PETER 🕷

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"AFTER CAREFUL EVALUATION," I announced to Ned, "I've decided that this plan is working."

I'd just finished with my last class of the day, yet I guarantee you that I didn't remember anything that was taught. All I could think about was breaking into [y/n]'s house—okay, maybe I shouldn't phrase it like that—and getting her to somewhat like me as Spider-Man.

She still seemed annoyed, but it was progress. Once she trusted me fully, I'd be able to push her in the direction of Peter Parker (me).

"How is it working?" Ned asked, shuffling along behind me.

I grinned. "She's starting to like Spidey."

"I thought you didn't want that."

"I don't, but it needs to be done in order to get her to like my other self," I explained, "it's a very complicated plan, and I'm very confident in it."

Ned looked unamused, giving me a sad frown. He didn't really agree with the idea, but in my defense, it was already working. She smiled at me yesterday. She smiles at Peter, but that's in a friendly way. Smiling at the person she thought was her soulmate was clearly a sign that she didn't hate me.

I think.

I'm bad at this, okay?

"I'll meet you tomorrow," I said to Ned, coming to a stop outside of the Chemistry room, "we can rebuild the Death Star, yeah?"

Ned nodded, already shuffling away. "Fine."

Sigh.

I guess I'll have to make this plan succeed in order to get him to support it. I don't understand why he was so skeptical! Hawkeye suggested it, and Hawkeye is a cool Avenger.

Shaking my head to myself, I walked into the science lab, waving when I saw [y/n] running about on the other end. I said I'd meet her after school, since I had to 'chaperone' her to Stark Tower. She looked up when she saw me, face covered in flour—again?

"Pete!" She exclaimed, waving me over, "hey!"

I smiled, already pacing across the classroom. "Hey."

"I've decided baking soda is irrelevant," she said.

"Really?"

"It makes the dough too sticky, and causes it to explode—"

"—which is why it's all over your face?" I laughed, finished the sentence for her.

I wondered if there was ever a day where this girl didn't bake. Every time I saw her, she was either talking about cookies, or in the middle of a (mostly disastrous) science experiment. I thought it was the cutest thing ever. That she liked baking, uh, not her exactly, just forget I said that.

She gave me a petty look, before digging through her backpack in search of something. Seconds later, she pulled out an orange.

"Citrus," she said with glee, "it'll get the sticky flour off."

I blinked. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah!"

"Where did you learn that?" I asked, trying to hold back a smile.

Maybe this was it. Maybe she'd say that Spider-Man was actually an awesome, cool, and very trustworthy person! Everything was coming into plan, if only the next words that leave her mouth were—

"Google," she said bluntly, "I searched it up on Google."

I feel dead inside.

So, clearly, we weren't at that stage yet. Giving her a nod, I tried not to internally scream at the way she completely deflected the truth. She started packing her things, rambling on about cookie dough, and I just stared into the void and questioned my existence. I needed a better approach to this. It wouldn't be possible to persuade her any other way, right?

"Ready?" She asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I blinked. "For what?"

"To go to Stark Tower."

"Oh," I nodded, "yeah, let's go."

Illıllııllıllı

THIS IS THE BIGGEST NIGHTMARE OF MY LIFE.

Here I am, standing outside of the Tower I know very well, pretending not to know a thing about it. I was almost approached by Jerry the security guard, but I managed to push [y/n] through the doorways and into the elevators before someone called me out. They didn't know I was Spider-Man, of course, but they knew I visited the tower under "scholarship". 'Twas sus, I know, but what's a boy gotta' do?

"This is so exciting," [y/n] said with a huge smile, "I can't believe I'm here!"

I winced. "Yeah...exciting!"

"Do you think I'll meet Bucky Barnes?"

"Maybe. Why?"

The girl gave me a smug look, before reaching into the side of her backpack and pulling out a thin envelope. It was a bright shade of pink, and had a giant heart sticker slapped onto the center of it. Wait...There's no way she—

"Luka asked me to give this to him," she said, waving it in my face, "he's got a huge crush on him."

Phew, dodged a bullet there. "Your brother, right?"

"From another Mother, but yeah."

The elevator came to a slowing stop, and the doors slowly slid open. Standing in the hallway was Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, both of who seemed to have been waiting there for a long while (I could tell because Mr. Hulk looked very tired, and Mr. Stark was very dramatic).

[y/n] nearly fainted when she saw them.

"Miss Agreste," Tony said, clapping his hands together, "Welcome to Stark Tower."

I had to push her out of the elevator like a shopping cart so the doors wouldn't close on her. She was literally the definition of star-struck; frozen into place, goofy smile on her face (which was adorable, I guess?) and eyes bugged out of her head.

I set her down in the center of the hallway, and gave her a small pat on the head. She snapped back into reality.

"Hi!" She blurted out loudly, "I'm Peter!"

The three of us looked at her with blank faces. It was clear she was nervous, but we didn't think she was that nervous. When she realized what she said, her face seemed to contort into a look of utter horror, and she began to stammer.

I knew far too much about embarrassment, and I wanted to spare her from it.

"Hi!" I said, sticking out my hand, "I'm [y/n]!"

Banner seemed to get the memo. "Nice to meet you both."

Mission accomplished.

The next thing we knew, we were already on a tour of the tower, and [y/n] had forgotten all about the situation. When Mr. Stark and Bruce weren't looking, she had given me a giant hug out of thanks. I wanted to melt into it, but apparently she meant it to be a quick thing. Sigh. It was nice.

After touring the labs, we ended up in the Kitchen, where she was allowed to bake her cookies. She literally started raiding the cabinets for ingredients the second she was allowed to start. I don't think I've met someone so dedicated to a project.

"Taste this," she said, shoving a spoon into my mouth.

My job was to taste test the cookie batter, and I was exceeding at it. Heightened senses were great for this kind of stuff. I was able to pin point which stuff didn't mix, and how much was too much.

"Too much sugar," I said, smacking my lips together, "makes it a little dry."

"Got it," she said, "I need something refreshing."

"Sounds good."

I probably should have been paying attention to what she started to put inside the batter, but I was more focused on watching the vents. My spidey-senses had told me that Clint was spying on us a few minutes earlier—probably to tell Tony and the others what was happening—but it seemed like he left.

I didn't realize what was happening until [y/n] shoved another spoon into my mouth.

Ohmygosh.

"Spicy!" I yelled, springing onto my feet, "hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!"

[y/n] looked horrified. "Spicy?"

"What did you put in there?!"

"Peppermint."

Oh. 

Spider's weren't very fond of the taste or smell, and neither was I. It felt like my entire mouth was burning, and I had to duck my head underneath the sink in order to wash the reaction away. I probably looked pathetic, I know, but I couldn't explain to her why I was so bothered by it.

Unfortunately, in my haste to find water, I knocked my hip against the counter, sending a small web-canister of out of my pocket and onto the floor. I kept them in there for emergencies. I didn't notice I'd lost it until I was wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, spinning around to find [y/n] staring at me.

She had it in her hand.

"Where did you get this?" She said, holding it up.

Lie Peter, just say a very good lie.

"Get what?" I said.

NO PETER NOT THAT.

"This," [y/n] said, squinting her eyes, "I've seen this before, and I know where it's from."

"Floor," I blurted out, "it was on the floor."

"This floor?"

"Yep."

That was the suckiest lie I'd ever told—not that my lies are usually any good. My identity was on the line here, and the only thing I could come up with was that I found one of Spider-Man's web-canisters on the floor. Literally a child could say that.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and I nearly saw death.

Then something flickered in her mind.

"Are you telling me Spider-Man lives here?" She questioned with enthusiasm.

I winced. "Uh, maybe?"

"He must have dropped it!" She exclaimed, before tossing it back to me. I caught it in my hand, quickly shoving it back into my pocket. She was still jumping about excitedly. "You have to meet him Peter!"

"Nope," I said quickly.

That wouldn't be possible. I can't be in two places at once.

"You don't like him?" She asked.

"No, I do," I fumbled, "he's super cool, but I'm......scared of spiders?"

That was a great lie, Peter. Much better than the one about the floor. I shuffled over to the counter, hopping onto it and placing my hands on the counter to keep me up. This stressful conversation was really starting to make my nerves act up.

"You're scared of spiders?" She quizzed.

"Yep."

"So am I."

What?

"What?" I repeated to myself.

This was a new revelation that I did not see coming. How could [y/n] Agreste, my soulmate, have a fear of spiders? We were supposed to be perfect for each other, and yet my alter-ego's connected to her biggest fear? It didn't make sense.

"I have a fear of spiders," she said bluntly, "arachnophobia."

What is happening?

"So then—" I began to say, "how?"

"How what?"

I couldn't ask her how she's able to be my soulmate, because that would ruin everything. She'd know my identity, and she'd know I knew she was my soulmate this whole time. This was a nightmare.

Or was it?

Maybe this was good! If she had a fear of Spiders, it explained why she always seemed so unfond of Spider-Man! I could use that to make her think it was all a mistake, and that Peter Parker (me) is her real soulmate (which I am, but she doesn't know that).

"Never mind," I said, a smile growing on my face, "forget I said anything."