michelle said coolly, as she settled into a chair across from me. Without warning, she placed a lamp on the table and pointed it directly at my face, the bright light making me wince.

Clearing her throat, she leaned forward, her gaze fixed on me. The air felt thick with tension, and I could feel my anxiety rising with every passing second.

“So, Peter, as you may know, this is the first time we’ve properly hung out in five months,” Michelle began, her voice taking on a serious tone.

I nodded slowly, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. “Yeah, I know… that’s my fault, sorry.”

“It’s fine, Pete, we get that you’ve been busy—” Harry started, trying to ease the tension.

“No, it’s not fine,” Michelle cut in, her tone sharp and unyielding. “Why haven’t we seen you in five months? What’s been keeping you so busy that you couldn’t even text us? And more than that, you’ve been practically invisible at school. You promised us you were going to take things more seriously this year, remember?”

I sighed, my heart sinking under the weight of her words. “Look, MJ, I’m really sorry.”

"If you were really sorry, you’d tell us what’s been going on," she countered, her lips pressing into a thin line of frustration.

A wave of panic surged through me. How could I possibly explain that I’d been off playing superhero? That I was living a double life, juggling school with fighting crime? My mind raced, desperate for an excuse. Suddenly, in a moment of sheer desperation, an idea struck me.

"I’ve been hanging out with Wade," I blurted out before I could think it through.

The room fell into an awkward silence. They all exchanged confused glances.

“Wade? Who on earth is Wade?” Harry asked, frowning in suspicion.

“He’s… well, he’s a friend of mine. We met about five months ago, and we’ve been hanging out ever since. We just kind of clicked,” I said, hoping my hastily made-up story would stick.

“Oh? Is that so?” Gwen’s tone was thick with scepticism.

“Yeah,” I replied, trying my best to sound convincing, even though my pulse was racing.

“Okay…” MJ paused, her eyes narrowing as she studied me. “But why didn’t you tell us about him? We’d love to meet this ‘Wade’.”

For some reason, the idea of them meeting Wade made my stomach flip. I knew Wade would never want to meet them—he kept himself hidden from most people, always so self-conscious about his scars.

“He’s really shy,” I explained, trying to find my way through the lie. “It takes a long time for him to get comfortable around new people. I think I’m the only friend he has, to be honest, so you probably won’t meet him anytime soon.”

“That’s fine,” Harry said, though his expression still remained doubtful.

I noticed Gwen had gone quiet, a thoughtful look on her face. She folded her arms and leaned forward slightly.

“Let me get this straight,” she began slowly. “So, you’ve been avoiding us to spend time with this new friend, Wade. He’s shy, doesn’t open up easily, yet somehow it only took you five months to break down his walls, and he doesn’t talk to anyone else but you?”

“Um… yeah,” I muttered, unsure of where she was going with this. Was she trying to catch me out?

My friends exchanged amused glances, and a strange, knowing smile spread across their faces.

“Peter... Do you like Wade?” Harry asked, the corners of his mouth twitching into a teasing grin.

I stared at him, completely thrown. “Of course I like Wade. He’s great—he makes me laugh, he’s a bit of a fool sometimes, but he cheers me up. He’s weird, but without his weirdness, I’d probably be a wreck right now. We hang out at night, eating greasy food from food trucks, watching the sunset... and honestly, I feel like I can trust him with anything. He’s insecure about his appearance, but to me, his face is… well, I think it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

I stopped abruptly, realising how much I’d been rambling. They were all staring at me with smirks on their faces, clearly enjoying my flustered state.

“Sorry… yeah, I like Wade,” I said quietly, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over me.

“No, Peter,” Gwen clarified, grinning from ear to ear. “I mean, do you have a crush on him?”

“W-what?” I stammered, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. “No, of course not! I’m straight!” But even as the words left my mouth, I knew I didn’t believe them.

Harry looked at me, hesitant, before he spoke again. “Pete, we wouldn’t care if you did have a crush on him, y’know.”

“Yeah,” MJ added softly. “We just want you to be happy.”

I closed my eyes, resting my head on the table as my thoughts swirled. Did I have a crush on Wade? I replayed all our moments together in my mind—the sound of his laugh, the feel of his scarred cheek beneath my hand, the way his blood-red eyes softened when he smiled. ‘What would his lips taste like?’ I wondered, picturing his mouth. ‘Cherries? Or strawberries?’

I lifted my head, feeling my face burn. “Yeah,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I think I do have a crush on him.”

The girls squealed in delight, rushing over to hug me, while Harry clapped me on the back. “I’m proud of you, Pete. But if Wade breaks your heart, I’ll be having words with him.”

I laughed, though my face was still as red as a tomato. “You’ll be the first to know,” I replied with a shy grin.

“This is so adorable!” MJ gushed, squeezing me tightly.

“You’ve got to tell us more about him,” Gwen added, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I smiled, feeling a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. As I thought about Wade again, I didn’t feel embarrassed anymore. ‘They’re going to like you as much as I do,’ I thought.

“Come on, Peter!” Gwen urged. "We need to know everything!"

“Well,” I began, a grin spreading across my face, “It all started when…”

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Author's Note!

Hey, my Luvs! I'm sorry for not posting a chapter in a while—school has been very exhausting. I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! In the next one, let's just say some exciting things are going to happen between the two main characters! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next update. See you soon!