JADE threw herself on top her best friend who lied peacefully on her bed whilst groaning due to the sudden contact. "Wake up!" Jade cheered earning another groan from her best friend.

"No." Lillian mumbled into her pillow, not budging.

Jade snatched the pillow from underneath Lillian's head and smacked her with it. "Stop sulking. You're dramatic when you're sulking." She pointed out, climbing on top of her best friend whilst straddling her.

"I do not." Lillian shot back with her eyes narrowed on her best friend. "Now get off of me."

Jade smacked her with the pillow once more, "Gladly." She huffed as she climbed off of her best friend and got off of the bed.

"Why are you even here?" Lillian asked as she sat up on her elbows.

"Ouch." Jade faked hurt, her hand on her chest as she looked at Lillian in somewhat shock. "I'm hurt." She shook her head as she wiped away a fake tear. "I'm here because you need to stop sulking over Peter. Yes, I get it. He dumped you. It was hard- that's what she said." She shook her head with a small chuckle, "Not the time for that..." She trailed off as Lillian rose an eyebrow at her. Jade cleared her throat as she gave her best friend a nervous smile, "Anyway, you know I say this all the time whenever I know you need me, but I'm your person alright? I know you best and I'm supposed to help you through your break ups." She smiled softly.

"I don't need your help, Jay." Lillian spoke softly as she shook her head dismissively. "I can get over it on my own."

Jade scoffed, "Yeah, okay and I'm straight."

"What?" Lillian's face scrunched up in confusion.

Jade shrugged her shoulders, "I thought we were spitting out lies and seeing who would win." She deadpanned. "Now get your ass up and out of bed because I'm taking you out."

Lillian groaned, "And where exactly are you taking me?" She asked as she got out of her bed and walked toward her closet to pick out an entire outfit.

"Well... I was thinking of taking you out to this new diner that opened up and MJ suggested you should try it out." Jade answered. "Then after that maybe run down the old memory lane and play some Lego Harry Potter games?" She suggested.

Lillian shrugged, "I'm pretty sure I don't really have a choice, now do I?"

Jade shook her head, giving her best friend a sly smirk, "Nope. Sorry."

...

"NO OFFENSE, but you sort of look dead." Jade pointed out, noticing the way the sun was hitting against her best friend's face and the bags underneath her eyes now visible.

Lillian chuckled lightly with a shake of her head as she placed her cup of coffee down on the table, "None taken... I uh," She cleared her throat, "really haven't been getting enough sleep lately." She said quietly.

Jade hummed in response, taking a sip of her strawberry milkshake. "Why's that?" She inquired with her head tilted slightly as she still took sips of her shake.

"It's probably crazy, but I feel like I'm being watched." Lillian answered, leaning in toward the table for her best friend to hear her clearly. "Like all the time."

Jade snorted lightly, "Maybe, it's your... subconscious?"

Lillian scoffed quietly, "No, Jay. It's not." She shook her head. "You wouldn't understand." She spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry, you're right." Jade shook her head. "I probably wouldn't, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about and it's just the aftermath of the break up between you and Peter." She suggested.

Lillian sat quietly as her words dawned on her, nodding her head lightly. "Yeah... you're probably right."

"So... why did Peter break up with you in the first place?" Jade inquired with her arms crossed.

Lillian's eyebrows furrowed in deep thought as she thought about the days after they broke up and how she felt like she was being watched over. The thud sounds that reminded her of when Peter would show up at her window in his spidey suit. "Why didn't I think of this before?" She murmured to herself as she shook her head in disbelief.

"What?" Jade asked in confusion.

Lillian's head raised up toward her best friend as she hummed in response. "What?"

"I asked you why Peter broke up with you and you went off into your own world." Jade chuckled softly as her eyes narrowed at her best friend.

"Right... sorry." Lillian shook her thoughts away. "Um, he thought that it would be best if we broke up." She shrugged as her phone dinged. She pulled out her phone, seeing that her brother told her that she need to come home. "Shit." She mumbled, "I-I gotta go. My brother texted me."

"Is everything okay?" Jade asked worryingly whilst pulling out a tip onto the table.

Lillian nodded, "Yeah, I hope so." She said as they headed out of the diner and back to Lillian's place.

...

ONCE Jade dropped off Lillian at her place, Lillian entered the apartment seeing her brother chilling on the couch and watching tv. "Nate, what's wrong?" Her face scrunched up in confusion.

Her brother turned to face her and then back at the tv, "Oh hey... there's nothing wrong."

"Then why did you text me to 'come home, it's urgent'?" She asked with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Oh yeah, that." Nathan sat up on the couch, turning to face his sister, "Mom wanted me to text you that and tell you that you got something in your room." He told her vaguely whilst shrugging before going back to watching the tv.

"Great." She mumbled whilst making her way to her room, finding nothing but a note on her bed. "I'm sorry I put you through this, I thought it would be best. Please don't hate me, love mom. P.S, go to the roof." She read the piece of paper, looking at it with confusion written on her face. "What?" She shook her head but headed toward the roof anyways. "I'll be back." She called out to her brother before leaving.

Once she made it to the roof, the place that she once called her safe place. Her escape from reality that she now has abandoned ever since the break up. She looked around until her eyes fell upon his soft gaze. She froze in her spot, unsure if she should run into his arms or turn back around and go back to her room. She watched as he took a few steps closer to her whilst she still stood there in shock.

"Hey..." He spoke quietly with a small smile.

"What are you doing here, Peter?" She asked finally having enough courage to take a step back.

"Your mom wanted me to talk to you." He answered nervously.

"Talk to me about what?" She crossed her arms whilst keeping her distance from him.

"Um..." He spoke quietly as he looked down at his hands, avoiding her eyes. "Your mom made me promise that I uh- I keep you away." He twiddled with his thumbs, afraid to look up at her and see her reaction.

"She made you promise?" She asked as he nodded in response. "Why?"

"She thought that if I left you, you wouldn't end up like being your dad." He spoke quietly with a shake of his head, "She didn't wanna lose you... and I didn't wanna lose you either." He breathed out as he nervously held Lillian's hands in his.

"You're not gonna lose me. I can take care of myself, Peter." She protested softly with a small scoff.

"Why can't you understand that you shouldn't be risking your life for me?" He asked rhetorically in slight frustration. He shook his head, running a hand over his face to calm himself down. "Me being Spider-Man is already dangerous enough as it is, Lilly. You literally risked your life for me to take down Dr. Connors and you didn't even care about getting hurt." He shook his head as he looked away from her, "but you know how I'll feel?" He asked whilst looking back at her before answering his own question. "I'll be devastated." He spoke out softly, his glistening eyes meeting Lillian's doe eyes.

"Peter..." She shook her head as her hands reach up to cup his face gently.

He sighed contently at her touch as he rested his forehead against hers, "And if you die... Lills, I can't lose you like that. I-I can't live in a world without you." He whispered as his eyes shut at the thought.

She wrapped her arms around his neck whilst pulling him closer toward her in warm embrace as he did the same. "I'm sorry." She said softly.

"I'm sorry, too." He said softly into her hair. "I just thought that you'd be happier or better off without me in your life. Even if it meant that I had to leave you for you to be safe." He mumbled whilst pulling away from her slightly to stare at piercing gaze.

She smiled softly at him as she lightly scoffed, "There's no way in any universe that I would be happier or better off without you in my life, Peter." She brought her hand up to caress his cheek gently. "I'm still here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

- :: -

( author's note :
fun fact: i was
rereading this
before i was
gonna publish it
n it was so cringey
when i first wrote
it that i had to re-
write like three
times ey- )