Emma sighed to herself as she prepared herself for school.
A skin tight white turtleneck shirt with a soft sweater-like texture, deep - dark blue jeans and a white tight puffer jacket to fight the cold weather with white sneakers to finish her look.
Despite being nervous about what she's going to do, she still likes to look her best.
It had been around a month since Connors became The Lizard and she stopped going to school. At first Emma didn't think she'd take that long for her to go back to school, but she really needed time away from Peter and Chat to organize her thoughts and clarify her feelings.
She did reach out to Chat a week after the incident to see how she was doing, and Chat thankfully answered her in kind. Both girls didn't want their friendship to end, seeing as they are best friends and the only other mutants each one knows.
Chat is Emma's best, and let's be real, first honest friend; she's her confidant, her sister in all but blood. And Emma knows she's bratty, spoiled, and her powers did nothing but encourage that behavior, but Chat saw beyond that and got to know Emma for who she really is and befriended her.
Emma loves Chat, and she's sure the feeling is mutual (Platonically, obviously) and she would hate it if she lost her to something as cliche as a love rivalry.
But Emma can't help herself in that regard either. She really likes Peter like she has never liked someone before; not even the crush she had for her teacher compares to the intensity she feels towards Peter.
Because Peter is basically everything Emma is missing in her life; his compassion, nobility and the goodness of his heart are things Emma yearns to be near to.
She has a mean and cold family, she was raised to be a cunning and levelheaded woman that would be able to 'compete' in the real and harsh world. But she needed more than that, she needed the warmth only a family could provide, warmth she never felt while growing up.
But being with Peter feels like she's next to a bonfire that promised nothing but safety and support. He alone makes her feel seen, like she had never been looked at before.
To Peter she's not just another pretty face or a pocket full of money.
She's herself.
Or at least that's what she thought.
Ever since the day when Connors attacked and Peter lied to her she doesn't know what to think of the boy.
She still likes him of course. Feelings that strong can't be shaken so easily and she wants almost desperately to give Peter a chance to prove her incorrect on her suspicions on why and what he lies about.
Chat and Emma have not talked about Peter or their feelings towards him at all. But Emma will make sure they do once she sees what Peter hides in his mind.
She has options depending on what he is hiding in there.
If it's something really unforgivable and repulsive, Emma will erase all memory of herself from his mind, successfully making herself a stranger to him. She knows this is super drastic and she even cried a few tears when she thought about that; she really won't be able to handle it if Peter turns out to be what she fears him to be.
He could be part of one of those anti-mutants groups that wants to see her dead. The death of his uncle could have made him some revenge seeking assassin or something, explaining why he would show up late to class while tired out of his mind with bruises decorating his body.
He could also be an evil scientist type, maybe even the reason why her teacher turned into that monster and he had to hide the evidence or something.
There are a ton of thoughts roaming through her teenager head about how much, according to MJ's and Gwen's thoughts, he changed over these last months that really makes it hard for Emma to reach any concrete conclusions.
But that's obviously only in the worst case scenarios.
If it's just like a sketchy job or something similar she's sure she can talk it over with Peter and even give the stubborn boy a job in her father's company forcefully; she knows that is going to be a demanding task, given how that Osborn guy has offered Peter a position at Oscorp, even if he does so condescendingly, and Peter has turned him down everytime.
But she won't take a no for an answer if that's the case.
Now, it might also be some kind of weird hobby he has or something similar, and if that's the case and depending on how weird or embarrassing it is she can turn a blind eye to it.
God, how Emma wishes Peter has some embarrassing secret rather than a serious and shady one. Something that would make them laugh in the future, rather than turn them into strangers.
But she's honestly scared.
She's been avoiding Peter because she fears she might lose someone that has become so vital in her life in a little less than a year - a pillar for her and the protagonist of many of her dreams and fantasies.
And she hates that feeling.
She hates that Peter lied to her and she hates that she has so many doubts now after Peter gifted her with the best days of her school life; and to be honest, probably the best days of her whole life.
She's unhappy at home, she and her sisters barely have a relationship with one another and her cold and distant father is always absent, or at least Emma wishes him to be.
At her old school she was relentlessly bullied by her classmates, and Emma can never forget about her teacher, former crush and the heartbreak she felt when reading his mind for the first time.
Peter is-was supposed to be different. And they were both supposed to be happy together.
But this, seeing all of his memories and judging him based on them, may very well be the end of their friendship and ruin any type of a relationship to form between them.
Emma sighed again shakily as she made sure she's looking good for her first day back to school after a month of not showing up.
"Okay, let's get this over with…" Emma mutters to herself as she exits her bedroom.
————
*Riiiing* sounded the school's bell, signaling the start of the first day back to school after the Thanksgiving break.
Emma enters her classroom and watches in annoyance as Peter was around the two girls she had never liked - MJ and Gwen next to that guy Harry Osborn as they talk amicably as to what they each did on Thanksgiving.
She felt a slight pang of jealousy when she overheard that Peter and MJ spent it together.
It made sense though, since this was the first holiday without his uncle and the Watson household didn't have many people in it either; that didn't stop Emma from disliking the fact though.
Emma started walking towards Peter and his friends, rolling her eyes at how the Osborn kid was saying something about how much money his daddy spent at his family's vacation in Switzerland during the break, bragging when he wasn't even conscious about doing so.
Emma reaches Peter's desk and moves Watson out of the way forcefully to see the teen directly. Usually she would've been 'kinder' about it, but today she wasn't in the mood.
"Hey, what's your problem?!" Watson yelled, but before Emma could answer anything, they were interrupted by Peter.
"Emma!" The boy exclaimed with a bright expression as he stood up from his chair "H-hi! How are you?"
Peter's excitement at seeing Emma after a month of complete silence was palpable. Everyone could see just how happy he was to see her again, and that didn't sit well with the two girls Peter now has on his left side.
"H-hello, Parker" Emma attempted to talk with an icy and distant tone, but she couldn't help but feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the sight of Peter's entire being beaming when looking at her.
This whole month Emma has been doubtful of Peter, but her feelings still remain very strong. Which is why she feels as happy as the boy himself at seeing him after a month.
"H-how have you been? I haven't heard from you since…since, y'know…" Peter's smile and tone faltered once he said that, still fearing the chance of Emma being angry at him for abandoning her that day.
But even if she was, Peter would make things right with her.
Because Logan is right. He can't live thinking the worst case scenarios in life, keeping everyone at arm's length. He likes Emma's lot, and he is willing to do whatever he has to to make things right with her.
Because he has made his choice.
He will confess his feelings to Emma in hopes of becoming her boyfriend. When or how will this happen? Peter still isn't sure because he's never done this before, but he definitely will.
"…I have been well, thank you" Emma hesitated to respond, but did so anyway with the same tone she did before.
"That's good to hear, Emma" MJ answers instead of Peter with a fake smile that Peter and Harry aren't able to tell is fake "Here I was beginning to think that you had changed schools or something".
"Oh, don't you worry, Watson. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon" Emma answers as she turns to look at her with a challenging look.
Emma actually doesn't know yet if she is going to stay or not because she hasn't seen Peter's mind, but that doesn't mean she'll give Watson a win over her.
"Really? Huh" Gwen mused from her position with genuine intrigue "I actually thought so too, given how you missed two weeks of classes".
"And how she ghosted Peter completely" Harry teased from his seat on Peter's right with a mocking smile.
Statement that caused Emma to cringe slightly.
She knows she avoided Peter because of how she needed time to herself to make up her mind, but she doesn't wish for Peter to have a 'wrong' idea of what happened.
There's still a chance that Peter's secret is harmless, so seeing the slight hurt in Peter's eyes at the tease of his best friend didn't sit well with the telepath.
"Yeah, I actually wanted to apologize to you for that Pete. I lost my phone… that day… so I had to get my number back with a new phone and my mother was pretty spooked about what happened so I didn't come to school after the two week break and it was all a mess. I didn't mean to ignore you or anything" Emma said reassuringly as she lied through her teeth as Peter's eyes regained their beam.
"This morning I also forgot to text you that I was coming back to school because I got a message from Chat saying that she was sick and that she couldn't come today, possibly all week" now Emma said truthfully as she actually wanted to talk with Sophie.
She has planned for Chat to be with her while she looked into Peter's mind, but now that would be impossible.
'Damn this cold weather' thought Emma angrily before considering 'well, maybe it was her fault and she was outside until late talking to squirrels or something' knowing her friend, that was a very real possibility.
"Yeah we also heard that, hope she gets better soon" replied Gwen, having an okay relationship with Chat herself.
"Oh poor Sophie. I didn't even notice she wasn't here today, maybe I'll text her later" said MJ in a slightly exaggerated way, giving a passive aggressive impression.
Emma only frowned slightly at that before addressing Peter again.
"So I was hoping you and I could talk and sit together like always, y'know? To catch up and stuff" She said this as she was twirling her hair with her finger, feeling actually embarrassed by it.
"S-Sure! I'd love to!" Peter replied innocently, not even considering that Emma might have any ulterior motives.
Emma smiled warmly at Peter's eagerness to be with her, so she decided to read his memories once the school day was over.
She is definitely reading his mind, but she's also in no hurry to do so. Plus, she needs him to be alone for when that happens to avoid anyone suspecting that she's a mutant.
So she'll have to wait until the end of the school day.
….
And she was honestly glad she did. She missed and had craved having fun like she was having right now. She can't even remember laughing once as loudly in the past month as she did when Peter made fun of Flash and the brute didn't even realize.
All day she was reminded just why she fell for the brown eyed boy. She was genuinely having fun with Peter, much more than she had every day of the last month combined.
But every time she gazed lovingly at Peter for a second too long she got reminded of the fact that Peter has been actively lying to her and the others, and that he might not be who she wants him to be.
Each time that happened, Emma would feel her lip tremble slightly and the need to search Peter's mind then and there would intensify.
But each time she would suppress the feeling in favor of spending a nice day with Peter besides her, at least until the last bell rang. She wanted to keep the status quo as long as possible without breaking her word to herself.
————-
Finally the school ended - the last bell rang with Mr. Harrington's awkward reminder of homework as the jocks quickly ran out of the classroom.
"Hey, Peter?" Emma asked, a little shy as she stood up from her seat besides Peter's.
"Yeah?" Peter asked innocently as he cleaned up his desk and looked up to her.
"I was wondering if you could come with me to the back of the school to…talk? Just you and I…" Emma said hesitantly. She was nervous about what she was about to do, but she also knew what the implication was to anyone who was listening in.
You see, the back of Midtown School is usually used by students confessing their feelings for one another. It obviously doesn't mean it's only used for that, but it has happened enough times for people to get a funny idea.
"That's a great idea, Emma! We also wonder how you've been this past month, so Gwen and I would like to tag along, right Gwen?" Gritting her teeth and with a fake easy tone, MJ butted in the conversation and looked at Gwen who was shocked by what Emma just said.
"H-huh…? YEAH, I mean, yeah we would like that, if you guys would uhm… have us" unsure of what she was doing, Gwen answered.
"Of course they will, we're all friends here so there's no problem, right?" With a challenging tone, MJ questioned Emma.
It was a bold move, but the redhead wasn't expecting Emma to be even bolder.
*Hmph* "When I said 'just Peter and I', it was pretty obvious that I meant just us alone. But I guess common sense just escapes… some people" Emma answered arrogantly while looking at the redhead up and down with an unimpressed raised eyebrow.
Thing that made the young Watson have a little tick in her left eye.
She was about to answer something that, in her eyes, the now nervous looking and sweet, innocent Peter would've fainted at.
But Gwen stopped her with a hand on her shoulder "If Emma wants privacy with Peter I think we should hear what Peter thinks".
The trio of women focused now on Peter, who for some unknown reason to him, felt more pressure from these three girls than when he was up against his enemies.
Glancing one last time at Emma's pleading face, Peter conceded, giving an apologetic smile to his human friends "Sorry MJ, Gwen, is it okay if I see you girls tomorrow?"
Emma smiled victoriously at the other two with Peter's reply.
Gwen smiled at the kind hearted boy who she knew didn't wish to make her and her redheaded band mate angry or anything, so before MJ could argue, Gwen answered "Of course Pete. We have band practice with the girls anyways - see ya' !"
MJ clicked her tongue and started walking out of the classroom, feigning uninterest with an easy smile on her pretty face "Whatever, your loss Tiger. See you later?".
"Definitely" Peter answered his usual words to MJ after she said that, almost like a routine of theirs, to then quickly grab his backpack and stand up.
Wouldn't want to make Emma wait after all.
————-
"Hahah I can't believe you told that to your dad!" Peter laughed full heartedly, happy at being able to talk to his friend and crush again after a couple of weeks as they both walked towards the back of the school side by side.
*Scoffs* "That asshole had it coming for what he said" Emma scoffed, remembering the crass comment he said about homosexuals during the Thanksgiving dinner, while her brother Christian was present no less.
"… I'm guessing your dad still doesn't know about your brother, huh?" Asked Peter carefully, knowing that Emma's brother's sexuality was a delicate subject to her because of her father.
"Of course he doesn't, he would disown Christian or worse!" Worried about her brother and knowing this to be true, Emma said with a worried expression
Her brother is the one Emma is the closest to, and she worries very much about her brother who she suspects started taking illicit substances to avoid the reality he lives in.
Seeing her distress, Peter placed his hands on her shoulders, making her focus on him.
"Hey, it's okay, don't worry; you and your family are smart and you'll figure it out, yeah? Let's uh, let's change the subject since this is clearly not doing you any good, how about that?" the boy said, subconsciously using the tone he normally uses to calm down citizens when he's out as Spider-Man.
Noticing the soothing tone and how committed he was at trying to calm her down, Emma remembered why she is here with Peter. And still a little doubtful with herself, Emma grabbed Peter's hands with her own as she started to calm herself.
"…you're such a great guy y'know Pete?" Asked Emma quietly once her worry for her brother subsided.
"It's nothing. Just happy to help" answered Peter easily while thinking she was thanking him.
"…which is why I can't figure out why you would lie to me" Emma admitted as she looked deep into his eyes as though she was looking for something there.
"Hmm?" Peter asked, slightly surprised and nervous about what Emma may be talking about.
"I don't know why you lie, but… but I need to know" strengthening her resolve Emma placed her hands in Peter's temples.
It was then when Peter closed his eyes in discomfort, seeing Emma's eyes shine lightly as he closed tightly his own.
She saw a lot.
Emma struggled with Peter's mind, more so than usual this time. An intense buzzing feeling crawling through her whole body nearly made her stop, while she felt her mind trapped in what felt similarly to…webs?
But she powered through and saw his mind.
A beautiful and equally sad mind.
It was fast, too fast and it seemed like she didn't have control at what she was seeing.
And for some other reason she was seeing everything as though she was watching the mind of someone watching Peter from afar, rather than watching through Peter's point of view like happens with everyone else when she does this.
She was honestly kind of scared, but the memories started without Emma having a choice on what she wanted to see.
A beautiful woman and what seemed to be Peter's grown up duplicate, playing with a baby.
The same pair leaving a young boy Emma recognized as a cute 5-6 year old Peter with some older pair. Emma can recognize them as Peter's aunt and uncle.
A man with an eyepatch wearing a fancy black suit, kneeling in front of Peter as he starts to weep, leaving the older pair with the eyepatch man, as he closes himself in his room.
The same kid now wearing glasses, being picked on in school while the guy she thinks is Flash throws him in a mud filled puddle. Then some other kid she recognizes as the Osborn kid gives him a helping hand.
Him meeting other people he will come to call friends and peers.
Peter walking down the street with his family, while giving some homeless man money.
Then an older looking Peter, much more similar to the one Emma knows, but this one being shorter, lankier and still wearing those big glasses.
A spider crawls up Peter's clothes in what Emma thinks is a lab, biting Peter in the neck after the spider reaches it. There was a bald man with a giant head and blank-white eyes in the back of the room, he was slightly see through, as if he was a ghost.
Him in his room trying and failing to sleep as he's writhing in pain.
Emma then had to close her 'mind's eye' to avoid seeing anything of what's happening. Someone screaming and what sounds to be thousands of little legs walking after something thumps in the ground. She heard a kid crying and a man apologizing. The sound of tissue ripping and then…
She opens her eyes feeling embarrassed at the sight of a now ripped Peter, with some blood on his chest, mouth and cheeks, watching in amazement everything as though he is opening his eyes for the very first time. This as he has his hands over his ears making it so he can't hear anything.
A discussion between the older man and Peter, while Peter holds overdue bills in one hand.
A wrestling match pamphlet with a monetary reward for the winner.
Fabric moving around, as Peter makes some ugly red sweater and a dark red balaclava into what seems to be a costume. This being finished with a sprayed painted spider on the chest, and big white intimidating lenses for the mask. Emma can't help but feel she'd seen this somewhere before.
Peter tinkering with some weird looking bracelets, as this shoots something white and sticky much to Peter's joy and Emma's slight disgust.
The aftermath of the match with Peter victorious enjoying the public's cheers.
Some old, nasty looking guy in an even nastier office refuses to pay Peter whole, only to get robbed.
Peter moved and let the assailant get away, much to Emma's surprise at this action.
Police sirens, blue and red lights and an ambulance in the middle of the street.
Then Emma's 'eyes' widened as she felt her chest get tight with sorrow at seeing Peter holding his uncle while he was dying, only to whisper "with great power comes great responsibility."
Then Peter in front of the man who shot Peter's uncle only for it to be revealed to be the thief that Peter let go before. Neither Peter nor Emma could believe this, with Emma still feeling as if she was crying her heart out.
The thief scared, tripped and fell through a window, dying on impact. Peter with broken eyes and trembling hands picked up the gun used to finish the old man's life ever so slightly and tucked it into his pants.
Peter arrives at his small home to see Gwen's dad giving the news to a heartbroken old woman with Watson and another woman also crying there.
The woman and Peter hugged each other as they cried and cried.
Then it changes to Peter swinging through the air in the same dumb outfit using his bracelets to swing at incredible speeds through the city. 'Peter is Spider-Man… ' was the only thing Emma could repeat in her head with awe, just now realizing how much sense it makes.
A fire, and Peter starting to walk away until he hears something coming from one of the many flaming apartments.
Much to Emma's worry Peter jumped in.
Trying to bring comfort to a crying child, Peter removed his mask, leaving it on the floor catching slightly on fire and breaking one of the lenses. The girl hugs Peter and the boy grabs her and his mask and flees the burning building.
Peter now sporting the very recognizable and famous suit everyone in New York knows, contemplating the city from the top of a skyscraper.
Robbers being stopped, criminals being delivered to the cops, old ladies crossing the street safely, hostage situations resolved, kittens getting safely to the ground and much more was shown.
Then there's a montage where Emma thought her heart was stopping with worry and fear at Peter fighting monsters, broken men, men controlling elements, gangsters with futuristic weapons, some normal gangsters and Spider-Man's entire zoo worth of animal themed people, with a hunter to finish off his colorful villains.
She sees Peter in admiration as he defeats each and every one of these men, while still not really hurting them and even sometimes helping them. Like he did with the giant lizard that turned out to be her teacher that she knows Peter respects.
She also sees Spider-Man interacting with other costumed men, some she recognizes like the Fantastic Four or Captain America and others she doesn't, like the man with the horns, the short yellow one or the red guy with swords.
After that she sees Peter selling his selfies to the funny mustache man, who is yelling at Peter. She also sees a kind man smiling at Peter softly in a lab coat handing him an envelope; Dr. Octavius, Emma recognizes. After that he gets home and sneaks the money into his aunt's purse.
And looking through Peter's eyes for the first time, she sees herself smiling brightly at Peter, surrounded by a pink mist making everyone else around her blurry and the scene looking like it came from a corny romantic movie. Yet making Emma's heart beat faster with excitement at the implication.
She sees one last image.
An old woman clad in red with a blindfold covering her eyes - looking back at her with disapproving eyes. Even with the thing covering her eyes, the emotion transmitted was powerful.
Without saying a word, the old woman's forehead starts shining bright. So bright that it blinds Emma's 'mind's eye'.
Emma felt her mind and powers struggling like little times before. She felt like some time ago - when her powers first showed and she would feel weak and scared, sometimes even passing out.
Emma, unaware of what was happening, started to forget the things she saw in Peter's mind. The old woman, a much experienced telepath, was forcing her to forget.
She tries to fight it, but it's too much. The older woman, whoever she is, is far more experienced in the ways of the mind than Emma is, making any effort Emma is making to be futile.
The blond teen struggles to hold on to what she saw, when suddenly, she heard Peter calling to her very worriedly.
So she opens her eyes with some trouble, only to see Peter holding her in a princess carry, running through the school corridors that were thankfully empty.
The moment she wakes up though, the mental images she saw from Peter's head were almost immediately erased from her own, rendering her oblivious of the fight she lost.
She instead feels like when someone wakes from a dream and the brain's memory consolidation process is not working properly.
She can still remember key elements, like Peter being Spider-Man, his uncle's death and Peter's role in it. But everything else is hazy. And every single face she saw in Peter's mind was crossed out from her own.
Erased.
"Emma, can you-! shit, shit" said Peter as he rounded a corner, running faster than anyone should probably be running.
Peter forcefully opened the door to the infirmary with his back to avoid hitting the girl. Thankfully, it was halfway open so he didn't break anything.
*SLAM* The force he used to open the door was such that the door bounced back and it closed harshly though, startling Emma lightly, who was still working on waking up.
"Peter?" Asked Emma in a hoarse voice, not understanding what was happening but recognizing the infirmary room and the boy who is holding her in his arms.
Boy she has been crushing on for the better part of the year that turned out to be a hero.
But it made sense.
It made so much sense that Emma even began to feel like an idiot for not noticing that fact sooner. Even the very first thing Peter Parker had done when meeting her was save her from that falling sign.
But no, that was not Peter, that was Spider-Man - WHO IS PETER!
That explains so much! His unusual strength, his tardiness to everyplace he goes, the way he disappears when trouble arises, the injuries he sometimes sports, his ability to be the only person who can take pictures of Spider-Man; it's all too obvious!
At least to the one that already knows his secret, because one would never guess that the wallflower that is Peter in school could be a life-risking hero.
Which is why he allows himself to be bullied!
Emma connects all the pieces of the puzzle in the instant she opens her eyes and sees how Peter looks at her with so much worry and care in his eyes while seeing she is now awake.
"Emma, you're awake!!" Peter happily and worriedly says in a hurry as he, much to Emma's disappointment, places her on the infirmary's bed and starts to turn his back to her "I-I'll go look for the nurse, in the mid time have this and-and try to take it easy, okay?".
Peter said as he reached over to a table behind him, where a box of tissues sat ready to be used.
It was just then that Emma noticed she had some liquids running down her face, so she immediately started cleaning herself off with her left hand in a hurry. Noticing in worry as she had a small trail of blood flowing out of her nose, Emma wiped faster.
As she did so, Peter nodded and turned his back to the girl once again; girl that doesn't want him to leave.
The moment is just too perfect for Emma to say her piece with them being the only ones in the room, so she got up from the bed and hugged Peter to stop him from leaving.
"Wait!" Muffled by Peter's back, Emma yelled "Don't go, please stay with me".
He could feel her trembling slightly, so he softly took Emma's arms and untangled them from his body, successfully freeing himself.
Emma feared he would still try to leave her, so she resisted with her hold but relented when she saw Peter wasn't going to.
To her surprise Peter just turned around and wrapped his arms around her, making her blush deeply. Not that he could see with her head buried in his clavicle.
"Y-You're scaring me Emma, you should really let me go get you some help. I promise I won't be gone for long" said Peter softly with a whisper that she could perfectly hear because of their closeness.
"What happened?" Questioned Emma without letting go of Peter, avoiding to acknowledge his suggestion.
"I'm-I'm not really sure" he answered with some doubt in his voice.
"Just tell me what you remember then" making some distance so she could now look into his eyes, Emma requested without letting go of her hold on Peter.
"… you held my head in your hands, and for a second I thought I saw your eyes shine" Emma got worried at being found out, but she let Peter continue "I got, like, a really bad headache for a second or two, then I felt you go limp and you were going unconscious. Luckily I was fast enough to catch you and run here".
"How much time would you say has passed since I passed out?" Wondering about how long her mind was stuck in Peter's, Emma asked.
"I think it hasn't even been two minutes" answered Peter truthfully trying to ease Emma.
He didn't even consider that such a feat would have been impossible to any normal human, given how far they originally were from the infirmary.
Not that it mattered anymore.
"…a drop of blood came out of your nose and you've been crying since you started falling, Emma" Peter told Emma as he passed his thumb through her cheek, cleaning some tears off.
Action that took Emma by surprise, but in a good way. She accepted the gesture and nuzzled against Peter's hand, just now noticing how rough and rugged they are.
And found that she liked that.
"Do you have any idea of what happened?" Still worried at her condition, Peter led her to the bed, making her take a seat once again.
Bed that is in the far right corner of the room, hitting against the room's walls on its left side and headrest - being a classic twin bed with a large pillow and white sheets. The bed also had a simple foldable chair by its side.
Emma disliked losing the contact she had with the boy, but took appreciation at how worried he seemed for her so she obeyed Peter and took a seat at the bed's headrest now that she saw he was staying.
'What happened…' Even Emma herself doesn't know exactly what happened. This normally doesn't happen to her when accessing someone's mind or memories.
At least not since she first discovered her powers.
As to 'how' it happened. The answer is easy.
Thanks to her mutant powers.
And she fears how Peter would react to that fact, knowing how the world hates and fears mutants.
But Emma made her resolve.
She's seen Peter's mind, and even if now it's a blur, she knows how she felt when she saw them and how much more her feelings for Peter increased. He wasn't lying to her after all, at least not with malicious intent, he was just protecting his secret identity from everyone.
Just like she hides her mutant nature from everyone.
But now she knows and understands that Peter has his own powers, and his own need to hide them from others. So now he doesn't need to hide himself from her.
Nor she does from him.
Because she now knows that Peter is going to accept her as she is. Why wouldn't he? They might have been born differently, but they are now both different from regular humans.
Ever since her powers manifested, Emma has felt lonely, more so after her teacher/crush called her a 'disgusting mutie freak' in his mind.
And of course she has Chat, but their relationship is very different to what Emma wants with the boy looking at her like nobody else does.
Boy who Emma has been crushing on for months, fearing that he would get disgusted by her nature as well. Humanity's fear and hatred of her kind always made a barrier between both of them; a barrier that Emma always dreaded.
But now that barrier is gone, right? There's no way Peter will hate her for being different when he himself is so amazingly different, right?!
Of course, revealing herself to Peter is still scary, but Emma has made up her mind.
'H-He'll understand me, I know it!' Thought Emma as she braced herself; ready to tell Peter the truth about her nature, powers and how she used them.
Because if anyone could understand her, it would be Spider-Man himself.
Peter meanwhile took the seat in the chair beside the bed, hoping to hear something from Emma that would either ease his worry or allow him to go for the nurse.
To ease both their nerves, Emma grabbed his hand. Peter didn't really understand why Emma did that, but he still allowed her to take hold of it.
"… it was too much and I couldn't control it" started Emma explaining cryptically what happened, avoiding looking at the boy directly in his eyes.
"What was?" Not understanding Emma, Peter questioned.
Biting her lip and bracing herself, Emma shut her eyes tightly and tightened her grip on Peter's hand.
"I read your mind, but it was too much" Emma said quickly, not looking at the boy's face, fearing the expression he might have.
"…" Peter's stomach sank slightly as he remained quiet, feeling as if someone had just dropped a bucket of ice on him.
Telepathy… Peter has seen many - MANY - crazy things as Spider-Man to begin doubting such ability exists, but it would be too much of a stretch to say that Emma Frost, his friend, crush and the girl he was just planning on his to confess to have that ability, wouldn't it?
Peter has many secrets. Secrets he wants to remain hidden from others to keep them protected… and also for his own selfish reasons.
His life as a hero is a secret to keep his loved ones safe, but his mind has secrets of his own. Like how he inadvertently killed his own uncle.
An invasion of privacy like this… Emma, even having said ability, wouldn't use it against him, right? It's just not something that the Emma Peter knows would do…
So Peter would give Emma the chance to explain herself properly without jumping into any conclusions.
"… I know I make bad jokes in awkward moments but I think this shouldn't be time for them, Emma" Said Peter in a serious tone, one that Emma never heard from him before.
That made her hesitate slightly for just a moment, but she continued.
"I-I'm not joking, Pete. I-I was wondering who you really are, because you're so mysterious, y'know? Always disappearing and ditching us, always late to class - sometimes with bruises on you, always tired but still with a smile… so I got worried" Emma starts rambling the truth about Peter's mysterious habits.
"…" to which Peter remains quiet, narrowing his eyes slightly at her words.
He has the urge to mentally scold himself as he usually does when he hears how his actions make his friends feel, but this feels different. Not so much as a scolding, but more like a… confession of something she feels guilty about.
And if her words are true, Peter feels like he won't like what she has to say.
"And I r-really lik- care for you…like you have no idea. So I decided to see the truth for myself" she said while rubbing her thumb on Peter's hand, thanking the lord that he hadn't removed his hand from hers.
"…And how did you do that? … read my mind?" Peter does not want to believe her, he has so many things he'd want to keep away from her.
"Y-you don't believe me do you?" Asked Emma noticing Peter's doubtful face and tone.
Though she didn't take that badly. After all, it was a pretty wild bomb to throw at someone. After making sure there were no cameras or any people nearby Emma spoke.
"I know what mask you wear, Spider-Man, I know why you wear it and I know because… I'm a mutant with telepathic abilities" Perhaps this was the moment Emma spoke the fastest and most nervous in her entire life.
She feels her heart beating heavily as she reveals what she knows… what she is.
This moment - Peter's reaction - would determine so much about how Emma would move forward from this day on. How the boy feels about that confession is of great importance.
Boy who, thanks to 'The Parker Luck' acting up with terrible timing, only processed what Emma said about the what and why of his masked activities when she talked about her mutant nature.
*Screech* So he stood up getting two steps away from her while looking at her with his eyes widened at the maximum capacity, giving her the wrong impression.
Because the moment he heard 'Spider-Man' - everything came crashing down on him.
She was telling the truth, she had to. Otherwise she wouldn't have known; and now she has seen the other side of his life without his permission or consent.
All this time Peter has been crushing on Emma, thinking how she is someone who has been looking at him like no one else did.
And he is right, she is looking at him.
Perhaps more than he would want her too.
Emma however, saw the way Peter's eyes shot in apparent confusion, desperation, frustration, fear and even anger - and it scared her.
All the emotions she had feared to see in Peter's deep brown eyes have now become a reality.
Because of how she was born.
"Peter…?" Emma asks with a heavy heart as she attempts to leave the bed, her eyes unwillingly filling themselves with tears at the sight of Peter's face.
Never had he looked at her like this. And she never wanted him to do so.
It was almost nauseating for Emma to think that Peter was afraid or disgusted by her. But what else could the self-conscious mutant think at the sight of her crush acting the way he did at the reveal?
"Y-you what…?" but Peter takes another step back from her as he questions her with an unbelieving tone and eyes wide open.
He means to ask what she had done, but unfortunately, Emma takes it as a sign of Peter not wanting to be near a mutant.
"N-no… no, no, no! Y-you don't fear me because I'm a mutant, d-do you, Pete? Y-you can't hate me for that, can you!? Please, n-not you! ANYONE BUT YOU!" Yelled Emma with her heart threatening to pop out of her chest by how hard it was beating.
Her eyes stopped holding back the tears threatening to come out as she questioned the one person she didn't want to hate her because of her race
So not wanting to look at the way he was looking back at her, she simply buried her head in her knees as she stopped yelling, not knowing for once what else to do right at that instance.
She feared she would hear the door opening harshly, meaning that Peter would leave her alone. Which she didn't do for long, for she felt two steel like strong arms wrapping her in a tight hug.
"W-what!? Of-of course I don't hate you, Emmy! God, I'm-I'm so sorry if I made you think that! I-I could never hate you!" The moment Peter saw her face filled with dejection at his actions, he forgot all about how hurt he felt in favor of the girl he is now holding.
What she did was an awful breach of his trust and privacy, but she is still the same girl that Peter was planning on confessing to even just a few minutes ago.
And the sight of her crying her eyes out because of the thought of him hating her for how she was born really made him uncomfortable.
"Rea- *sniff* really?" Asked a now hopeful Emma, still with her face red and tears raining down her eyes as she sneaked a peek from behind her arms.
"Of course Emmy, how could I ever hate you for something like that?" Peter said genuinely while stroking Emma's head in a soothing manner.
Peter kneeled on her bed so that he could bring her closer to him, and she responded by burying herself deep in his whole body, hugging him.
"You… you don't care that I'm a mutant?" Emma asked with her rough voice barely above a whisper with a hopeful tone.
Peter has a huge crush on Emma, so as far as he cares she could be a mutant, an alien or whatever the hell she wants and he wouldn't care at all.
But the problem wasn't what she is.
It's what she did.
A breach of his boundaries and a violation of his trust. The worst case of it he's had to deal with so far. Because unlike Wolverine who searched Spider-Man for help, Emma did it to satiate her own selfish curiosity.
And yet…
He still looks adoringly at the girl with tear marks on her cheeks; wanting to do nothing more than to bring comfort to her and assure her that there is no way that he could hate her.
Even if something deep inside of him tells him that he has every right to do so.
So with those complicated feelings running inside the teenagers head, he allows his mouth to run free as he usually does in tense situations.
"Of course I don't care that you're a mutant, Emma. W-what kind of guy would I be if that stopped me from liking you the way I do? I like you enough that - that…" Peter stopped his words as he realized what he said, and closed his eyes tightly in regret.
That's… not what he was meaning to do.
All those thoughts about how and when to confess to the girl messed with his line of thinking, and betrayed him in the heat of the moment.
"You l-like me? As in… like, 'like' ?" Emma asks lamely, refusing to make this a misunderstanding; looking deep into Peter's eyes as she searches for the truth in those brown windows.
If not for the experience before, she might've even tried looking into Peter's mind in search of the truth. But for now she's going to stay away from there.
Peter hesitated to answer just for a moment, in which he saw the hopeful look Emma gave him with her watery eyes.
The boy knows this is an awful, terrible moment to confess his feelings for the girl, but it's not like he can deny it now that it's out in the open like that. He isn't sure of what to do now, so he'll do what's best in his opinion.
"Y-yes Emmy, I really like… like you…but I think I-" he tried to say, but he was unable to continue.
Because Peter was interrupted by a pair of hands that grabbed the collar of his hoodie and brought him down to the girl in front of him, crashing their lips together in a hard and inexperienced kiss.
A kiss.
Peter's first ever kiss with the girl he had been hoping to do so with - the very day his secret was forcefully revealed and in exchange he got told the girl's own secret.
Peter took a fraction of a second to understand what was happening, eyes widening as his nerves shot through the roof.
This was not what he was expecting.
Not in a million years would Peter have expected Emma to kiss him after learning he is Spider-Man, just when the voice deep inside of him was whispering at him to hate the girl.
Telling him to lash out and demand her to forget whatever it is that she saw, stay out of his mind forever and to never talk of what she saw with anyone.
Instead, the young and hormonal teenager felt the incredibly soft lips of the girl he has been craving to see for a month meeting his own, and just like that, the voice telling him to be angry at Emma was met with another one demanding for him to respond to the action in kind.
So he slowly closed his eyes and returned the kiss much to Emma's immense joy.
The kiss was quick and innocent as neither of them had done this before. Despite that, the kiss carried with it heavy feelings that both teens had wanted to shout out loud for the other to hear.
Feelings that Peter was now unsure about.
Which is why he was the one who broke off the kiss only a few seconds after it started, and quickly pulled away from Emma and the bed with a conflicted look on his face.
"…Peter?" Emma asks shyly and quietly in almost a whisper once she stops feeling Peter "is… is something wrong?"
Emma feels her heart drop at the way Peter is looking at her once again.
Instead of being happy for their first shared kiss, or even embarrassed like he is supposed to be, his face is morphed into an ugly and twisted expression.
"Are you… are you reading my mind right now?" Peter sounds hesitant to ask, with a tone that makes Emma flinch back.
"What…?" Emma asks with her eyes widening ever so slightly as she hears that coming from Peter.
Beyond his slightly angry tone and expression, there is an undertone of doubt and fear directed towards her that makes her heart sink.
Emma was so focused on herself; the fact that she is a mutant, Peter's reaction and his admission of liking her back, that she didn't even consider how Peter might've felt with the reveal of her seeing all his secrets without permission.
"My mind… are you reading my mind right now?" Peter asks again while his face shows a little bit more anger than it did before.
"N-no! I-I'm not reading your mind or anything! I swear!" Emma yelled almost desperately as she started trembling slightly from her position in the bed.
"…" but Peter remained quiet, with his face and silence screaming 'doubt' to Emma..
"Y-you believe me, right?" Emma asked as she tried reaching for Peter with her hand, but to her dismay, Peter flinched back from her.
"… I… I have to go. I'll search for the nurse or som-" Peter looked away from Emma's teary face, not wanting to fall for her spell again.
He needs time with himself to think over what happened, what they both learned and at the end of it all, how his feelings for Emma may change.
But Emma doesn't want him to leave.
"N-no!" So she stands up from the bed and grips Peter's arm tightly with both hands before he can turn around completely, trying to fight the tears that are threatening to come out from her eyes yet again "I… I shouldn't have seen your mind Peter. I'm-I'm so sorry…".
"Let me go, Emma" Peter said rudely at hearing her apologize for what she'd done, but didn't make an effort to physically move her from him.
No matter how angry he may be, he still likes the girl a lot, so he is not strong enough to break her hold and leave her be while he quite literally runs away from her.
"N-No! I should've trusted you more and-and I won't ever do that again. I swear! Just… p-please Peter… don't walk away from me" Emma's heartbroken face, shaking body and the fact that she passed out really made Peter nervous for her "it's just… I worry so much for you Peter. I-I thought you might've been selling drugs or-or be in some kind of danger and I just… I couldn't-".
"L-let me go" Peter said again, but now with a lot more worry on his face and tone as he saw the trembling girl holding him tightly.
"Please, Peter, just let me explain what happened" Emma practically begs as her eyes shine with unshed tears.
"E-Emma, I think you should sit down" Peter interrupted her once he turned to face her, giving his arm as support for the girl with fear of her passing out again.
"… I will if you don't leave" Emma argued pettitly and almost childlike, showing her bratty side. Which weirdly enough, Peter finds kind of endearing, even in a situation like this.
"…okay" Peter agreed to her request once she refused to break eye contact or release her hold on him "yeah, okay. I'll uh, I'll stay with you".
He really doesn't want to do that, but he can't just leave her a crying mess, almost begging him for him to not leave her alone.
What kind of guy would that make him?
"Thank you" despite her teary eyes, Emma smiled brightly as Peter led her back to the bed "can you sit with me?"
"Uh, I don't think-" Peter muttered unsure once Emma climbed into the bed, reclining herself with the pillow against the wall in a 45 degree angle.
"Please?" But Emma interrupts him with a cute plea, making enough space for Peter to be on the bed comfortably with her on her right side, given how she is against the wall on her left.
"…that's unfair" Peter mutters more to himself than to Emma, knowing he simply won't be able to reject the invitation.
Peter got on the bed next to Emma, imitating her position but trying to make as much space in between them as he could possibly do in a twin sized bed while looking away from Emma; still trying to make sense of everything.
An awkward silence followed them, as neither was entirely sure of where they should start talking.
Her mutant powers? His secret? The kiss?
Emma came with her answer as she took hold of Peter's hand once again, wanting him to look at her. Which she successfully did.
"Peter I… I like you" Emma shyly revealed something that even the dense Peter Parker had gathered by now, but he didn't interrupted her "a little after we met, around the time Chat left with her dad, I-I realized I liked you.
And then we started talking more, texting, hanging out together all over summer and then we had our d-date. After that, I enrolled here - to be with you and Chat - and these have been some of the best days-"
"Emma, you don't have to-" Peter tried interrupting the girl, but she didn't allow it.
"I do have to!" She yelled as she made eye contact with him "I-I have to, because I… I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am. And now that I know you like me back, I… I don't want us to miss our chance for something like this…".
Peter considered her words carefully, noting how truly regretful she sounded and looked.
"Can I ask you something?" Peter asks with a serious voice, giving Emma the understanding that whatever she answers would determine how they move forward.
"A-Anything" Emma said as she braced herself.
"Have you… have you ever read my mind before?" Peter asks with narrowed eyes, trying to find the truth by himself within the blue windows of her eyes.
Emma widens her eyes ever so slightly, careful in considering the two choices she has been presented with.
Either she lies to Peter and tells him 'no, never', thus starting their relationship with a lie.
Or she can tell him the truth and hope for the best. Which the best doesn't seem too good since he seems fiercely protective of his own personal thoughts and memories.
To lie or to say the truth.
A choice almost too easy for Emma Frost.
"O-of course not!" Emma exclaims easily "if I had ever been inside your mind before, I would've seen who you are long ago!"
"… I see" Peter releases a breath he didn't know he was holding, feeling grateful at that fact. It made sense really, because there's no way Emma was in his mind for so long and is just now learning of his secret identity.
So she must be telling the truth.
"Can you find it in you to forgive me?" Emma asks with pleading eyes, huddling even closer to the boy.
"…" Peter considered her for a few moments where she felt her heartbeat rising. But he kept his eyes focused on her.
It was still the same Emma who he's been falling for like the young teenage boy he is. She claims she only read his mind due to worry about his sketchy behavior and never had seen his mind before.
So can he stay angry at her?
He knows what it's like to have powers and the subconscious need to use them. Like having legs but being bound to a wheelchair because everyone around you is unable to walk.
At least that's how Peter feels whenever he pretends to be weak.
Like an itch he is unable to scratch until he is under his mask, away from anyone and everyone that might recognize him as Peter Parker.
So perhaps Emma tolerating his behavior all this time without taking a peek is sign that she is trustworthy enough for Peter to turn a blind eye on what happened.
Just this once.
"Yes…" Peter finally spoke after his few moments, feeling his own heart warm up at Emma's shining eyes "if… if you promise to never look into or mess with my mind without permission I guess… I guess I can forgive you…".
In reality Peter is unsure of what he is saying. He is still too raw with the emotions he felt previously.
But he also knows that if he turns down Emma now, he'll most likely regret the moment for the rest of his life. Because she is still her, the beautiful, smart and fashionable girl Peter fell for.
And a single mistake wouldn't change that.
Life changing mistakes happen. Peter and his uncle know that very well.
So wouldn't it be hypocritical of Peter to deny her feelings because of that?
Peter has been consumed by the guilt of his mistake for long enough now to understand how crushingly painful it is to regret an action made in the heat of the moment.
So, could Peter inflict that guilt, even if it's on a smaller scale to his, to the girl he likes?
He can't. At least not because of this.
"Oh Peter, thanks!" Emma exclaimed incredibly happily as she turned her whole body to look at Peter, now their faces inches from one another "I promise you, this'll never happen again!"
Promise she intends to keep since she now knows that his 'mental barrier' comes from his powers, and it's strong enough to knock her out.
Plus, Emma no longer has the need to see his mind. She has seen his only secrets after all.
But one last thing was eating at Peter.
"But… aren't you angry at me?" Peter asked suddenly, which Emma was not expecting
"Why would I be?" she asks with curiosity.
"I just thought…" Peter started, trying to find the right words while looking away from Emma "I have been lying to everyone I know - to you - and every time I do, I see how hurt and angry you guys get. So I thought that if any of you ever learned that I'm Spider-Man, you'd for sure hate me for keeping that from you too".
"That's… so stupid" Emma mumbled incredulously at his words, not understanding how he could've reach that conclusion.
"Huh?" Peter asks lamely as he turns to finally look at the incredibly close Emma and her piercing blue eyes.
"Peter, you're a superhero! You save people in dark alleyways, you stop bank heists made by professionals and you are such an amazing hero that you even have super powered villains team up to try and get you, and you still win!
You are so powerful that you can go toe to toe with what to the rest of the world are monsters and come out on top! You lift cars over your head easier than I can lift my desk's chair and you survived a plane crash!
You even saved the whole school from Mr. Connors! You saved me!
And then you are still so kind and thoughtful, you help people with their daily problems like helping old ladies cross the street, help kittens out of trees and even move a couch for someone if they need it.
And I'm sure your uncle is proud of you wherever he is watching you from. I know I am" Emma's words were sincere and powerful, looking at Peter as though he was someone worth admiring.
And the boy couldn't help but feel the animosity in his body leaving him. Emma, his crush, admitted she liked him many months ago, and now she is saying she's proud of his Spider-Man side.
Something he had never expected to hear from anyone who knew Peter.
"I like you, Peter" Emma started saying again, snapping the boy out of his thoughts.
A month ago, Emma was hurt because he left her behind, but now she had the whole picture. Peter is Spider-Man, and that means that Emma can finally truly look at Peter for who he is.
And she has revealed her nature to Peter, meaning he can finally and truly see her just like how she has been craving someone - Peter - to do so.
"That's why I'm telling you everything. All my truth about what I saw, what I am, what I think of your secret. Because you're truly important to me and - and" Emma's voice began to tremble as she feels her heart grow heavier "- and I don't want you to hate me, Peter. I know I messed up, but please *Sniff* I couldn't stand you hating me… I'm so sorr-".
But before Emma had a chance to keep on with her apology, Peter silenced her by closing the small distance between them, capturing her lips with his.
And how couldn't the boy kiss her in such a situation? Where her guilt and regret are in clear display while she is professing how much she cares for him.
What she did was horrible, yes. But Peter is no saint himself. Not only because of what happened with his uncle, but because of what he has done to her as well.
How many times has Peter lied to her before? Abandoned her? Make her feel like she is not important to him? How many times has Peter hurt the one he likes?
And now, wouldn't it be just cruel for Peter to deny her feelings after one mistake? A mistake she made out of worry and consideration for him no less.
Wouldn't it be the stupidest thing a teenage boy could do if the girl you've been dreaming of, literally one of the reasons why said boy gets the courage to keep on fighting, throws herself at him with tears in her eyes, pleading for him not to hate her because she likes him oh so much?
So taking courage from her previous action, his first kiss, Peter kissed her.
It was also in part to stop her from apologizing.
Even if this is turning out to be one of the best and oddly, weirdest moments of his life, Peter can't help but cringe at the word 'sorry' and someone apologizing as a whole.
Even if that someone is Emma; his crush who he is currently kissing.
But to Emma this is the heaven sent response that she needed to see that she had succeeded. She was right in knowing Peter liked her, she was right in her previous assessment of him and she was right to fall for the boy.
He is every bit of good she knew him to be, and then some more! Because what else screams of a pure hearted and kind person than being a literal hero?
And Peter chose her!
Above Watson, above Gwen or whoever may be crushing on Peter or even Spider-Man, he chose her!
The boy admitted he likes her and now is kissing her. Even after revealing herself to be a mind reading mutant, Peter! - chose! - her!
So answering the boy in kind, Emma cupped his cheek with her left hand, the one that is not currently holding Peter's, and kissed him back.
Again, with this one being an innocent and simple kiss.
"I like you too, Emma" Peter said softly once the kiss finished naturally, looking at the blue eyed girl with red scleras due to her previous tears "I really do. I could never hate you".
"Thank you" Emma says with slightly trembly lips at his reciprocation of her feelings, and for him saying that he couldn't hate her. Words she really needed to hear "and I'm sorry… for what I did".
"I-it's fine, Emma. You don't have to apologize anymore" Peter cringes again at the word "just… please keep your promise of staying out of my head, please?"
"Of course, Peter. You have my word" Emma replied easily, intending to keep her word, which makes Peter smile gratefully with his cheeks painted red at her.
Creating between them a comfortable silence that allowed both teens to completely calm down.
And once that the mood between them stopped being as tense as it was, Emma takes this opportunity to shift her tone to a teasing one "so, when did you start liking me~?."
"Uhm, hehe, some months ago too actually" Peter answered embarrassed at the question "somewhere around summer… or earlier".
"Really?" Emma asks, feeling somewhat impressed that they fell for each other around the same time and it took them this long to be where they're at "well, that means we have some catching up to do~"
"Hm? What do you-?" Peter was about to ask, but someone in the infirmary room was interrupted with a kiss for a third time that afternoon.
One that was received easier and with more 'gusto' than the other two times now that their feelings are out in the open and reciprocated.
The kiss started tender and soft, with Emma holding Peter's left hand with her right one, and cupping his right cheek with her left hand.
Peter turned slightly more to Emma to make it easier for them both to keep their current position, feeling bold enough to hug her by the waist with his right arm.
A few moments passed where both teens kept kissing, until Emma craved for more. She passed her left leg over her own and ober Peter.
'Holy shit!' Peter thought lamely as Emma started moving on top of him, until finally she was totally over him, successfully straddling his body with her own.
In the midst of getting on top of him, Emma released her hold on his hand and snaked both arms around Peter's neck, grabbing his hair with her hands.
Peter meanwhile moved further to his left side as to not be on the very edge of the twin sized bed now that Emma is on top of him.
Which, to a young boy with zero experience in this type of situation, was having a hard time finding what to do with his arms.
Until eventually he settled for her waist, pulling her closer to him just in time for Emma to caress his lips with her tongue, seeking permission to enter his mouth.
Peter froze for a moment, but eventually allowed her to do as she pleased, and for the next several minutes, both teens kept on fully making out in the school's infirmary room.
Until Emma had to break off their now messy and somewhat awkward kiss due to her need to breathe.
"S-so now what? I-I mean, we confessed our feelings and all" shyly and embarrassed asked Emma, but sporting what could very easily be referred to as a goofy smile.
She, as well as Peter, are very happy at how they just spent the past few minutes making out and confessing their attraction to one another, still with her being on top of Peter in a more than friendly manner and their lips at almost nothing from touching.
Returning to his nervous and nerdish ways, Peter stammered away "w-well I'm-I'm not so sure what, uh, happens n-next."
Emma understood that, knowing before this day that Peter has not had a girlfriend beforehand, much to her enjoyment.
"W-well this is my first time kissing someone and having such feelings, so I'm … uhm… not sure either" Emma admits her nonexistent romantic past to Peter with a shy smile, happy to give the boy her first kiss.
"Really!?" Not wanting to be rude, Peter asked a little more doubtfully and louder than he intended too due to his lack of tact in social interactions.
"Yeah? Why, you think I'm someone easy or something ?" Emma felt indignation at how Peter reacted to that fact, so she furrowed her brow and asked angrily.
Still. She did not let go of her hold on the boy's neck or get off him. She did move her head a little further from his, though.
"N-NO, of course not! It's just you're so kind, smart, funny and drop dead gorgeous that I would've assumed you had guys drooling over the ground you walk on!" Worried about how Emma reacted to his stupid question and the stupid way he asked it, Peter rambled a little.
Seeing Peter get so nervous he started praising her, Emma couldn't help but get a little embarrassed but giddy at how the boy she likes views her.
*Giggle* "Well you aren't wrong, but until now I hadn't found anyone good enough to get MY attention~" Emma talked flirtatiously as she took her right arm from Peter's neck and started to draw circles in his chest.
"Hehe, well I'm glad to hear that because uhm, you're actually my first kiss as well" said Peter shyly while looking away, thinking that might've been lame for Emma.
Much to Emma's relief and extreme joy, she didn't feel a lie in his statement.
"That makes me very happy Peter, I don't want to share you with anyone after all" With a radiant and smug smile, Emma told Peter as she went from drawing circles on his chest to place her arm around Peter's neck again. Getting her face as close to him as they were previously.
"H-huh?" Peter was not expecting that reaction at all.
"Well of course, I'm the type of girl who wants everyone to know who their boyfriend belongs to~" Emma says with a fake pout, making it clear to Peter that she is kidding (she isn't).
What she didn't realize until a second later by seeing Peter's eyes get wide was the term she used, so she began feeling again a little self conscious.
To her relief, Peter's tone suggested otherwise.
"R-really? Boyfriend?" Asked Peter expectantly and excited, showing he wanted this as much as her.
Gaining control of the situation and giving Peter a teasing smile Emma replied "well, I wouldn't kiss anyone unless we're dating… although…" the telepath finished cryptically, seeing funnily as Peter's brow furrowed in worry.
"I haven't heard someone ask me the question~" Finished Emma seeing Peter's face being hit with realization.
Mentally slapping his forehead, Peter realized this to be true. So he cleared his throat and straightened his back to be fully vertically, bringing Emma up with.
Up until this moment they had they're back diagonally thanks to the pillow, but now that they were up straight neither let go of the hold they each had on the other Emma on Peter's neck, and Peter on her waist, keeping each other as close as before to the other.
"Emma Frost, would you do me the honor of being my smart, beautiful, kind and lovely girlfriend" Peter asks with humor and theatrics to hide his nerves.
To which Emma, fortunately for him, snorted quietly a laugh filled with joy; masking her lip that was slightly trembling with emotion.
"Oh Peter Parker, I thought you'd never ask" Emma answered playfully, going along with Peter at giving the other their full name, set on not crying anymore at the happy moment "You may kiss me now".
She didn't have to say it twice, as Peter went for it.
Same like last time, the kiss started sweet and romantic. This lasted several minutes with Peter gently caressing Emma's back and with her playing with his hair in a soothing manner.
Only for it to get more heated up once they were fully making out, absorbed completely in their partner. Making the kiss sloppier and more desperate.
Perhaps things would've escalated even further that day, if the after-school activities bell didn't rang. Waking the loving pair from their trance.
They quickly and embarrassedly got off the bed and tried to make themselves look presentable in case they ran into someone in the hall so that no one got the 'wrong' idea of what they were both doing.
Peter and Emma, the responsible and innocent youngsters cursed heavily at the bell inside their heads, but they still understood that this was not the moment nor the time to do such stuff.
Once they both had their backpacks with them and Peter making sure Emma was okay to leave the infirmary, they made their way out of the school.
———-
"I think we should… i dont know? Have a serious talk?" Peter said hesitantly as they both stepped into the sidewalk, now outside of the school.
"What do you have in mind?" Inquired Emma as she looked at Peter with curiosity.
"Well, for starters I can apologize for all the times I've left you behind" Peter started saying as he scratched his neck "I never… I don't like lying to you, please know that. And if I could've helped it, I never, ever would abandon you".
"Where is this coming from?" Asked Emma at the suddenness of Peter's words and look of regret in his face.
"I know you were… hurt, when I went to fight Connors last time we saw each other. And most likely many times before that too, and I just-" Peter, after looking around him and making sure no one was around, started saying remorsefully, making Emma sure that Peter is indeed sorry for his actions.
So she interrupted him.
"I'm going to stop you right there" Emma said almost sternly "yes, I was hurt this last time, but now that I know the reason why, you apologizing is utterly useless".
"W-wha- ?" Peter tries asking, but Emma continues.
"How could I possibly be angry at you, when you are the one stopping the disasters those messed up men make?" Asked Emma as she stepped in front of Peter "I - we, should all be thanking you instead for everything you do. You're amazing Peter, you shouldn't apologize for that".
Peter looked at Emma with an unusually serious expression on his face, digesting each and every word that was coming out from her lips. Something inside of him became warmer and warmer as her words grew stronger in himself.
Recognition.
Something that Peter has never asked nor seeked for, but now that he has it, he's learning that he has been craving for it. Both as Spider-Man and Peter Parker.
Peter was famished for someone to look at him and see that he is truly trying his best and he didn't even know it until he got a bite of it.
The emotion growing inside of him was such, that the dorky teenager just did what he knew best in moments like these.
*Snort* " 'I'm amazing'? That's the first I'm hearing about it" Peter awkwardly quipped as he avoided looking at Emma with clear nerves in his shifty eyes.
Mentally groaning, Peter asked himself 'what the hell was that?!'
Emma only looked at him with an entertained and equally sad smile, not liking how Peter refused to see for himself all the great things of himself. Luckily, he's got her to drill it into him.
"Well, you can rest easy knowing it won't be the last~" Emma said as she closed the distance a bit between them.
"… have I ever told you how great you are?" Peter asked lamely as he looked at her, making her laugh.
*Giggle* "It might've come up once or twice, but I don't mind hearing it more often~" Emma said confidently as she reached for Peter's hands.
*Chuckle* "I'm sure it'll come up again" he said as he looked around him and started noticing some people walking their way "uhm, I still… I still think I owe you some explanations. So why don't we go somewhere 'they' can't listen in".
Peter said as he motioned the crowd with his thumb, actually somewhat excited to explain to Emma some things from his battles and the chance to make himself look a little bit better in her eyes by explaining all the times he's had to, unfortunately, leave her for his duties.
"You want to go somewhere private? My, Peter~ I would've never thought you were so bold as to ask that of me on our first day as an official couple~" Emma teased, understanding perfectly what Peter meant but wanting to mess with him.
"…wha-? Oh - OH! N-no! That's not what I - I-I didn't mean-" Peter blinked dumbly at what Emma said, before understanding her implication with his face incredibly red.
*Snort* "Calm down, you dork! I'm just playing with you" Emma said as she let out a hearty chuckle "but yeah, you're right… we should talk properly".
"Hmm, we should get you some food first" Peter mused as he started walking, still thinking of how she passed out earlier.
Peter and Emma started walking towards the Italian place where they first met, where they both have a year's worth of free food waiting for them.
"I can't wait to see their faces when we tell them" Emma suddenly said as they neared the restaurant, thinking of MJ's and Gwen's hurt faces with satisfaction.
"Hmm?" Peter asked, not understanding her completely.
"Your friends" Emma clarified with a cheeky grin "I can't wait to see their expressions once we tell them we're dating".
"Oh, you want them to know?" Peter asked with his eyebrows raised, for some reason expecting Emma to want to keep their relationship a secret.
"Obviously?" Emma replied with an almost unbelieving tone and a raised eyebrow, her face almost in warning of his next words "why? Don't you?"
"W-what? You kidding me? I can't wait for the whole world to know I'm dating the most amazing girl there is!" Peter overcompensated his mistake with theatrics, as he does when he's nervous.
"You better mean those words" Emma said as she gripped Peter's hand tighter, half jokingly and half serious as she entered the restaurant.
Peter was only able to give an awkward chuckle as an answer, but was luckily saved by Artie, the owner of the restaurant who had grown to like the two teens who came ever so often to eat for free.
"Oh, Ms. Frost, Peter! Welcome back!" Artie exclaimed as he walked out of the kitchen to greet both teens with a giddy expression "I see you are holding hands! Does that mean you two are finally dating?!"
"Uhm, yeah. Yeah we are!" Peter answered a little surprised at the use of 'finally' from the older man.
Making it seem like he is invested in their relationship, which the older man totally is.
"That is fantastic news! I'll give you the best I have to offer to celebrate the occasion!" Artie says with joy.
"First of all, thank you. Second, does that imply that you haven't been giving us your best?" Emma genuinely thanks the older man, only to shift her attitude and furrow her brow at his words.
Thing that made both men sweat drop at the change of attitude.
"…you are a brave man, Peter" Artie decided to ignore her question and focused on the boy "I'll pray for your success".
Peter gives yet another chuckle at the chubby man's words, who quickly disappeared into the kitchen.
"What does that mean?" Emma asks, slightly confused and not liking how she got ignored while Peter somehow got praised.
"Who knows. Artie is funny like that, right?" Peter feigns ignorance as he motions to a table in a far corner of the restaurant "shall we?"
Emma stared at Peter for a second too long, but shrugged in favor of going to her seat. She was feeling way too happy and now had to have a serious talk with Peter; she couldn't get distracted over things Artie said.
So they both went to sit down in the lonely part of the restaurant to start their talk.