PETER STARTED DROPPING BY MORE OFTEN, WHETHER OR NOT HE WAS INJURED. DIANA FOUND THAT, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, SHE WAS APPLYING SUPERHERO BANDAIDS TO HIS SMALL PAPER CUTS. She didn't mind, but she drew the line at kissing them better, a request he seemed to have every single time he came over which was starting to become a nightly occurrence.

It was nearing the end of April, two weeks after Flash's birthday and their date, three weeks since Peter brought her up to the Empire State Building, and Diana was pretty happy. Of course there were days when her moods got really bad and during those times Peter would try to be there, but give her space. She would text Nicky during that time; their conversations helped.

"You good?" Peter asked, stepping into her room.

She nodded, humming. "The mood's kind of gone, so yeah. How was your sleepover with Ned yesterday?"

He smiled, sitting on the foot of her bed, pulling his legs up to his chest. "Good. We binge-watched Star Wars. As much as we could, at least."

She shook her head, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. "Did you get any sleep?"

He nodded, moving to sit next to her, resting his head on her shoulder. "Yeah. The prequels."

She snorted, running her hand through his hair. He smiled and leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. She gave him a quick once-over, glad to see that he didn't seem to have any severe wounds.

"You want a picture?" he murmured, his eyes still closed. She just kissed his cheek, ignoring him.

He smiled and tilted his head, a hand moving up to her face. She closed her eyes, trying not to get too caught up in him again. A few days before, Rosie had nearly caught them, Diana not hearing her footsteps on account of Peter hovering over her, his tongue inside her mouth.

"Is your aunt here tonight?" he asked, pulling away, his breathing labored. He had quickly gotten used to calling Rosie her aunt instead of her godmother.

"Yeah," she whispered, "I think she's on to us, she's been asking us about the sex-ed program at school."

He huffed out a laugh. "Yup, she's on to us."

She bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed. She had been wanting to ask him the question for a while, but didn't want it to come out wrong. The last time she had said something wrong, Peter had stormed out and avoided her for two weeks.

"What's up, doc?" he whispered, tilting his head. He was lying on his side, looking up at her as she was still propped up on her elbows.

She took a deep breath. "...d-do we wanna just keep this a nighttime thing? D-do you not want people to know we're..." she stopped, "Um...are-are we dating?"

He glanced up at the ceiling. "Yeah, I'd say so. Uh...do you think so?"

She shrugged and nodded. "I like to think an exclusive trip to the top of the Empire State Building counts as a date. But, um...does Ned know?"

He shook his head. "No. I wasn't sure if you wanted people to know or not. Flash?"

She glanced at the wall instinctively. "I'm not sure if he knows, but he doesn't really care. He just wants me to be happy. I haven't mentioned it to Gwen or Harry either, though I know they would be happy. Gwen might start planning our wedding, but..."

He laughed. "I would love to have her plan my wedding, though, she knows what she's doing."

She nodded. "She really does. So...what are we?"

He laced their fingers together. "Partners in crime fighting."

She scoffed and moved off her elbows, turning to mirror Peter's position, fixing their hands. "Dating? Together?"

He kissed her hand which was on his side, their fingers still intertwined. She kissed his hand as well, smiling.

He pulled away, nodding. "Romantic partners in crime fighting. I fight, you heal, we kiss."

She snickered. "The epitome of romance."

He sighed happily, closing his eyes. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

º º º º º

Diana woke to Peter freaking out.

"Why are you still here?" she hissed, jumping to her feet.

"Why am I still here?" he demanded, throwing up his hands. He looked back down at his phone, texting frantically. "May didn't check on me last night, but she freaked when she realized I wasn't home, what do I say?"

"You came over to study, you told her last night but you guessed she wasn't listening. You didn't want to wake her up, so you left." She tried to take his phone, but he held it out of her reach.

"She won't believe that!"

"Try it anyways!"

He groaned and texted frantically, growing more aggravated by the second. Diana looked over at her clock, surprised to find that Rosie hadn't woken up yet; it was past noon. She listened for the sound of anyone else moving, asking Peter to do the same, and they both came up empty.

"She bought it," he sighed after a few minutes, throwing himself onto her bed, "I'm so screwed when I get home."

She sat next to him and he settled his head in her lap, whining. She ran a hand through his hair, whispering softly. He just sighed, his foot tapping the bed frame, nervous.

"You won't have to go home until a ton later, so she'll be able to cool off by then," she said, trying to soothe him.

"I made her worry, I hate doing that," he said, his voice cracking, "I just wanted to spend time with you, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's not your fault, Peter, it's no one's fault," she whispered.

There was a loud knock at the door. Diana and Peter froze, Peter sitting bolt upright, nearly crashing his head into hers. They didn't move, barely breathing, waiting.

Diana shrieked when she heard a loud phone alarm. It was Flash's from the other room.

A moment later the two a stream of curses as Flash stumbled out of his room, calling for his mother as he rushed to the front door, yanking it open.

"Hey, Gwen."

Diana turned to look at Peter, the both of them wide eyed. Gwen was at the apartment as well.

Diana motioned for Peter to wait, moving towards the door. She pressed her ear against the wood, listening to Rosie rushing down the hall. Diana could almost see her wrapping her robe around herself, frazzled but smiling.

She opened the door and peered out, walking towards the dining table where Gwen was standing, charming Rosie with her sweet as spun sugar personality and disposition.

"Morning," she greeted, taking in Flash's disheveled state; he was clearly caught off guard.

"You slept in," Gwen stated, nudging the boy. He tapped her lightly, his cheeks red. Gwen turned to address Diana, only to have her attention be caught by someone behind her. "Peter. I didn't know you came over to study too."

Diana whirled around to find Peter poking his head out her door, his eyes wide. When he realized everyone was staring, he slowly started to retreat back inside, eyes unblinking.

"Parker, what are you doing in my sister's room?" Flash demanded, hands on his hips. He didn't look as frightening as he wanted, but his tone was enough to make Diana forget about mentioning how he called her his sister. Again.

"Peter came over early to study," Diana explained quickly, motioning for the boy to come out of her room, "You guys weren't awake yet, so...He hasn't been here long."

Flash made a noise of discontentment, but quickly silenced himself, avoiding looking at the other boy, instead choosing the scrutinize the ceiling.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't awake to get any food or drinks ready," Rosie said, flustered, "I had slept in which meant everyone else was. Is, I guess, considering Jesse is still asleep. I have this Sunday completely off, so I wanted to sleep in as much as possible."

"Don't apologize," Gwen said, placing a hand on the woman's arm, "Don't ever think you have to do anything for me, Ms. Thompson, it's not necessary. And trust me, my dad's the police captain, I've seen him sleep for two straight days once."

Rosie smiled. "I've met your father, Gwen, remember? He's a lovely man, he must be very proud of you, you're just as wonderful."

Gwen preened under the praise. "Thank you, I'll be sure to mention that to him." She spoke in a stage whisper, pretending to hide their conversation from Flash. "Could you convince your son of that, though, I don't think he really appreciates me."

Rosie laughed, shaking her head at her son. "Flash Thompson, I raised you better."

He scowled half-heartedly at the two women. "This was a terrible idea, now you both are gonna torture me. C'mon, Gwen, let's study. Mom, don't talk to her anymore, she'll destroy me."

"Does Flash have baby pictures?" Peter asked, speaking for the first time.

If looks could kill, Peter would be writhing in agony on the floor with multiple stab wounds filled with salt and alcohol.

Gwen gasped and nodded, but Rosie shook her head. "I'd love to, but I don't think Flash is awake enough to be tormented fully, I'll show them later, alright? Besides, you kids need to start your studying."

"Good plan," Flash said, practically dragging Gwen into his room. The girl waved goodbye to Rosie, casting a not-so subtle look towards Diana, silently screaming as she pointed to Peter who still had a pretty nasty case of bed head.

The two retreated into Diana's room and she mentioned it to him. "It looks like you took off your mask twenty times."

He smiled and stepped towards her. She backed up, stopping when her back hit the doorframe. He braced his hands against the door, leaving enough room between them, his head tilted forward.

She raised an eyebrow. "You gonna kiss me or what?"

He laughed softly. "We were having a moment."

She shook her head, stepping forward. "We can have a lot of those later." She closed the space between them, pressing her lips against his, circling her arms around his neck.

He pulled away, eyes twinkling. "What happened to studying?"

She shrugged. "With what books?"

No studying got done the entire time Peter and Diana were in that room. Though, judging by the sound of books hitting the floor, Flash and Gwen didn't make much progress in that department either.

º º º º º

How Peter and Gwen were wrangled into staying for dinner, Diana and Flash will never know. It was a tense dinner, that much was certain.

"So, Parker," Flash began, after multiple failed attempts of conversations being started by others at the table, setting down his utensils, "What are your intentions?"

Peter looked up from his food, looking like a deer in the headlights, complete with the big doe eyes. "What?"

Flash inclined his head. "You heard me. What are your intentions?"

Peter set down his utensils, purposefully looking over at Gwen, then back at Flash. "What are yours?"

Diana stiffened and glanced at the other women at the table, then between the two boys. This wasn't the best.

Flash just stared at Peter, unblinking. Peter stared back, albeit more uncomfortable. But the boy had his moments and stood his ground.

Rosie cleared her throat. "Can we just clear this up now, Peter, Gwen, are you dating my kids?"

Peter and Gwen glanced at each other, then at Diana and Flash respectively. Diana shared a look with Flash.

"Yes."

Rosie smiled. "Welcome to the family."

A weight had been lifted and Diana was actually able to give her surrogate brother a small smile, glancing over at Peter who had leaned back in his seat, sighing with relief.

"I want an answer, Parker," Flash said after a few minutes.

"Flash..." Diana sighed. She knew that Flash had only been civil to Peter for her sake, maybe he was finally dropping the charade.

"I just wanna know that you two are in a healthy relationship," Flash argued, "That means knowing if you both equally care for each other and whatever."

"Aw, Flash..." Gwen cooed, "That's so sweet."

Jesse scoffed. "He's just like that 'cause you're here."

Gwen smiled, not missing a beat. "I'm glad I bring out the best in him."

Diana smiled as she continued to eat, glancing over at Peter, surprised to find he was already looking at her.

"What?" she whispered, the others still talking.

He shook his head, going back to his food. "Nothing, you're just...really great, doc."

She nudged his foot under the table. "You too, Bugs."

º º º º º

Flash accompanied Gwen home, so it only made sense that Diana do the same with Peter.

"You don't have to," Peter repeated as the train hummed along.

"You came with me to Brooklyn, it's only fair," she argued, "Besides, I wanted to."

He smiled and ducked his head, adjusting his earbuds. Unlike their trip to Brooklyn, the two were sharing his earbuds, listening to one of Ned's playlists.

"This is one of the first nights I've had off. Besides the Empire State Building," Peter mused as they stepped off the train and into the station.

"You okay with that?" she asked as they climbed the stairs.

He intertwined their hands, leading her towards the sidewalk. "Yeah. This was nice."

They walked in silence, hands intertwined, listening to music. Diana hadn't been in this sort of peace in a long time.

They neared Peter's building, climbing up the stairs. They slowed as they walked down the hall, nearing his door.

They stopped in front, Peter reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys, unlocking the door and pushing it open.

The two stopped when they found his Aunt May sitting at their small dinner table,waiting expectantly.

"Peter..." she began, her eyes worried, but displeased behind her glasses.

Peter pointed at Diana. "Hi, May, this is my girlfriend."

Diana didn't know so whether she wanted to smack herself or Peter.

Aunt May blinked. "Um...okay. Hi, I'm Peter's aunt, you are?"

"Diana Smith," she replied. She noticed the way the woman's expression changed, switching from recognition to poorly hidden sympathy.

"How long have you been dating?" Aunt May asked, glancing at her nephew who fidgeted.

"Well, if we count the full time...about three weeks. If we're counting how long we've said it...less than a day." Diana smiled up at Peter who looked ready to melt into the floor.

"Three weeks?" Aunt May cried, "And you didn't tell me?"

"I wasn't sure, I haven't even told Ned!" Peter said, his free hand gripping his hair.

"Oh," May said, looking over at Diana, exasperated, "So you haven't told Ned, that makes perfect sense, of course you wouldn't tell me if you hadn't told him yet!"

Diana laughed as Peter floundered for an excuse, his aunt shaking her head and giving him a hard time. She could tell theirs was a close relationship; it was heart warming.

"Well, Diana, thank you for taking care of him and making sure he got home safe," Aunt May said, "Are you sure you want to go home by yourself, it's late."

"That's what I said," Peter sighed, looking out the window at the dark sky.

Diana shrugged. "I'll be fine. The Spider-Man was seen around Queens, I'm sure he'll keep an eye out."

Peter glanced at her and nodded, already inching his way to his room. He yawned loudly.

"I'll let you sleep. Good night," Diana said, already halfway out the door.

"Bye," Peter called out, "May, I'm gonna sleep now, okay, talk tomorrow?"

Aunt May sighed, but waved him off. "Sure. We have a lot to talk about tomorrow, mister. It was nice meeting you, Diana."

"You too, Ms. Parker," Diana called, closing the door behind her.

She made her way out to the sidewalk, looking up at the windows. A few minutes later, she noticed one open, a familiar figure in sweatpants and a lens mask appear.

She smiled as he dropped down to the ground next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Need help, ma'am?"

She smiled and nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Just get me home, nerd."

"We were having a moment."

"Let's just go."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

( 06.29.17 )

I wanted this chapter to be better than it was, but...I mean...eh?

EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: Peter and Diana are moving pretty fast, but it will be acknowledged in Part 2 because it's not necessarily a good thing? Just a heads up, especially due to the next two chapters.

So! I've decided to just follow the May release date route since it was released around the first movie release date. Sorry, I've become all inconsistent on the date, but it's not that major in the long run.

Copyright Emma for the phrase "sweet as spun sugar"

Also, I read that Ned makes killer playlists (it was in an article) so i have a theory that all the music Pete listens to is from Ned.