I woke to a gentle shake. Opening my eyes, I saw Peter, still half-asleep, his arm tangled around me. A glance over my shoulder revealed Natasha, her arm resting on my shoulder.
“What?” I asked, groggily.
“Just warning you, your dad’s heading up to your room. Might want to pause the cuddle session before your boyfriend gets tossed out a window.” She smirked. I flushed and glared at her.
“Peter, wake up.” I whispered. He stirred, but didn’t fully rouse. “My dad’s coming.” With that, he bolted upright. As if on cue, my dad walked through the door.
“Why’s your hair so messy, Peter?” he asked, suspiciously. Peter glanced at me.
“Because I was messing with it. We weren’t doing anything, Nat was right here and would’ve blown us up.” I pointed out. My dad shrugged and I smoothed Peter’s hair.
“Just came to say dinner’s ready. Everyone’s here.” He said. I nodded and he turned to leave.
“That was close. Thanks, Nat. We’ll be down in a minute.” I told her. She nodded and exited.
“That nap was refreshing,” Peter said. I nodded, adjusting a stray strand of hair on his forehead.
“You had a death grip on me, dude,” I accused, hopping out of bed. He shrugged.
“Sorry.”
“No, it was comforting.” I admitted, the complete truth. He blushed, and I smiled. “Now, let’s go eat so you can meet the team.” He nodded and slid off the bed. We raced to the dining room, me taking the stairs and him the elevator. I won, naturally.
I collapsed into my chair, almost tipping over, earning stares from the Avengers. Seconds later, Peter burst in and sat down, offering a slight wave as if he’d known them all along. Oh yeah, he's an Avenger. Which one? I hadn’t seen anyone else.
“This is my best friend, Peter,” I announced.
“We know, we met him in Germany,” Thor boomed. I looked at him, confused. My dad shot Thor a glare.
“What?” I asked.
“No, I, uh, went on a summer trip to Germany and I, uh, I met them and they saved me. It was about three years ago, before you lived here.” Peter explained. I nodded slowly.
“Cool.” I said. I looked around, everyone nodding in agreement. “You know what? It’s not cool. What are you guys hiding from me?”
“Nothing.” My dad said, his ears turning bright red.
“You’re terrible at lying. Your ears are giving you away.” I pointed out. He sighed.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
“Dad, I’m almost eighteen. I think I’m old enough.” I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “It’s something about Peter, and he’s my best friend, so I deserve to know.”
“You don’t understand! It’s difficult to explain.”
“Where do you think you’re going, young lady?” My dad asked, his voice rising.
“To my room. I’ve lost my appetite.” I said. Peter reached for my wrist, but I pulled away sharply.
“Y/n-”
“No! None of you talk to me until you’re ready to tell me what’s going on!” I cut him off, stomping into the elevator. “Friday, take me to my room.”
“Okay, y/n.” She replied. The doors closed.
—Three hours later—
I sat on my bed, scrolling through pictures of Peter, Ned, Michelle, and me. I stopped on a Polaroid of Peter and me in Paris, looking at each other.
“You guys look like a couple in this one,” Michelle stated, showing me the picture. I laughed softly, studying it.
“We just look like best friends, because that’s what we are.” I snatched the Polaroid and put it in my bag.
“I never thanked you for bringing me on this trip. It must’ve cost your dad a fortune.”
“He has more than a few thousand dollars. This trip barely made a dent in his profits.” I took a bite of the croissant Michelle had given me.
A tap on my window interrupted my thoughts. I walked over to see a figure in red and blue spandex. I opened the window, getting a closer look. It was Spider-Man.
“Spider-Man? What the hell are you doing at my window?”
“Are you going to let me in?” He asked. I nodded and stepped aside. “You look like you’ve been crying.”
“Just…I kind of lost my best friend today.”
“What happened?” The masked man asked.
“He and my father are keeping secrets from me, and I feel betrayed, I guess. So, I told him not to talk to me until he’s ready to tell me the truth.” I explained. I didn’t know why I trusted him so much, but I did.
“Well, maybe they were trying to protect you.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I mumbled to myself.
“Y/n?” He said, looking at me.
“How do you know my name?” I asked, suspicion rising. He sighed.
“If I do this, you can’t tell anyone, or get mad, or freak out. Deal?”
“Deal.” I nodded. And with that, he slowly began to remove his mask. When he took it off, I stared in shock. It was Peter Parker.
“What the fuck?!”