A/N: You can imagine whichever one you like. I'm more partial to the PS4 version of him or even the video game version in general or the Raimi/Tobey Maguire version but you can do whichever one you like. Also anything italicized is the reader's thoughts. It should mostly fit for all of them. I also don't own Spider-Man so please don't sue.

The whistling of the tea kettle breaks me out of my thoughts and urges to me get up from the now hard as a rock couch cushion.

"You know I'm right," Mary Jane Watson calls from the couch which seems entirely comfortable for her. I envy her ability to be so carefree sometimes.

"I know but..." I start to say, "I just don't want to tell him, you know? What if that makes things weird?"

"Well, if you want to find out, you're just gonna have to say something to him and see what happens. You know he's probably not going to tell you any other way and I also know from experience," she points out. I reach up on my tip toes to grab a couple of mugs out of the cabinet about my oven vent.

"Yeah but..." I start and then grunt in frustration as the mug I want is a higher reach than I thought. My heels land back on the tile with a solid thud and I huff out a breath in indignation.

"But what?" MJ asks, "Seriously, it's not wrong to want something with someone you're so close to. I wanted it too before I started dating him." I sigh and set the mugs down on the table a bit harder than I meant to. Staring at the patterns on the tile as if they're the most interesting thing, MJ interrupts my staring,

"Staring at the floor doesn't really keep the tea warm." I break out of my trance and steal two tea bags out of the tea container that I have on my counter. I grab the tea kettle and pour hot water into each mug, watching as the tea dissolves into the water causing the water to become a hot swirl of beautiful colors. Beautiful messy colors that dissolve what I sometimes think is my normally sensible brain. I carefully carry the two very full mugs over to the small coffee table I have and set them down. MJ gently picks up the one closer to her.

"You're the only person I know who LOVES to drink tea in the summertime," I comment as I stir my tea around with a spoon, "Not that I'm complaining. I've wanted an excuse to try some of these." MJ chuckles lightly.

"I feel like tea makes any conversation go a bit easier," MJ says, "No one can get too upset when you have a cup of tea in the room."

"That's very true," I say, "I'm gonna try not to walk away from this upset though. It's not worth it." She smiles at me and nods.

"Yeah, it's really not. If Peter's not for you, there will be other guys or maybe you'll get to go have all of these great adventures as a rock star of a single lady," MJ says and I shake my head as I laugh lightly, "Come on, if anyone could do it, it would be you. Though I will say, that there's validity in staying single and being married. They both have their perks."

"Yeah, they do," I say, "Who knows? I just know that it's hard feeling like I want something when I know I probably don't and that it's probably best not to push anything."

"Well," MJ says, "I already told you that I think it's normal to have feelings for someone who you're that close to but, I think it's easy to feel like it's wrong and there isn't anything wrong with having those feelings as long as you're not....pushing the friendship into something you don't think it should be."

"Yeah, that's what I'm trying not to do," I say, "I'm just trying to go with the flow and see what happens. I imagine we'll just stay really good friends and that's okay."

"You never know," MJ says before looking at her watch, "Shoot."

"What's wrong?" I ask and she sighs before sipping her tea again.

"I forgot I have a meeting soon," she says with an exasperated tone of voice before sipping her tea again, "Thankfully, it's not that far."

"Is this a 'meeting'?" I ask wiggling my fingers on my right hand in scare quotes, "Or is it an actual meeting?" She laughs at me and sets down her mug on the table.

"Fine! You caught me. It's a 'meeting' with Harry. We are actually meeting to discuss something that Oscorp is working on though," she says, "So I guess it's both?"

"Can it actually be both?" I ask and she just laughs at me before taking another sip of tea.

"Regardless, I don't think Harry's gonna care if I'm a minute or two late," she answers before drinking her tea. A pop artist that MJ probably turned on is playing in the background as we quietly sit and drink our tea.

"Are you sure? He's a busy guy and I don't think he's gonna wanna wait to see his...." she nudges me, making me nearly spill tea on my jean shorts, "Hey!"

"We're just friends," she admonishes me before going back to finishing off her tea, "Besides, we really are just meeting to talk business today."

"If you say so," I say, "But you sure you don't feel like me? Wanting more than you have?" She shrugs her shoulder and stirs her tea aimlessly in thought.

"Sometimes yeah, I do," she says, "But I get the struggle of it. Something about the idea feels right and terrifying all at the same time." I nod my head in agreement and chuckle almost sardonically,

"That's how I feel with Peter and I. It doesn't feel like it should be any different but it also seems so scary and not possible."

"Neither of us knows the future," MJ says, "So who can really say?"

I nod my head and we are once again left in the silence with the steady bass of a pop song thumping away in the background. I curl my legs up underneath me on the couch and gaze out at the maze of tall buildings spilling forward from my window. MJ gets a message on her phone and picks up her phone to read it.

"Ha. He's asking for me. I better run," she says before finishing off her tea, "Thank you for the tea and letting me come crash today. We should do this again. Let me know if anything happens with Peter." I sigh and get up to give her a hug.

"I will but I wouldn't expect anything," I say with a small laugh as we hug, "Have fun with Harry."

"I'll try," she says as she leaves, "See you later."

The door closes behind her with a resounding thud and I flop down fully onto the couch, nearly banging my head on the arm rest. I sigh and stretch my arms out, thinking about what I should do for dinner tonight. I reach for my phone, thinking of texting Peter but I mentally slap myself.

I can't. I shouldn't. I need space to just be me for awhile. I lay back down and stare up at the ceiling again, thinking about doing a little bit of work. I get up and plod over to the sink with the two mugs in hand to wash them. I turn on cold water and it washes over my hands, making me feel refreshed and more alive. I let out a sigh, washing all of the confusing emotions away with the water on my hands.

MJ might be right about maybe needing to tell him eventually but the thought just sounds daunting to me. It just seems so scary to take that chance. I could lose one of the people I care about the most if I tell him this.

After finishing washing the dishes and working on writing something for a blog post that a business is commissioning me to write, I wander over to a pizza website and order some food online. It flashes a red and white banner indicating that the pizza will be ready in about fifteen minutes. I quickly shove my chair in at my desk and grab my purse before hurrying out the door, nearly tripping over a pair of discarded sneakers in the process. I sigh and shut the door behind me as I wander down the stairs and out to the street. The harsh scent of the city practically assaults me and deep down, I know that I will never get used to it. The loud noises also greet me as a police siren loudly wails, its cries echoing off a nearby building. I start walking, trying to brush everything off and just enjoy being outside.

Even though outside isn't really peace and quiet at all.

I tug on my T-shirt as I cross a busy street, trying to focus on my feet in front of me instead of my fellow pedestrians swirling around me. My ponytail at the nape of my neck swings lazily with every step that I take. I walk over a couple blocks before turning down another street and then another. Finally, I stand in front of the bright red and white signage standing out among the other flashy signs on the street. I walk in and quickly sneak past a couple discussing their pizza options in depth to get my own food. One of the workers notices me approaching and I tell him my name. He hands me my pizza but as he does, he stops suddenly.

"Drop the pizzas...all of em and give me all your money," a voice says and I see a guy wearing a ski mask pointing a gun at all of us. The guy holding my pizza promptly drops it on the counter.

Seriously?

A ski mask?

"You know if you're trying to be Spider-Man, this really isn't it. He doesn't ask people to give him all their money," One of the workers says and I feel my shoulders tense at the confrontation.

"Very funny. Spider-Man's whole schtick is kind of stupid, don't you think?" he asks and I try not to make eye contact, hoping that the web shooting hero sweeps in here and does something. Anything.

Maybe that's wishful thinking. Maybe he doesn't appear at random pizza places that are getting robbed.

"This could just be me but, I think it's weird that people think robbery is a good pizza topping," a new voice interrupts my thoughts. I...somehow recognize that voice but it's different somehow and I can't quite place where I've heard it before.

Everyone, including the robber, in the store whips around to see Spider-Man standing there with his index finger and thumb of his right hand gently stroking his chin. The robber starts to move away from him and Spider-Man only steps forward,

"You don't wanna mess with me, ya webhead. Robbery's my favorite pizza topping and I'll die defending it."

"Ooo. Hate to break it to you, but I think you're alone in that opinion," Spider-Man responds as he continues forward. The robber is backing up right towards me and I start to move out of his way when he grabs me roughly by the arm,

"Hey! I thought all of ya not to move!" he shouts and I wince as he yanks me in front of him, pulling out a gun and holding it to my temple, "And throw hostage on my pizza while we're at it!"

"I...was just....moving out of the...." I start to say, my voice quiet from fear that I'm gonna upset him or be shot. I grab onto his arm because I'm unsure what else to do with my hands and maybe if I tug just a little bit....

He simply presses the end of the gun harder into my temple.

Great. It's gonna take Spider-Man to get me out of this one.

Conveniently, he's here.

"Speak up!" the robber shouts, "I can't hear you!"

"I was just moving out of the way!" I exclaim, trying to fight back tears, "I wasn't trying to upset you."

"Well, Webhead over has already done a good job of that and you just pushed it over the edge," the robber says, pulling me backwards out the door.

"Hey, I made you mad first," Spider-Man says, "Wouldn't you rather take it out on me than her?" He starts walking towards us and the robber shouts,

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"

"Just put down the gun," Spider-Man says, "We can just be done with the thing if you just set down the gun. I don't want to have to hurt you..." He keeps walking but the robber just growls back,

"I told you not to come any closer." I feel tears begin to roll down my cheek as I hear him click off the safety. The salt of my tears stings my eyes and I long to break free and run away, just get away from here.

The pressure of the gun against my temple is suddenly relieved as a spider web yanks it away. It clatters on to the floor a ways away. Spider-Man throws it up on a cabinet not far away.

"Let her go," Spider-Man demands in a calm yet almost dark sounding tone. The robber merely wraps his arms tightly around my neck instead. I gasp for air and let go of his one arm to reach for Spider-Man with one hand. The other hand desperately tugs at his other arm. I try to pull and wiggle free but I can't. A set of webs suddenly attach themselves to my waist and pull me free, spinning me right into Spider-Man's chest. His arms wrap around me and I feel him hold me tight for just a moment. I look up to get any sort of clue as to who the man behind the mask could be. The robber yells in frustration at us. Spider-Man, due to his spider sense, quickly lets go of me and whispers in my ear, "Get behind me." I do and gasp as he punches the robber hard in the face to disorient him and says, "Told you I didn't want to have to hurt you."

The robber just goes to punch him back but Spider-Man catches his wrist and I find that incredibly attractive, "Maybe I don't care," he snarls back at Spider-Man, giving him a kick that Spider-Man barely manages to sidestep, "Let go of my wrist!"

"Maybe once you've learned to not cause so much trouble," Spider-Man replies as he flings him down onto the ground, "And once you've learned not to hurt innocent people." He webs them all to the ground

Suddenly, one of the people in line grabs me and three others pull guns on Spider-Man.

"We don't like spiders who hurt our own and we don't like little girls who put up fights," the one holding me says to Spider-Man and then to me. I shiver in fear and try to lean away from him as he says this.

The robber on the ground cackles, "It's over, Spider-Man."

"Let her go," Spider-Man says, "Let her go and leave."

"What're you gonna do?" he asks as he pulls out a gun again and I try to wiggle away from it. Spider-Man, quicker to react punches him hard in the face. His head snaps back and his gun goes off pointed at the ceiling. Spider-Man quickly uses one of his webs to snatch their guns away from them and then shooting another web, quickly brings one of them closer to him, punching him a few times and then sending him flying into a wall of the pizza place. He webs him to the wall for good measure and the other two start to back away. 

"I said that I didn't want to hurt your friend and I don't want to hurt any of you either but you're not doing that," Spider-Man says, "And you're just hurting people so, you can either give me my friend that you're holding onto and leave or we can do this the hard way."

"We want our money...." the robber holding onto me growls again and Spider-Man cracks his knuckles. One of the guys comes at him and Spider-Man responds to him with a punch to the jaw. The other guy, a much more competent fighter than the first two, starts throwing punches and kicks that Spider-Man blocks. Spider-Man slams the robber hard up against the counter causing him to groan in pain. He grabs him off of there and throws him to the ground before grabbing the last guy with his web, punching him two or three times and then sending him to the ground. I watch wide eyed and then let out a small gasp as I feel the end of the gun being pressed into my temple yet again.

Spider-Man webs the two of them to the floor before stepping over them and walking to us.

"I'd like my friend if it's not too much trouble," Spider-Man says, extending a hand in the robber and I's direction.

"Come and get her then," the robber holding me says, pulling me further away from Spider-Man. He turns toward a side and Spider-Man shoots a web wrapping it around his arm holding the gun. He yanks it and the gun goes clattering to the floor. The robber howls in pain and drops me. I fall to the floor and Spider-Man takes that opportunity to yank the robber close to him. He punches him across the face several times and kicks his feet out from under him. The robber still gets back up and growls at him, "I'll kill her and take the money out of all the trouble you caused." Spider-Man punches him hard, knocking his head back against the wall before grabbing him and lifting him by his shoulders. He tosses him to the ground and webs him there before walking over to the rest of us customers now huddled in a corner.

"We'll get you, Spider-Man! You and your pretty little friend!"

"Is everyone okay? Nobody else is on this?" he asks the group of customers and the workers. One really terrified looking lady raises her hand but also holds up her phone. 

"I got scared and called the police and told them everything," she says, "You can web me somewhere if you like." She's nearly in tears and Spider-Man places a gentle hand on her shoulder which she flinches at his touch, 

"I won't hurt you. You're being honest with me which I appreciate. If you have a weapon, just give it to me and I'll probably web your hands to the counter." She gives him her weapon and he webs her hands to the counter. "Is everyone else okay?" he asks and the other customers and the workers nod their heads. He then walks over to me and starts squatting down to talk to me specifically. I look up to into the eyes of his mask, feeling numb and terrified. I can't move and I just need a minute to process. "Are you okay?" he asks me, letting one of his gloved hands lazily graze his left knee.

"Yeah...yeah. I think so," I say and look around nervously at the robbers on the floor. Spider-Man offers me his hands and I take them as he slowly but gently helps me to my fight, putting a gentle yet strong arm around my waist to help keep me upright.

"Did you have food you still needed to get?" he asks, noticing me glancing toward the door, "Or do you want to go outside?" His palm lies flat on the small of my back as I think, looking back toward the counter and to the door.

"I umm..." I say struggling to think as the police sirens wail nearby.

"Let's go outside," Spider-Man says, gently keeping a hand on my back, waving at everyone inside the pizza place as we leave, "Do you have a roommate or live with your family still?"

"I live alone," I answer sadly. Spider-Man keeps a close eye on me as we walk down the sidewalk. I've never seen Spider-Man walk down the sidewalk with anyone before. He's usually swinging somewhere.

Easy. He's just trying to help you and you're scared so he thinks swinging would probably just scare you more.

"You have any friends who you could hang out with for awhile until you feel a little better?" he asks, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to be alone after all this. You seem pretty shaken up."

"How do you know?" I ask softly as we continue walking down the street. Some people go to pass us on the narrow street and Spider-Man pulls me into his side which makes my pulse quicken.

Not at all like it did earlier out of fear. This is a different kind of adrenaline.

I am NOT going to be one of those girls who gets a crush on Spider-Man because he rescued me. He just...is reminding me so much of Peter right now. Though he WAS holding me for a bit longer than necessary at the pizza place.

"I just...have a feeling. Spider sense helps with more than just danger," he quips and I chuckle a little bit.

"It does?" I ask, "That's not what I've heard but I guess you'd know the best."

"So, you have a friend who you can sit with for awhile?" he asks me and I nod my head.

"Yeah, my friend Peter Parker. He doesn't live too far from here," I reply and Spider-Man straightens up a bit, "What? You know Peter Parker?"

"Yeah, he uh takes pictures of me doing my thing," Spider-Man answers, "Peter hasn't told you." My eyes widen as I remember and I nod my head,

"No no, he has. I just forgot. I'm sorry," I say, "I take it you also know where Peter lives?"

"Yeah," he says, "Told the guy I'd help him out if he ever got into trouble for taking my picture."

"That's very noble of you," I comment as we start walking in what I know to be the direction to Peter's studio apartment.

"You uhh...want to swing there? I didn't want to freak you out anymore if you were still scared from..." he asks and I chuckle at his concern.

"I think I'll be okay to swing for a couple blocks," I say and Spider-Man pulls me hard into his side.

"I'll be really careful. I promise," he says as he shoots a web and gently yanks us up off the ground, "Just hang on somewhere." I gasp as he attaches us to another building and slowly begins swinging there. I grab onto him tightly and gasp as we start swinging across.

"This is...." I start to say as he shoots another web and slowly swings us across the street. I can't finish what I'm saying as I hang on tightly to him and we swing over the doll like cars driving below us. I watch my feet swing and gasp, clinging to him even tighter. Looking up, I see the skyscrapers stretching up into the clouds and marvel at it, the feeling of being free.

I understand why Spider-Man likes this even though it seems scary to me right now. Maybe Peter can reach out to Spider-Man someday and we could swing again. It feels so nice to be free and away from everything else. This is a playground full of adventure and freedom all by itself. You can fully escape the confines of people and the busyness of the world by being up here.

I soon recognize Peter's building after about fifteen to twentyish minutes of swinging which is interesting because it barely takes me ten to walk there from my house and I was closer to it. Spider-Man gently drops us off in Peter's surprisingly open window.

"Peter?" I call out, wondering where he is and looking for any clues as to where he might be.

"He's not here?" Spider-Man asks, "Maybe he's in the bathroom."

"Yeah, maybe he is," I say, sitting down in his desk chair before turning around to face Spider-Man. He's over by the fridge Peter has and is rifling through it. "What are you doing?" I ask and he stands up quickly,

"Huh?" I gesture to the fridge,

"What are you doing in Peter's fridge?" Spider-Man stands up, leaving the door open.

"Oh! Right...uh.... Peter told me I could eat something if I ever stopped by and was hungry," he explains, putting a hand on top of his head, "But uh.... you hungry too?"

"No no no," I say, "Well yes. But maybe Peter and I can go get food later."

"I'm sure you can," Spider-Man responds, closing the fridge. He walks to the window with the small balcony and peers out, "The sunset looks pretty. You wanna go on the roof and take a look at it while we wait for Peter?"

"Sure. Why not?" I answer. He quickly scoops me into his side and starts single handedly climbing up against the side of the building,

"I won't drop you. Promise." I cling to him tightly just in case as we climb past a window. I hear a little kid shout,

"Look! It's Spider-Man!" I hear Spider-Man chuckle as we reach the top. He gracefully jumps over the side of the building to the roof. Both sets of our feet hit the ground and both his arms gently are wrapped around my waist to help steady me before he moves one hand to my shoulder. 

"You're okay, right?" Spider-Man asks me and I nod my head. 

"Yeah of course. You're okay, right?" I ask and he nods. 

"Yeah. I just wanted to make sure because I get the feeling that Peter's gonna be out for awhile," he explains. 

"You do? He wasn't at the pizza place taking pictures of you," I say, "Which is interesting because I thought...he might be."

"Yeah, I do," Spider-Man says, "Beats me as to why he wasn't at the pizza place though."

"Oh well. So, any thoughts or feelings on where he could be?" I ask, "Is your spider sense giving you any special insight?"

"No, not this time," he says sadly with a small sigh, "We could watch the sunset until he gets back."

I feel my heart skip a beat which I know is probably the most cliche romantic feeling but it's one of those things you have to experience to know it's real. 

"Sure," I say, my voice cracking a bit. Spider-Man and I walk across the roof top where we can get a better view. We sit close together and I smile at the gorgeous colors streaking across the sky. "Wow," I breathe as I take in the beautiful mix of blue, orange, amber, purple, and yellow mixing together. I turn to see Spider-Man looking right at me. "What?" I ask, feeling some tension in between the two of us.

"There's something I need to uh...come clean on," Spider-Man says, "I don't just have a feeling that Peter's gonna be out for awhile. I know he's gonna be out for awhile."

"Okay. That's not a huge deal. I'm sure you guys talk a lot so it makes sense...." I start to reassure him.

"No!" Spider-Man cuts me off and I feel myself and him growing more concerned, "Wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean.... Have been talking is uh....one way to look at it. Having the same brain....is probably more uhhh...."

"WHAT?" I ask in shock, "Having the same...."

"I'm just gonna uh...show you what I mean," he says, reaching for his mask.

"I don't know that I wanna see...."

The mask comes off before I can say another word.

And I'm looking into the face of none other than my best friend.

"Oh. That kind of same brain," I say breathlessly. Peter's blue eyes pierce my own gaze as he sets the mask aside.

"Yeah...and my spider sense doesn't tell me where I am obviously. I just uhh.... wasn't ready to tell you yet," he says, "Can I....give you a hug now that you know who I am and I know you're okay?"

"Of course," I say and Peter's arms around me in an instant, pulling me into his side and my head comes to rest on his chest, "I remember thinking that Spider-Man is usually more lighthearted than he was today." Peter chuckles and rubs slow circles on my back,

"Well....when people I care about get involved.... I start to make their safety a priority."

"I appreciate that. Today was scary," I comment and I feel Peter sigh against me.

"It was. I'm glad you're safe though. That's all that matters to me," he says. Taking the glove off of his hand with his teeth, he uses his hand that isn't holding me to slowly tuck a loose strand of hair that slipped out from my ponytail behind my ear. He goes to pull his hand away but I notice something on his wrist.

"What's on your wrist?" I ask, "The little hole and splotchy thing." Peter chuckles and lifts his wrist back up so I can see.

"This is where my webs come from," he says, "They're umm....natural."

"Oh..." I say, thinking about how that was kind of attractive, "I see." I desperately try to hide the small blush forming on my cheeks by gazing out at the pretty sunset. It bathes the surrounding buildings in beautiful colors. I realize that we're still basically cuddling or "hugging" as Peter calls it.

We both just bask in the warmth of the setting sun, enjoying it as the colors mix more and more as the sun sinks further into the horizon. The clouds above become more vibrant colors of orange, purple, and blue as the sky surrounding the sun turns to a deep amber. It feels soothing just like the end of my day. Much like the many different colors in the sky, it's been full of many different emotions but it's ended well.

"I'm glad you're here," Peter breaks the silence, "I umm...was hoping you'd be here."

"You were," I say as I look up at Peter, "Well, you don't have to come save me if a robbery if you want to save me. You can just text."

"I know," Peter says but I can hear a twinge of nervousness in his voice, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing nothing....I'm just really glad you're okay," he says, "That's all."

"Okay," I say deciding not to press the issue. It has been a long day but I have a feeling he's not being honest.

In the same sense, he won't be able to handle it if he's not being honest.

"Actually...." he starts to say and I sit up, "Wait no....you don't need to...."

"What's wrong?" I ask and he locks his gaze with mind. I look into his eyes and all I see is fear but when I look deep into his gaze, it's nothing but loving. The kind loving gaze that he always has for me.

"I normally don't....walk with people for awhile afterwards and I know it probably looked suspicious to the other customers and the workers that I was paying so much attention to you..." he starts and I interrupt,

"It doesn't. I was the hostage victim."

"Oh! Right!" Peter says, blinking and looking away back to the sunset.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask him and he looks at me right in the eyes. I realize that I'm beginning to want things with him that I shouldn't. He was just saving me today and being kind nothing more.

"There were so many times today where I just wanted to hold you and tell you everything was gonna be okay," he states almost plainly, "And I couldn't. But now....." He looks away at the sunset and then looks at me. "You know everything. I just...don't know if I should...."

"Why?" I ask, "We're friends...except with you holding me. That um...."

"Do you....um....?" Peter starts to ask. His hand very shakily reaches for my own.

"Do you....feel that way?" I ask, "Because I've been struggling with feelings for you for a long time but I didn't want to make things weird because I knew for certain we were friends."

"We are friends," Peter confirms and I slowly pull my hand away from his, "No no. That's not.... Yes, we are friends but I uh....I wanted to see you tonight because I maybe...want to be more than friends."

"I also maybe want to be more than friends but what...does that even look like?" I ask and Peter takes my hand with his gloved one and slowly pulls me back into his side.

"Maybe...we find out as we go," he says, gently letting his hand come to rest on my back, resuming the small circles.

"Maybe," I say as I gaze out at the sunset, "Things make a little more sense now."

"What things?" Peter asks and I chuckle,

"Just today. You took the long way here when we were swinging, you weren't as playful in your fights, you held me for longer than most would consider a normal length to check on someone. You were also very tender and you went through the fridge."

"That's what I NORMALLY do when I get back from fighting!" Peter exclaims, "And it felt natural because you were there and you normally are."

"Hey, it's funny now. I just was so confused because I didn't know you and Spider-Man were...."

"I know I know," Peter says, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"It's okay. I'm not mad at all. Although, it does explain why you sometimes don't come when you say you will or you don't hang out all the time," I say, "But now I know why."

"Yeah, you do and I'm sorry about that too. You'll uh...keep this a secret though, right?" he asks me and I nod my head.

"Of course!" I confirm, "I assume MJ knows."

"And Harry," Peter adds, "But not Aunt May. She'd worry too much." I laugh as I rest my head against his chest once again.

"Watch, she probably already knows," I say and I feel Peter's chest bounce with his laughter.

"Yeah, she probably does," he says, looking down at me and then looking back at the sunset, "But you can't tell her. Don't let her get you to tell her either. You know how she is."

"I won't let her..." I say, "Though she's tricky."

"She is," Peter says, "She is but I think you can catch her before she gets you to say anything. You're smart."

"Says you," I answer back playfully, "Mister....Science Guy."

"I prefer the name Spider-Man..." he says, his face leaning slightly closer to mine.

"What are you doing?" I ask him. The ends of our noses bump ever so slightly which causes both of us to jump back a bit at the contact.

"I don't know..." he says, "Do you want me to stop?" I feel myself nearly choking on my own saliva.

"Um....is it bad if I say no?" I ask. I notice his gaze flick from my lips back to his gaze.

"Not at all," Peter says, "I do wanna ask something though. A favor."

"You saved my life today. There's not a lot I wouldn't do for you," I reply as the sun is slowly dipping over the horizon.

"Well this is kind of....special," Peter says, "And I uh...didn't want you to freak out if I just did this suddenly and I also didn't want to do it if you're not ready...." I feel myself stiffen and Peter starts again, "No no...it's not...."

"What?" I ask, confused and Peter blurts out,

"I wanna kiss you."

A moment of silence passes between us before I nod my head.

He gently places his lips against my own and it's so soft and tender. His free hand comes to cup my cheek as he gently kisses me. I kiss him back just as gently and shyly. We break apart and then kiss again as the sun dips low underneath the horizon, bathing us, the skyscrapers, and the rooftops in beautiful colors. He kisses me very slowly and tenderly just like we're choosing to explore this next stage of life, very slowly and carefully, figuring out exactly how we want it to go. We break apart for air again and we lovingly kiss again, deepening the kiss a bit more this time. My eyes flutter shut as he literally steals my breath away. I kiss him back, trying to show him that I am as passionate for this next stage of our friendship as he is. We finally pull away but our foreheads gently bump together.

"I've been wanting to do that all day," he whispers on my lips. I gently close the gap between us in a small quick kiss.

"I never thought I would get a kiss from Peter Parker or Spider-Man," I mention and Peter chuckles,

"Well, guess you caught two flies with one web."

"That was a terrible joke," I remark, "But I do think it was a little funny."

"Just a little?" Peter asks, "Maybe you're just hungry. I DID say I would get dinner with you."

"That was before I knew you were you," I answer playfully, "And I will still get dinner with you but I'm not going by myself. That was scarier earlier. Besides...I would appreciate the company." I feel a blush spread to my cheeks and Peter smalls at me return. It's very shy and I nervously start fidgeting with my hair and clothes. Peter grabs my hand with his own, which is also shaking.

Nervously, he leans forward and presses a soft kiss to the top of my forehead.

"Hey..." he says softly in an attempt to soothe me. I look at him and can see the love in his eyes but also that he's scared.

"Peter..." I say, "We have this great friendship backing us up. We shouldn't be scared and yet..." I trail off and he just kisses me gently again. I lean into the kiss, returning it.

"It's okay..." Peter reassures me before kissing me gently, "It is scary. We'll just....be scared together."

"Okay," I answer in between kisses, "Chinese takeout for dinner then? Pizza doesn't sound good after earlier." Peter's brow furrows in thought and then he nods,

"Chinese takeout it is."

The sun disappears fully behind the horizon this time as we kiss, holding tightly to each other as we do. My arms wrap around his shoulders, feeling the smooth spandex underneath my fingertips and tracing the lines of the web on the suit. His arms pull me up a bit and wrap securely around my waist. He tucks a strand of hair again behind my ear again in between kisses. There's something so gentle yet yearning about these kisses. We want more but we're willing to be slow about it. His fingers gently run through my ponytail before holding me tight in his arms. It's the only place I want to be. In the arms of Spider-Man and Peter Parker. He makes me feel safe just as our friendship has always been.

And just as I hope and somehow know we will always be for each other no matter what the world throws at us.

A/N: I'M BACK! To quote Spider-Man 2.

I had a lot of fun writing this. I actually watched Spider-Man 2 recently and came up with this.

Also, welcome to Sunsets! It's a collection of drabbles with various fictional characters and OCs that revolve around the reader watching sunsets with a variety of characters. I was supposed to keep these shorts (this one is about 6k words and I mostly wrote it today), but that obviously didn't happen. I had kind of a crazy semester so this is going to help kind of ease me back into things and just give me something attainable for the summer. That being said, there's only going to be about seven or eight of these and I have a set of list of characters and situations in mind.

I honestly did have a lot of fun writing this one though which is why it became so long. I just couldn't stop. Haha. I've been needing a Spidey fix for a minute now though so I think that's why it became so long. I had fun making him awkward and yet passionate for the girl he loves. I also feel like I have a better handle on both the character of Spider-Man and Peter Parker in this one. I did take some inspiration from the first Tobey Maguire Spider-Man for the fight scene (particularly the second half) but again, you're welcome to imagine any version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man that you like for this story.

Anyways, thanks so much for whatever it is you do, even if all you do is click on this little project of mine. I'm excited for the rest that are to come. As for my other stuff, updates will come as I feel like I can do them. I do just want to say that it feels SO good to be writing again and just to be in summer.

Oh speaking of summer, I DID take the picture on the cover art.

Anyways, you guys are the best. Thanks for everything you do! See you all around!

-Aisling