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chapter nineteen
CENTRAL PARK
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LENA'S BEDROOM HAS NEVER felt smaller. With her, Cindy, MJ, and Betty all crammed into the space, the walls seem to have shrunken in on themselves. Clothes litter her wooden floor — it's even messier than normal — shoes are sprawled out at random, and Lena's vinyl plays Elton John's greatest hits. It's pure chaos.

"I still don't understand why we're all here," MJ says from her place on Lena's half-made bed, her back resting against the wall and long legs straight out in front of her. She appears to be studying the various posters cluttering the area above Lena's desk. Her posture is slumped, a stray section of curly hair falling into her face from where it had gotten free of her loose updo.

"It's Lena's first date!" Cindy exclaims in explanation. Her energy is the opposite of MJ's; she has scarcely sat down since she'd arrived, spending most of her time rifling through clothes in a (so far, unsuccessful) attempt to find the perfect outfit. "We're here for moral support, advice, and to help with nerves."

"I'm not nervous," Lena says. "It's just Peter. It'll be like hanging out, which we already do anyway."

"Yeah, but with romance."

"I remember mine and Ned's first date." Betty glances fondly at the ceiling, her blue eyes unfocused as she recalls the memory. She sits at the bottom corner of Lena's bed with her feet on the floor; it's the only other place she can fit. "It was last week in Venice. We were in a gondola... you know, before the water monster came and ruined everything."

Lena stiffens immediately at the mention of the Elemental. It turns out that Ned had, in fact, told his then-girlfriend about their secret identities. Betty had rightfully called bullshit on their lame excuses for disappearing and he'd spilled. It's due to that fact that Cindy and MJ shoot the blonde warning expressions, causing Betty to quickly rectify her mistake.

"I'm so sorry, Lena," she says with an apologetic expression. In an attempt to quickly change the subject, she glances back at MJ. "Hey, speaking of dates and romance, what happened with Brad? Wasn't he, like, flirting with you the whole trip?"

MJ's eyes don't leave the posters as she replies, "Yeah. I don't know how he hasn't noticed that I'm into girls."

Cindy doesn't miss a beat. "Well, when you score a date, you'd better call us so we can help you get ready."

MJ appears grateful, finally looking at the other girls. Even though she's considered a friend in Lena's books, she hasn't found it easy to connect with her yet. Lena's still trying to figure out her personality. When they invite her somewhere, she tends to stick to herself — not on purpose, just naturally, as if she's used to being in her own bubble. Lena knows that Cindy can be a little much for some, so she's been patient as a foil to her bubbly friend, allowing MJ to come out of her shell gradually at her own pace.

"I'm really glad you felt comfortable telling us that, MJ," she says. She hopes the honesty in her voice is detectable. A sliver of MJ's thoughts is worth its weight in gold.

MJ lifts her lips in a small, barely-noticeable grin, but a smile all the same. She twiddles her thumbs in her lap. "Me too. Thanks for not making a big deal out of it. It is what it is, you know?"

Betty nods in understanding. "It is what it is."

"Also, if you really want to get rid of Brad, a hit to the balls works," Lena tells her. "Spoken from experience."

"Thanks, but I started reading books about female serial killers in front of him and now I think he's scared of me, so I'm good."

As Cindy continues to help Lena pick out an outfit, a knock sounds at the door. Ma opens it a moment later with a plate of cut-up fruit in one hand and a smile on her face. There are mangoes, pineapple, watermelon, and orange slices arranged in neat rings around the dish.

"Thought you girls might like a snack," she says, scanning the room for a spot to put the plate. Her grin starts to dim once she observes the cluttered surface of her desk and the accessories strewn over her dresser. "Lena, your room is a mess."

"I'll take it, Mrs. Rivera," Betty offers, stretching out her hands to accept the fruit. Ma passes the dish to her and then wrinkles her nose at the abundance of clothes littering the floor.

"I'll clean it all up," Lena promises.

"You'd better, or you're not going anywhere," Ma warns before walking out of the room and dodging miscellaneous objects along the way.

Cindy and Lena share a look. The shorter girl says, "We'll help— half of this is my fault, anyway. Now go get changed!"

Lena obeys her friend's order and retreats to the bathroom across the hall to change. Cindy had suggested a skirt or dress, but Lena hadn't felt like holding it down if the wind were to blow it up. Instead, she picks a white ringer tee with a small sun decal on it. She tucks it into a pair of multicolored striped shorts and adds a black belt as an accessory.

When she returns to her bedroom, she's pleasantly surprised to see that the girls had already managed to put most of her clothes back into her closet or dresser. MJ is trying to shove some books onto Lena's overflowing bookshelf. Betty organizes her desk space meticulously as she munches on a cube of watermelon. The plate of fruit is already half-eaten.

"Cute!" Cindy says upon seeing Lena's outfit. "Can Betty and I do your makeup? Please?"

"Okay," Lena agrees. "But not too much— it's humid today and I don't want it to melt or sweat it off."

MJ cringes when a book clatters to the floor and hurries to pick it up. "Isn't there a chance of rain?"

"Yeah, but it's not that much and will probably happen when I'm on my way there, anyway," Lena replies.

Cindy sits her onto her desk chair and examines the few makeup products that Lena has accumulated over the months she's been back from the snap. She begins putting dots of concealer on Lena's face to cover her acne and dark circles— sleep hasn't come easily to her within the past week, and she's been so stressed that she's had a breakout. Luckily, she'll be having her first therapy session tomorrow. Hopefully that will help ease the burdens on her mind.

Sticking true to Lena's wishes, she and Betty only apply a couple of products— concealer, a brown eyeshadow in the crease of her eyes, and mascara. Lena is aware that she doesn't look amazing, but she doesn't really care. What matters is that she's comfortable. And since Peter has seen her at her worst with soot and dirt all over her, blood on her face, and nearly passing out, she doesn't think he'd care whether she showed up in a ball gown or her pajamas.

She lets Cindy loosely curl her hair, her leg anxiously bouncing as the minutes tick by. She's not nervous about the date, but she is a little afraid that something will make her late. MJ eases her nerves by chatting with her about some new documentary she'd watched the previous day. Lena finds herself eternally grateful for the company of her friends— she's definitely glad they'd come over to help her get ready. It helps her feel like a normal teenager for once.

Finally, she's out the door and walking through the bright streets of Queens to pick up some food on the way to Central Park. Ever since Peter had introduced her to Thai food as they'd sat outside on the fire escape, they've had a tradition of trying new things together. So far, it's been shawarma, boba, Indian, and now, Greek.

She'd found a local, family-owned Greek restaurant only a few blocks from her apartment complex. Peter had told her his order after she'd sent him a photo of the menu. Lena had been a bit overwhelmed by all of the choices at first, unsure of what to try for her first dish, but she'd eventually settled on a traditional entree with eggplant, tomato, potatoes, and cheese.

Ten minutes pass until she finally sees the sign for the Kalimeris Kuts restaurant. When she walks inside, she's immediately hit with the scent of delicious food wafting from the kitchen. It makes her stomach growl instantly. She places a hand to it in slight embarrassment at how loud the sound had been.

"Hi! How can I help you?"

Lena turns to see the girl at the hostess station. Her curly blonde hair is pulled away from her pale face in a high ponytail with some strands messily framing her petite face. A beaming grin lights up her expression, one so infectious that Lena finds herself returning it immediately. The text on her nametag reads Salene.

"Hi," she replies. "Pickup for Lena?"

"Oh, right," the girl says, checking a paper. "I'll get that for you. Be right back."

Lena waits patiently, examining the decorations around the restaurant. It's like she'd stepped from Queens into Greece. Everything is clean and accented with flowers or various art. Some signs are hung on the walls, but they're all in Greek, so she can't understand what they say.

"You have the moussaka, chicken gyro, and tirokroketes, right?" the hostess, Salene, asks as she returns with a hefty bag in her hand. Lena nods. "Great choices."

Lena is on her way again in a matter of moments. Since it would take over an hour to ride the subway all the way to Central Park, she decides to hail a cab instead. Once inside and heading toward her destination, she encloses the plastic bag of takeout in an insulated pack that will keep their food warm during the twenty-minute ride. She's lucky. Due to the gloomy weather, not many people seem to be heading to the park, alleviating some of the usual heavy traffic near there.

Despite living in New York for her entire life, Lena has never actually been to Central Park before. She's instantly awed by how big it is. Emerald trees turn into blurs of color as they drive down the street toward the North side. Peter had told her it's usually less crowded there because there are fewer attractions— the perfect place for a picnic.

Once the taxi pulls to a stop along the sidewalk, Lena pays the fare and heaves the heavy bag of leftovers out with her, along with her backpack. Peter is standing near the somewhat packed entrance. She sees him before he notices her, allowing her to take in the sight of him without embarrassment. He's dressed in a dark blue shirt with a science pun on it: two yellow atoms with speech bubbles saying, "I've lost an electron!" "Are you positive?". It makes her smile at the lame joke. His sneaker-clad feet tap restlessly on the concrete, lips pulled into a thin line. He rakes a nervous hand through his curls.

"Hey!" she calls to him as she approaches, her gut swarming with butterflies. "I like your shirt."

As soon as Peter turns and sees her, his face lights up. His posture becomes more relaxed now that she's here. He adjusts his grip on the picnic basket he has in one hand, a rolled-up blanket tucked under his opposite arm.

"Hey," he replies. "Thanks. I like your shorts."

Lena beams at Peter and motions to the ginormous pack she's carrying. "Thank you. We should try to find a spot before my arm falls off. They gave us a ton of food in these boxes."

The entrance at East 102nd St. leads them to their planned picnic spot: the East Meadow. Peter had picked it out. It's obvious that he's been here before, but hasn't elaborated on when or told her a story about it like he usually will, so she hasn't pried. Maybe it's a sensitive subject.

If the North side is the less busy section of Central Park, then Lena can't imagine what the opposite side is like. Even with the weather, there are people everywhere. A few joggers or cyclists pass them every couple of seconds. There's a playground filled with laughing children whose parents watch from nearby benches. Most people might wrinkle their noses at the number of people, but seeing life still continuing after such hard times makes Lena's chest feel lighter.

Their hand-holding has become absentminded. Now that they've done it so often, Lena wonders how she could ever have gone without it. The action feels natural now. How had she used to walk beside him without this small act of intimacy? Even prior to their trip to Europe, they'd grab each other's hands briefly if they'd needed to lead each other somewhere, but this is different. There's no urgency, no reason for doing it other than because they want to.

The East Meadow is a glamorous name for a long stretch of field. There are a few groups of people with the same idea as them, their picnic blankets spread on the soft grass. A pair of kids kick a soccer ball around. Others are merely relaxing among the fresh air and nature surrounding them, soaking up the serenity the park has to offer even in the humid and cloudy weather.

"Is here good?" Peter questions, finally coming to a stop in a vacant space near a small cluster of trees at the perimeter. Lena nods. "Cool. I'll roll out the blanket and stuff."

He sets the picnic basket down and takes the blanket out from under his arm. A quick shake reveals the blue and white striped pattern of the fabric, which blows along with a gust of wind. Peter lies it down on the grass. Though he tries to get it flat, the breeze wrinkles it and causes a corner to flip up. He jumps over it to reach the opposite side and fixes it. Like the universe has some sort of personal vendetta against him, the other end becomes messed up.

"Oh, God," Peter mumbles, clearly annoyed that this didn't work as smoothly as he'd planned it. "Okay, blanket. Stay. No—!"

The wind flips up another corner. Lena laughs and places her own bag down to help him adjust the blanket, much to his dismay. He mutters a thank you, grabbing the basket and placing it on the fabric before it can become ruined again.

Once they're sitting on the blanket to make sure it stays down, Peter begins unpacking the picnic basket. It looks brand new and unused; Lena wouldn't be surprised if he'd bought it just for this occasion. The thought makes a bubble of joy blossom in her as she watches him set out some bottles of lemonade and water, napkins with multicolored polka dots on them, cutlery, a container of cupcakes, and an extra packet of Polaroid film. Lena's brows furrow at the last item.

"I figured you'd bring your camera and want to take a bunch of photos," Peter explains after noticing her expression. "Since I wanted to keep some, I bought you more film to compensate for the pictures I'd take."

Lena chuckles and takes her Polaroid camera out of the backpack she'd brought. The fact that he'd known she'd bring it is endearing. Since she doesn't know how to express her gratitude in words, she leans over and kisses him on the cheek. His skin grows warm with a blush beneath her lips.

After everything is unpacked, they dig into the copious amount of food they have. The Greek restaurant had given them enough to make two meals out of each entree, and with the appetizers and desserts, it would be absurd for them to finish it all. And God, does Lena want to. Everything is so delicious it makes her want to cry. They take turns trying each other's orders, and Lena tries to sneak a second bite of his chicken gyro while he's focused on people watching. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten about his weird sixth-sense and he playfully swats her fork away before ultimately letting her have some.

It ends up being a very good thing that Peter had brought the extra film. They take way too many pictures— some on their phones but also many Polaroids. A few of both of them, one of Peter sitting on the blanket, one of Lena with frosting from a cupcake on her nose, and more. Peter takes one of her merely smiling at the camera and pockets it immediately.

Once Lena is sure she'll explode if she eats another bite, they end up lying next to each other on the blanket and staring up at the tree branches extending above them. The leaves rustle loudly as they sway in the wind, but it's peaceful. Then something snakes in Lena's gut and settles there like a rock. She tries to ignore it, but as time goes on, the horrible feeling demands her attention, growing heavier in her stomach the longer it goes unmentioned.

"This is real, right?" she asks. It's the first sentence spoken between them in about ten minutes.

Peter pauses, almost like he's trying to tell if he'd heard her correctly. She hears him shift to turn his head and look at her. After a moment, his hand covers her own. "Yeah. Yeah, it's real. Have... have you been struggling with that, too?"

Struggling would be a kind way of putting it. It's more of a constant battle with her surroundings and state of mind. Every time she's happy — and even when she's not — that same rock-like sensation of doubt settles inside of her. She half-expects everything to turn into blue pixels right before her eyes. Even when she so much as hugs her parents, she's worried that she'll let go and they'll be gone.

Not to mention the nightmares. Her experience has made her have so much more empathy for Graham and his frequent bad dreams. She'd gotten them for a little while after their final fight with Vulture, dreaming about the ceiling caving in on her or the jet going down, and of course after Tony's death and her second time facing down Thanos, but now they're amplified. She wakes in a cold sweat after seeing Mysterio's version of Keanu and his burned flesh. The mangled bodies of the Avengers sometimes send her into fits of screams that her parents have to wake her up from.

"Reality checks," she confirms with a sigh. "My record is seventy-two times in a single day."

Peter nods. "I do those, too. May has helped a lot."

Normally, Lena would be up for talking about this more, but she doesn't want to make their date depressing by reminding them both of their trauma. Instead, she switches topics. "Speaking of Aunt May, what's up with her and Happy?"

"Oh." Peter chuckles halfheartedly, seemingly also glad for the change in subject. "Well, there's definitely something going on between them. They've been spending a lot more time together recently."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"Honestly... I'm not sure. It's weird imagining her with anyone that's not Uncle Ben."

Lena's heart squeezes at the mention of his late uncle. Peter hardly talks about him, but she's seen pictures of him around their apartment. She doesn't know the details of his death other than the fact he'd been killed in a robbery attempt shortly after Spider-Man's first debut. She remembers hearing about it on the news and had expressed her condolences to Peter at school the next day. It's clearly still a sensitive subject.

Lena sits up to take a sip of water. Peter copies her position and glances thoughtfully around the meadow before saying, "The last time I was here, I was with my parents."

Lena freezes, nearly choking on her water. In an attempt to be smooth, she subtly wipes a trickle of it from her chin and twists the cap back on, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"I barely remember it because I was little, but I know we were in this field and it was sunny that day. We had a picnic. My dad and I played catch." He pauses again, honey-brown eyes a little glazed over as he relives the fragments of memories. "I never came back again because I wanted to wait until I could bring someone special. And here we are."

He zones back into the present moment and catches her eye. Lena smiles so big that her cheeks ache. "I'm honored to be worthy of coming here."

"Of course," Peter replies in a voice so soft it makes her heartstrings tug. The wind rustles his curls a bit, one strand falling into his face. She reaches forward to put it back into place, only for him to grab her hand and use it to pull her toward him until their lips meet.

It's probably the least comfortable position ever — one of Lena's hands in Peter's and the other barely supporting her weight as she leans on it — but she could still stay there for hours if possible. Real. Part of her still can't believe this is actually happening, that they'd started this journey behind masks on the street and it had somehow led them here.

He suddenly pulls back with an exclamation of, "Crap!"

Lena nearly topples over from the sudden loss of leverage. She manages to catch herself and blinks hard, shaking her head in confusion. "That's not usually what a person wants to hear when you're kissing them."

"No, sorry, it's just" — Peter frantically digs around in the picnic basket — "I tried to decorate these cookies May baked so they would look like Spider-Man and Havoc logos, and I had some for Graham, too. They were really shitty-looking since my art skills suck, but I was still gonna bring them, and... crap." His shoulders deflate once he realizes they're not in the basket. "I forgot them."

"Peter, it's okay," she assures him. "You can just swing by my apartment and drop them off."

"No, I know." He squeezes his eyes shut and rubs them with the heels of his hands, dropping them back to his lap with a huff. "I kinda wanted this to be perfect. After Europe, I thought we could both use a few hours where everything goes right. And then the stupid blanket kept getting messed up, and I forgot the cookies—"

"Hey," Lena says firmly. "This is perfect to me. To be honest, I wouldn't mind even if this date turned out to be an absolute disaster because I like spending time with you that much."

Peter's expression is slightly disbelieving. "Really?"

"Really."

They sit and talk for a few more minutes until a little kid shrieks from somewhere else on the field, "It's raining!"

Lena turns around. Sure enough, she can see a light drizzle falling onto the few families still spread out on the grass. The tree protects them from most of the water except for the occasional drop. A stronger breeze blows through Lena's hair, forcing her to push it out of her face.

"You jinxed it, Lee," Peter tells her.

"Oops."

Luckily, all of their food is already put away. Lena puts her camera and pictures back into her backpack for safekeeping. Most of the other park visitors are scrambling to pack up before the weather gets worse, the trees rustling even more in time with the increasingly aggressive wind.

When it starts to pour, Peter curses and starts rapidly packing the last of their things as well. Lena merely chuckles and puts a hand on his arm to stop him.

"What?" he asks.

"We're already in it," she points out. "Come on, I've always wanted to stupidly dance in the rain."

Peter stares at her as if he can't believe his ears. Lena stares back for a moment before rolling her eyes and pushing herself to her feet. She walks out of the tree's cover and tenses when the cold water hits her, plastering her bangs to her face. It seems that all of Cindy and Betty's hard work on her hair and makeup will be ruined. Luckily, they hadn't applied much.

He's still standing in place, seemingly angry at the world for its weather patterns. Lena chooses not to share his grumpy mood and proves her earlier statement about remaining happy even through a disaster during their date. She becomes determined to make him crack.

She spins around on one foot, the wet grass making the movement easier, and then points at him dramatically. "I challenge you, Peter Parker, to a dance battle. Come on! Cabbage Patch."

Lena moves her arms in a circle and leans in time with them, then switches to a disco point. After a few moments of making an absolute fool of herself as everyone else rushes to leave, she glances back at Peter to see his angry expression reluctantly morphing into a smile as he watches her. She jumps around and swings her arms ridiculously in an effort to seal the deal.

And she succeeds. Peter eventually laughs, a grin lighting up his face as he walks out into the downpour to join her. Lena cheers.

"Yeah!" she exclaims in victory. "I'm warning you, Peter. I've got all the best moves. Sprinkler!"

He starts off with what looks like a horrible attempt at the twist. It sends Lena into a fit of laughter immediately, though she tries to be serious so she can concentrate on making exaggerated facial expressions. She grabs her leg and does the move where she brings it closer to her midsection, but the slippery ground almost sends her falling onto her face.

Peter manages to one-up her by performing a perfect handstand and then a backflip. He looks smug afterward, knowing that she can't possibly do those moves.

"Okay, that's cheating," she declares.

"It is not!" he argues, mouth dropping open in a mock gape of disbelief.

"It's not my fault I don't have super agility, you jerk!"

They end up abandoning the dance battle altogether and merely do a series of twirls and spins, teeth chattering from the cold rain. Both of them are so lost in the fun that they hardly notice the oncoming storm until a crackle of thunder makes them both freeze in place.

"We should probably go," Lena says.

Peter nods. "Yep."

They grab their belongings and bolt out of the park, shoes splashing through puddles on the wet sidewalks. Peter's hand stays gripped in Lena's as he leads her along to the stairs of the nearest subway station. The platform is packed, and so is the train they manage to squeeze themselves onto, but neither of them mind. Even though they get a few glares for being soaking wet and dripping water everywhere, both of them have nothing but smiles on their faces for nearly the entire hour it takes to get back to Queens.

Because they have each other. And that's what matters.

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a/n:

(long a/n, but please bear with me and read it!)

the sky: *releasing a downpour*
peter and lena:

lmao honestly, this was so funny and adorable to imagine because it's not your traditional slow dance in the rain, it's literally them doing the macarena and disco moves as every other rational person sprints past them to take cover from the oncoming storm. they're absolute DORKS and i love them💗😌

and YES, michelle jones is a lesbian icon in this series. peter parker is bisexual. none of the characters in the books are straight. no i will not be taking constructive criticism🏳️‍🌈

i can't believe this act is almost over!! only one more chapter to go!! i honestly have a LOT to wrap up so it may be a bit of an information dump, but i hope to make everything work. i do plan on writing for spider-man 3 as i've mentioned before, but it will take place IN THIS SAME BOOK! THERE WILL NOT BE ANOTHER SEPARATE BOOK!! like i did with havoc, i'll put up an act divider and write the new movie afterward.

that being said, would you be interested in me doing another addition to the social media au that i did in havoc? it would follow tom, zendaya, mira, max, and other cast members as they film far from home. please give an honest answer! if you do want it, i can try to come up with something, but i can't promise anything cuz i don't want it to be boring. just let me know so i can start brainstorming! (and if you do want it, lmk if you have anything specific you'd like to see in it, whether it be interactions with the rest of the mcu cast, mentions of certain scenes, etc)

i've had this chapter planned for a LONG time and i'm so happy i got to include it!! i figured parkos would be best suited for a chill first date since they're just little babies who love to spend time together.

also, a HUGE thank you to nocturnalamp for letting me cameo her OC, salene!!! go check out her book "monster" for more of the adorable greek girl and her ginormous family.

—kristyn