Masquerade Day

All day, I kept trying not to get distracted during classes, but as usual, I failed miserably. My mind kept drifting off in a hundred directions. Most of which were wondering what will happen at the Masquerade when I finally meet Spiderman outside of patrol.

It's a moment I've been dreaming of for the past six months that I've had a crush on my superhero partner. Every time I think about him, the blood rushes to my cheeks, and I get all nervous just thinking about him.

The final bell rings, and I practically dart for the door, ignoring the calls of my friends. "Sorry, guys, I have to meet my parents soon. I'll talk to you later!" Of course, that's a total lie. I'm running off to meet up with Spidey to discuss the last minute details before tonight.

I slip into the blue and white Phoenix suit in the alleyway two blocks down from our meeting place. It slips on with ease, and I have to bite back my excitement as I ignite and skip between the roofs. "There you are, Nix." Spiderman laughs as I touch down on the roof. "Almost thought you had gotten cold feet."

"You and I both know that wouldn't happen." I smirk as I lean in close to him so we're only inches apart. "I'm too hot for that."

Spiderman mumbles something nervously and rubs the back of his neck with a gloved hand. "So, we're really doing this? Taking a night off and trying to meet each other?"

"If you're still up for it." I tell him and tilt my head. My thoughts keep wondering to what he must look like underneath it, if he's half as cute as I've imagined. "You can still say 'no.' I'd understand if you change your mind."

"N-no, I haven't changed my mind. You've got me anxious to meet you, officially." He replies, and I can tell by the way his mask stretches he's smiling. "Plus, I've already got the suit and--nevermind."

"Oh, don't do that to me, Spidey! And what?" I grin as I bounce on my feet in front of him. "C'mon, you know you can tell me."

"You'll think it's weird or cheesy." He retorts, and I can't help but laugh at the idea.

"Remember, you're talking to the girl who suggested we meet at a Masquerade ball." I nudge him with my shoulder as I continue. "You know me, I could never find you anything less than charming."

"R-really? I'm charming?" He laughs, and continues speaking as if in a daze. "Well, I had to make up a cover story for why I needed a suit, so I said I was going to a friend's high school dance. And my--well, my aunt suggested I get you a corsage."

My cheeks burn brightly beneath my mask. "A corsage? Well, I look forward to wearing it tonight." I slip my hand in my pocket and pull out the ticket. "This is yours, and while we're on the subject, we should probably figure out how to find each other."

Spiderman clears his throat, seeming to snap out of the daze as he gently takes the ticket from my slender fingers. "Right, right. Any ideas?"

"Well, I'm wearing my suit colors, but I can't guarantee I'll be the only one with that color scheme. So, maybe we just wait outside for each other and keep texting until we find the right person?"

"Yeah, that s-sounds like a plan." He returns. "Meet outside the venue at about 7?"

"I'll see you then." In a burst of confidence, I step forward and wrap my arms around him in a hug. He stiffens for just a split second before returning the gesture. We stay like that for a long moment, just content to be there. "I'm excited to meet you, Bug Boy. Just do me a favor? Don't be late." He merely nods in reply as he steps to the edge and swings off.

I have to bite back an excited giggle as I bounce on my toes. "Yes, it's actually happening." I cheer as I do my happy dance and watch Spiderman go.

...

My silver heels glitter in the dancing lights outside of Edison Academy. Most people have already gone inside with their group or date, and only a few stragglers wait outside like me. Still, I feel out of place—odd beneath my silver mask.

He's late.

I can't help but smile a little at the thought. Spider-Man has always been on his own clock, even when we met. I arrived early, and he was ten minutes late.

It gives me a small amount of hope that he'll still come, despite it being nearly a half hour past. My friend, Chris, keeps messaging me wondering why I'm not inside yet. Although, I'm pretty sure he just wants to see his superhero ship sail in person.

My fingers tap dance across the screen, tapping out a message, deleting it, and starting over again. I want to know if he's coming, but a part of me is scared to find out he's changed his mind. I slide my phone back into my clutch and occupy my fingers by fiddling with the blue satin of my dress.

"Please, don't do this to me, Spidey." I whisper and fight back tears. "Don't break your promise too."

A small squeak erupts from my throat when my clutch vibrates. I nearly drop it multiple times trying to fish out my phone, and my heart swells when I see a message from the familiar contact.

Bug Boy: sorry, I know I'm late. On my way now.

I bite my lip to contain the grin pulling at my lips. My eyes watching every person in the hopes of spotting him as he arrives. Another message interrupts my search.

Bug Boy: I'm here. Where are you?

My palms start to sweat as I type out a nervous reply. "Waiting our front as promised." I glance up in a desperate attempt to spot him, but there's no chance of pinpointing him when everyone is on their phone.

There's a tap on my shoulder, and I instinctively swing an elbow back. It finds only empty space, and a familiar laugh fills my ears. "Yep, definitely you, Nix."

I spin so quickly on my heels that he has to catch me before I hit the concrete. "Hasn't anyone told you it's impolite to sneak up on a lady?" I question with a smile as I stare at the ground to make sure it won't betray me again.

"Yes, but you'll have to let me know when we find one." He replies, and my retort gets caught in my throat when I meet his wondrously warm brown eyes. "I-it's nice to finally m-meet you, Phoenix."

I stare back at him, mouth agape and utterly speechless. There's another long second before I find my voice. "Right back at you, Spidey."

We stay there for a minute. Both of us memorizing every available detail about the other. My only thoughts carrying one theme. He's so much cuter than I imagined.

"Oh, um—" he stutters and opens a small plastic container with a lovely white peony corsage. "This is for you."

I try to ignore the shake in my hands and the rapid pace of my heart as he gingerly takes my wrist and slides the blue ribbon on. "It's beautiful. And it's a peony. They're my—"

"—you're favorite. I remember you telling me." He mumbles; and I try not to read too much into it or the fact that he doesn't let go of my hand. Although, I can't ignore the way his thumb trails across my knuckles, or the blush that coats his cheeks.

"You're cute when you blush." I mumble, completely unaware I said it aloud until his head snaps up and brown eyes meet mine. "I mean—never mind. We should probably head inside."

Spider-Man doesn't let go of my hand. Instead, he keeps rubbing his thumb over my hand, which continues to drive my heart rate nuts. Oh, if only this boy knew what he was doing to me.

We hand our tickets to the chaperones at the door, who stare down at our hands with evident disapproval. I do my best to ignore it and fight the impulse to fidget with my mask. Especially as we enter the grand hall where student dance and mingle.

"It's gorgeous." My thoughts ring out, and it truly is. The Edison Academy's assembly hall is notoriously beautiful, but draped in elegant decorations, with lights strung about–it's breathtaking. Spidey mumbles something from beside me, but I can't quite catch the words. "What?"

He quickly realizes his mistake and clear his throat. "Oh, nothing. I was just asking what you wanted to do."

"Well," I look around to peruse our options, "we could dance, get a drink, find a table and talk. I'll leave it up to you."

"L-let's just talk?" He says, but it comes out more like a question. I nod and drag him toward an empty table. My eyes can't peel away from staring at Spidey. From the wide brown doe eyes to the brown hair slightly curling despite the gel he put in.

It makes me thankful that we decided to do this. Even if it means I'm definitely breaking one of the cardinal rules Mr. Stark laid out when he partnered us. "Sorry," I whisper when he catches me staring, "I-I don't know why I'm nervous. We've been partners for a year now."

"No, it's okay." He mumbles. "It's different though--in a good way, I mean." My cheeks warm under his gaze, and in a burst of confidence, I reach across the table to grab his hand, which shaking nearly as much as my own. "So, um, how did you meet your friend? The one that told you about all of this?"

"Oh," I stumble, completely thrown off by the question, "Chis? I was heading to patrol a couple months ago, but I was late 'cause I had detention. Anyway, I was a few blocks from here when I found Chris being harrassed by some of his classmates. They didn't like the fact that he had a crush on the class president, Tyler.

"Stupid people here are so old fashioned. Anyway, I stopped, roughed them up a bit, and made sure they knew not to mess with Chris again. It wasn't anything huge, but I left my Phoenix info with Chris in case they tried something again. He reached out a few days after to say thank you, and since then, we've been sort of friends."

Spiderman nods with a goofy grin on his face that makes my heart patter again. "That's really cool. I never knew you did that."

"Well," I rest my chin on my palm, "maybe we don't know everything about each other."

"You wanna test that theory?" He retorts with the same teasing attitude we exchange on our patrols. I nod and motion for him to carry on. "Well, I may not know your name or personal stuff, but I'm pretty sure I know a few things. Like that you taught yourself how to play guitar, but your brother taught you the drums.

"You love rock, rap, and pop. Yet you hate metal and country. You tend to laugh when you're nervous and have no problem breaking the rules if it means protecting or helping someone in need." I have to turn away to avoid letting my fluster show.

"Okay, point made." I chuckle, which only proves his point. "Still, tonight is about getting to know each other outside of patrol. So--how about a dance?" I stand up and offer him my hand with a sly smirk. "I'm curious to see if your Spidey reflexes and coordination extend to dancing."

His hands slides into mine, and I have to resist the temptation to wipe my hands off on my dress. Although, I can't hide the smile that forces its way across my features or the pounding of my heart in my chest. My only hope is that he doesn't notice it.

An upbeat song pours through the speakers, and I allow myself to relax despite the crowd of students and close proximity to my long term crush. Spidey's hands wrap around both of my own as we start to sway to the beat. "You're horrible at this!" I laugh over the music and double over in laughter at the sight of his offbeat movements.

"Like you're any better." He cheers back. We both keep laughing and dancing like two complete idiots. It's honestly the happiest I've felt outside of patrol in a long time. The song switches to something slower, which creates an uncertain tension between us. I look at Spidey, searching in those brown eyes for what to do. "Screw it." He mumbles before placing his hands on my waist.

"You sure about this?" I question, lifting an eyebrow beneath the mask. "We're probably breaking more rules by doing this."

Spidey shrugs and lifts my hands until they rest around his neck. "Yeah, but someone once told me, 'sometimes rules should be broken for the right reasons.'"

"She sounds smart." I whisper in reply as it slowly hits me that he might just feel the same. "I have to say, I'm really liking this new side of you, Spidey."

He smiles, which almost to turn my knees to jelly. "I was just about to say the same for you, Nix."

"You know," I pause, biting my lip as my confidence builds, "you could call me by my real name."

The confidence from a second ago falters, and I see the battle going on his mind. "You sure? It would be breaking one of the cardinal rules."

"Well, I've already broken Mr. Stark's cardinal rule number two." I mumble and avoid his gaze. Spidey gives me a puzzled look and clearly waits for me to explain. "You know, 'rule number two: never fall for your partner.'"

"Wait--what?" He questions as we stop moving. I suddenly feel about an inch tall under the bewildered look. "You--you fell for me?"

"Sorry, I-I shouldn't have said anything." I mumble and take a step back. "I'm gonna go. Just forget this ever happened."

Spidey's hand gently wraps around my wrist, which stops me right in my tracks. "But I don't want to forget." I turn back to him, tears threatening to brim in my eyes. "'Cause I broke the same rule, Nix."

My voice comes out in a tiny whisper as I keep my eyes locked on the floor. "Y/N. My name is Y/N." A finger wraps beneath my chin and forces me to meet his eyes. "What are you--?"

Spidey shakes his head, an adorable grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It's nice to finally meet you, Y/N. I'm Peter." I barely manage a smile before he gently tugs me back to his chest, brown eyes flickering between my eyes and lips.

"You gonna kiss me or not, Peter?" I question leaning in ever so slightly. He just chuckles and closes the last bit of distance. There's a thousand emotions that flood through me. I'm kissing my crush; I am kissing Peter. My hands rest on the back of his neck; his hands on my waist holding me up.

We finally break apart, foreheads resting against the other and grinning like idiots. "Well, so much for rule number two." Peter whispers with a chuckle. "Can't say I mind though."

"Neither do I." I agree and press another quick kiss against his lips. "What about Mr. Stark though? Should we tell him or--?"

"Or--we could see where this goes and tell him later." Peter smirks deviously, and I shake my head when I realize how much of a bad influence I've been. "Maybe we could just—give it a chance. If it goes somewhere, we can talk to Mr. Stark and figure out what to do, but for now, we'll keep most of the rules intact."

"Are you asking me out, Bug Boy?"

His grin widens, which I didn't even think possible as he leans in and whispers. "Only if you're saying yes, Nixy." I shake my head at him and close the gap between us in reply.

This could end spectacularly or in flames, but either way, I'm excited for the journey.