𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚 — 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧!

☕

THREE HOURS UNTIL MIDNIGHT

          "Happy new year!" Betty cheered, starting Brendon who was staring at his phone. She laughed at the fear that flashed through his eyes.

          "What the fuck, Betty?" he questioned, straightening himself up and trying to act like he hadn't jumped at least three feet in the air. "It's not even the new year yet."

          The brunette rolled her eyes, "But it's about to be, and I just got here and you'll already moping on your phone. And here I thought you were super excited for this party."

          "I am excited, and I wasn't moping," Brendon defended himself with a phone, finally putting his phone away in his back pocket, "It's just – have you seen Peter anymore?"

          Betty sighed. "Of course this is about Peter," she muttered before looking Brendon dead in the eyes, "Look, I get that you wanna smooch lover boy when the clock strikes twelve, but we still have three hours to go. He'll be here."

          He knew that she meant to assure him, but he still didn't feel calm. As much as he loved Peter, the boy was barely ever on time and constantly forgot to do things once he went to patrol. And even though Peter promised him that he wasn't going out, that Cindy had it covered, Brendon knew that he had already broken his promise. For some reason, even after months of trading nights so that the other could get some rest, Peter had to go out tonight and wasn't answering any of Brendon's texts.

          "I mean, I already saw Bren and Harry, they're starting the make-out sesh early over by the closet. Started a bit too early and gave everyone quite the show," Betty snorted, "But good for them, I guess. I still haven't see Cindy yet, though..."

          "Ah, yeah, she told me she couldn't make it," Brendon told her, "Something about spending the night with family and everything."

          Betty huffed, "She spent weeks with them already and I haven't seen her since we went on break. God, how much time do they need with each other? It's not like she can't go see them on the weekend."

          "Calm down, Betty," Brendon said, wanting to defend his best friend even more but not wanting to argue with Betty when she was clearly in a mood.

          "I need a drink," Betty said, moving past him to go get some beer. He turned around to watch her go and sighed before taking out his phone. Turning it on, he saw no texts from Peter and had to refrain himself from sending the boy yet another string of texts.

TWO HOURS UNTIL MIDNIGHT

          Brendon sighed to himself, slumping down at the table, looking miserably at the red solo cup in front of him. He didn't even want to drink he was so sad, looking around and at his phone too many times to count just wishing that Peter would pick up his own damn phone and answer one of his many, many texts.

          After Betty left him, he hadn't seen her since but he did see her grinding against another girl so good for her. Bren and Harry were making sex eyes at each other and enjoying themselves so Brendon thought it best not to bother them and rain on their parade. So, he resorted to sitting at a table alone outside and away from all the other party people and be miserable.

          "Hey," he heard a voice. He looked up to see a guy that he had never met before sit down next to him, "You alright?"

          "Fine," Brendon answered, not wanting to spill his guts to a stranger. He wasn't drunk enough for that yet.

          The stranger raised his eyebrow, "You sure? Because you look like you need a cheer up."

          "I'm sure. It's just things aren't going how I planned them to earlier," Brendon told him.

          "In my experience, nothing ever goes to plan. It's why you just gotta go with the flow on everything," the guy said, "I'm Alex."

          "Brendon," he returned.

          "So, Brendon, you wanna dance?" Alex asked but Brendon shook his head.

          "I'm not in the mood tonight," he told the stranger, just wanting to be left alone again, pining after his boyfriend who wasn't even there.

          "Alright," Alex nodded, "How about I find you in two hours and we can share a new year's kiss together."

          Brendon raised an eyebrow. "Really? That line ever work for you?"

          "Well, it has in years past," Alex shrugged, "So?"

          "Sorry, pal, but I have a boyfriend," Brendon broke it to him.

          Alex hummed, looking around everywhere before looking back at Brendon, "Well, I don't see him anymore, so..."

          "I'm not gonna cheat on my boyfriend," Brendon told him simply.

          "Is he really that good of a boyfriend if he isn't here waiting to give you a new year's kiss? I mean, they say that who you kiss at midnight is destined to stay with you for the whole year. Some true love or shit. Maybe this is his way of breaking up with you and saying that he doesn't wanna spend another year with you," Alex suggested.

          Brendon frowned, shaking his head. "That's not like Peter, he wouldn't do that."

          Alex shrugged and shook up. "Alright, man, but don't say I didn't warn you when you wind up alone. Come find me if you change your mind."

          And with that, Brendon was by himself again. He took a long gulp of his beer instead of checking his phone again for a message he knew wouldn't be there.

ONE HOUR UNTIL MIDNIGHT

          "Hey, Peter," Brendon held his phone to his ear, "I've been waiting for two hours now for you to get here, like you promised. I've already been asked by a guy to share a new year's kiss together. I told him no, of course, but now I'm thinking that it might not be such a bad idea. Said to go looking for him if I changed my mind."

          That wasn't true. Brendon hadn't and would never change his mind. He loved Peter more than anyone else and wanted to be with him forever, but he just wanted Peter to hear the message and get so jealous that he showed up at the party to spite Alex and kiss the living hell out of Brendon.

          "I hope I'll see you here by the time midnight strikes, so be here," Brendon ended the message, taking his phone away from his ear and looking around.

          Everyone else looked so happy while he was here moping after a guy who was probably having the time of his life stopping crime and not even thinking about his boyfriend who was at a party he promised to be at for the full time. It wasn't fair.

          He checked his phone for anything. There was nothing.

THIRTY MINUTES UNTIL MIDNIGHT

          Fuck it, Brendon decided. There was thirty minutes until midnight and Peter wasn't there and now he was accepting the fact that Peter was probably not going to show up. he might have ruined most of the night, but Brendon was going to salvage what he could. So he downed the rest of his cup and entered the party again. He was done sending texts to Peter and hoping that he'd see them and respond; he was going to have fun.

          Betty smiled when she saw that Brendon was dancing with strangers, downing more beer until he felt himself go light and throw himself into the dance.

          Eventually he ended up with Bren and Harry and grabbed their hands, forming a circle and spinning around with them. They all laughed and began to dance together and Brendon felt himself begin to be happy.

          "Thought you were waiting for Peter!" Harry yelled over the music.

          Brendon shook his head. "Not anymore, he's not coming," he told them.

          "I'm sorry!" Bren told him but he shook it off.

          "It's fine. I just wanna forget about him," he said and the couple nodded, Harry spinning Brendon around as he giggled.

          Fuck Peter and fuck waiting for him. He didn't need a new year's kiss anyway.

TEN MINUTES UNTIL MIDNIGHT

          Okay, it was ten minutes away now and maybe he did want Peter a lot. Because now the couples were getting together and the dancing was ending as people searched for partners and even Betty landed herself someone to kiss. They were staring at the screen, watching the ball and the hosts for the countdown to the New Year and Brendon was completely alone again.

          Even that guy Alex had someone new.

          He wanted to check his phone by he forced himself not to, just going to the kitchen of the place and getting some more food. Maybe stuffing himself would make him feel better and forget about the fact that he had been dreaming since he got back to New York about kissing Peter at midnight, their first New Year together and hopefully not last.

          But now the words that Alex told him were getting in his head. Maybe Peter didn't want to spend the year with him and this really was how he was breaking up with him. Maybe Peter didn't like him that much. Maybe he was too annoying or too clingy so Peter decided to end things now. Fuck he was going mad.

          He stuffed a whole cream puff in his mouth just to give himself something to focus on besides Peter.

ONE MINUTE UNTIL MIDNIGHT

          Peter was definitely not coming.

          He had known that for thirty minutes but now he definitely knew. Before he wished that there would be a miracle and Peter would show up but now he knew that wasn't going to happen. He was really going to be alone starting out the New Year, with no boyfriend and no kiss.

          He was fine. He was fine. He could do this.

          He could be alone forever and not have a Peter Parker in his life and become Brendon Parker; that was fine. He was fine. It was totally okay if Peter decided that he just didn't feel the same way and all of that. That was totally fine with him.

          Okay, so it wasn't really fine with him, but what else could he say when he was alone and sitting by himself and there was no one for him to kiss when practically everyone else had someone? He couldn't just tell the truth!

          "The countdown's starting!" someone yelled and whoop-de-doo that's great. The countdown was starting and he was still alone.

          TEN!

          He felt someone tap his shoulder so he looked back.

          NINE!

          "Peter?"

          EIGHT!

          "I'm sorry I'm late," the boy apologized.

          SEVEN!

          "I just really needed to go out on patrol –"

          SIX!

          "– it's always worse on holidays –"

          FIVE!

          "– so I didn't wanna leave it all to Cindy –"

          FOUR!

          "I'm sorry."

          THREE!

          "Peter?"

          TWO!

          "Yeah?"

          ONE!

          "Shut up and kiss me."

          Peter smiled and closed the gap between them as there was a yell from the TV (ZERO!) but Brendon wasn't paying attention as he focused on the fact that Peter was really there and he was kissing his boyfriend and Peter really did want him. Peter wanted him and didn't think he was too annoying or too clingy and they were most definitely going to spend the entire year together because there was no way in hell that Brendon was letting go of him.

          As they parted, Brendon smiled at his boyfriend and Peter did the same with flushed cheeks. "Happy New Year, Peter."

          "Happy New Year, Brendon."