Author's Note: So I guess I'm posting this chapter in celebration of Black Panther which I'm going to see later on today. Super excited. I kind of wanted to post this chapter on Valentine's Day but like always the chapter ended up being longer than I thought. I know that some of you might miss some of the Viper Assassin and Spider-Man kicking ass together but I promise we'll see more action and adventure soon. We just need to get through the Holidays in the story and we'll get there. I think Emma and Peter are allowed to have a few chapters of worry free fluff. This chapter and the next one will contain major fluff but the one after that will be more action packed. There will still be fluff but some adventure mixed in there as well.
I also just wanted rave about this awesome new song I discovered on my alternative music playlist on apple music. 'Golden Dandelions' by Barns Courtney. The guy is a seriously good singer. He kind of reminds me of Tom Odell and Vance Joy.
Spawn Hades: At first I just considered Tony finding out right away about the both of them but I thought it would be funnier this way. It's kind of ironic that he's the one who brought them together but he's also the last one to find out about them. I feel like him finding out he was the last one to know will kind of humble him and bring him back down to earth. It'll be good for Tony to be taken off his high horse.
Kchev11: Thank you so much! I'm glad you love the story. There's so many different ideas I have for what's going down with Rumlow so I kind of know what's going to happen but I'm really just trying to take one chapter at a time. Rumlow is definitely going to take a toll on Emma in this story and she is scared of him despite acting tough. He scared her when she was little and he still scares her now. It's why Peter being around for Emma is really good for her at this point of the story.
infinityneverlasts: I'm excited to write Steve and Bucky's reaction to them! It's going to be hilarious.
Jesilea: I've noticed too that when Steve's not the main character/love interest in a story he's immensely uptight and judgy. I know he's from the forties but that doesn't make him judgemental. I mean, he just accepted what Bucky did and didn't judge him for killing loads of innocent people. He knew what Bucky did was wrong but he understood that Bucky wasn't in control of himself. It's kind of the same thing with Emma only except that she was kind of in control of herself but she was instead just a little kid who was forced into that kind of life.
Mcduffie145: Okay, I'm just going to explain my dislike of the Beatles which doesn't have anything to do with their music...well, it kind of does, I guess. Anyways...so I won't say what my first name is because that's a line I won't cross on here but my name happens to be in one of the Beatles songs. My name's not really common either so for my entire life people assumed that I was named after a Beatles song because my parents were apparently big Beatles fans which is not true at all. They're actually big country music fans. I was actually named after my very Catholic and Mexican grandmother who was named after a saint. Every teacher I had from first grade to my senior year of high school would start singing that particular Beatles song when they did attendance...almost every day. Then the kids at school laughed at me and sang that song all the time. Not because they thought it was cool or anything but because they were making fun of me. So I can't like the Beatles because every time I listen to them I think of those kids singing that song and it drives me insane. Emma hating the Beatles is really just me speaking through her. It's not like it's traumatized me or anything but it's kind of an embarrassing thing I don't like being reminded of. The Beatles always remind me of that. Screw you, Paul McCartney! Lol.
Harry Potter and the TARDIS: I really want to write Emma and Loki meeting! It would be so hilarious and I have a feeling Loki would really like her too. I really love making movie and music references in the story. Last chapter was heavily influenced by La La Land. I was inspired by La La Land because I always loved how Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone's characters in the movie dressed up for their first date. People don't do that anymore so I thought it would be cute if Emma and Peter did. I even named the movie theater last chapter after the one in La La Land. This chapter is also heavily inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany's which you'll see why soon. I know they saw the movie last chapter but that also plays into this one. Margot and Steven will be back in chapter fifty eight. I'm thinking about going back to writing Undisclosed Desires after I finish this one which won't be for a while. I've held off on writing Look at Them for so long too and I might someday go back to writing that as well. I used to have a bad habit of starting but not continuously writing fanfictions until this one. This is the first one that I've been super passionate about writing.
Radioactive88: I love just writing the cuteness of Peter and Emma. They're so young and in love. It's completely sweet. Also, Tony probably won't be mad at them but he might be a little annoyed that they didn't tell him.
Sorry for not answering every review but I'm super eager to publish this new chapter. Anyways...thanks for all the reviews last chapter!
"Guys, I know it's Christmas break and all of you can't wait to get home to head off on vacation but you need to remember to work on the study guide for the international competition." Mr. Harrington told everyone at the decathlon meeting. It was the last day of school before winter break so they were having one last decathlon meeting before the New Year. Emma and Peter were sitting next each other on the steps in the now empty cafeteria. The couple were sharing a textbook as they poured over the chapter they were currently reading.
Emma and Peter had been dating for about a week now but to them it felt like they had been dating all along. Well, it wasn't like they had completely become adjusted to this new turn in their relationship but they were becoming more accustomed to a more intimate and romantic side in their relationship at the same time. Emma still wasn't used to Peter holding her hand everywhere and telling her how beautiful he thought she looked nor was she used to the way he'd walk her home at night before telling her he loved her and kissing her goodnight. She didn't think she'd ever get used to it but Emma didn't mind that. This newfound intimacy of their relationship was both exciting and unpredictable to her.
Everyone at school seemed to be aware of Emma and Peter's new relationship which was icing on the cake to Emma because she knew it secretly pissed Betty off. Emma loved sneaking smirks at the bitter small blonde. While everyone at school seemed to know that Emma and Peter were official the same couldn't be said for the Avengers. It was ironic in the way that the Avengers were left in the dark when literally everyone else in the world knew everything. The weekend before Emma and Peter had to be very careful around each other at the compound. Emma thought Tony might've been suspicious after spotting her lipstick smeared across Peter's face but he seemed as oblivious as ever. Tony seemed to be way more stupid than she gave him credit for. Still…all this sneaking around together was fun to Emma.
"I just want you to know that we're not just going all the way to London for fun but we're going there for the international competition. Keep your head in the game." Mr. Harrington continued to lecture them. "The London trip is in February so we've got to be prepared. Okay…now that I've said that maybe we could have a few words from our captain?" Everyone stared at Michelle expectantly and the bored looking girl lazily looked up from her book.
"Right…study and don't mess this up or I'll make sure you'll regret it." Michelle said darkly and Emma smirked. Mr. Harrington laughed nervously.
"She's kidding, guys, but seriously…study." Mr. Harrington told the teenagers before he ended the decathlon meeting. The team members immediately began chatting among themselves as Mr. Harrington awkwardly went back to grading papers.
"Do you want to do something tomorrow?" Peter asked Emma softly as he glanced at her. Emma looked up from the textbook curiously.
"Like what?" Emma questioned and Peter shrugged.
"Well, we're going to spend the rest of Christmas break at the compound after Friday so I figured we could do some holiday stuff around the city before we leave." Peter elaborated and Emma raised an eyebrow curiously.
"What kind of holiday stuff?" Emma inquired and Peter shrugged.
"Well, I don't really know. Is there anything you want to do?" Peter asked her and Emma just looked back at him, not sure what to tell him. Holiday stuff? What kind of holiday stuff was there ever to do? Steve made her to do some Christmas type stuff when he was still around but Emma hadn't been very enthusiastic about it. She wasn't the most cheerful person around the holidays. Tony called her the Grinch.
"I don't know. Steve took me to see the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller center the past couple years." Emma told him and Peter nodded.
"Okay. What else did you do?" Emma just shrugged.
"We went Christmas shopping." Emma said shortly and Peter gave her a surprised look.
"Is that all?" He questioned in disbelief and Emma nodded.
"Yes." Peter shook his head, not believing that was only the two Christmas things Emma had ever done. Christmas tree lighting and shopping. The shopping thing didn't even really count because that was shopping for other people.
"That's unacceptable. I can't believe your grandfather wouldn't take you out to do more Christmas things." Peter said, expressing his disbelief.
"Well, it's not like he didn't want to but I told him I'd run away if he took me ice skating or to see the Nutcracker ballet so he settled for staying inside and we made Christmas cookies instead." Emma frowned after she gave the memory some thought. "Well, he made Christmas cookies while I watched Edward Scissorhands. I'm going to be honest with you, Peter, I'm not a very Christmas spirited person. I'm not a fan of Christmas." Peter's eyes widened in disbelief. No…he couldn't have heard Emma right.
"What? How can you not be a Christmas person? Everyone's a Christmas person." Peter said, not quite understanding Emma's logic but she didn't appear bothered by his disbelief.
"Well, I'm not very religious. Steve's the cross bearing one in the family. Not me." Emma told Peter honestly and Peter just shook his head.
"You don't have to be religious to like Christmas, Emma." Peter told her and Emma didn't look like she understood what Peter was telling her.
"It's literally celebrating the birth of Christ. How is that not religious?" She asked him and Peter laughed, amused by how literal she could be sometimes.
"I'm talking about the commercial side of it. Window shopping, Christmas movies, Christmas Music, ice skating, sledding, and Fifth Avenue. Snowball fights, hot chocolate, and Christmas carolers. Houses lit up with Christmas lights and decorations." Peter told Emma as he passionately listed off all the reasons he loved Christmas. Emma smiled as she watched his brown eyes light up with excitement. He was cute when he was all in the holiday spirit mood like that.
"I'm not sure if I'll ever love Christmas, Peter. I spent nine years without it so it became easy for me to distance myself from it." Emma told Peter honestly and he gave her a shocked look.
"Nine years without Christmas?!" Peter exclaimed but blushed when everyone turned to look at them, giving the couple a weird look. Emma gave Peter a pointed look once everyone turned back away from them.
"Sorry but the people that raised me weren't that festive." Emma said sarcastically but Peter just looked unbothered.
"Well, that settles it. We're going to do every Christmas sort of thing there is." He said with determination and Emma gave him a look of disbelief.
"Parker, are you deaf? I just said I'm not a fan of Christmas." Emma told her stubborn boyfriend. "Besides…Steve already tried to get me into it without much luck."
"You're going to love Christmas as much as everyone else does. I'll make sure of it." Peter told her, sounding quite sure of himself but Emma rolled her eyes. She knew it was no use in arguing with him because he was just going to do it anyways. He was a little annoying in that way but Emma admired him for trying. Steve, Sam, and Darcy had all tried getting her in the Christmas spirit before with no success. They were lucky if Emma even put one ornament on the Christmas tree. Before Vision had come along Emma was the only one that was able to fly up to the top of the tree to add the star Christmas tree topper as the finishing touch. Yet even with the ability to fly up there and do it herself she still made Steve climb up the ladder to do it because she said decorating trees was beneath her. Yeah, Emma doubted Peter could make her love Christmas that much.
"You keep telling yourself that." Emma muttered before both her and Peter's attention was taken away from each other when Flash started talking loudly much to Emma's annoyance. God, she really hated that moron sometimes…well, not sometimes but pretty much all the time. Emma debated whether or not she should've stuffed Flash in a locker too but she didn't think she'd be able to get away with it again.
"My parents are taking my brother and I to Aspen for Christmas. We're staying at a ski lodge up there so it should be fun, I guess." Flash bragged to everyone that would listen. Charles seemed to be the only one excited by the story while everyone else rolled their eyes. Flash then rested his eyes on Emma but his face scrunched up in distaste when he saw Peter Parker sitting obnoxiously close to her.
"What about you, Lewis? You've got any plans for Christmas?" Flash asked her in what Emma was sure he considered to be a flirtatious tone. Peter glared at the bratty, arrogant teenage boy as he wrapped his arm around Emma, pulling her closer to him.
"Emma and I are actually going sightseeing around the city for Christmas. There's just a lot to do here so why even leave?" Peter told Flash, practically fuming and normally Emma would've shoved Peter's arm off of her for thinking he could speak for her but she didn't. She even smirked a little at the obvious jealousy displayed in Peter's demeanor. Okay, jealous Peter was really hot.
"I don't know why you're even wasting your time with Penis Parker, Lewis. You could do better." Flash told her heatedly but his eyes were still locked with Peter's. Emma scoffed.
"Like who? You, Flash?" Emma questioned before shaking her head. "No, thanks. I think I'll pass."
"Well, maybe if you were my girlfriend I'd take you with me to Aspen instead of just taking you sightseeing around New York." Flash said smugly as Peter gave him the most heated glare she had ever seen. "Of course, Penis Parker probably couldn't afford to take you somewhere nice like Aspen." Peter was about to respond to Flash's taunt but Emma intervened before he could with a glare of her own.
"If you took me to Aspen I'd probably go Jack Nicholson on you with an axe." Emma told Flash darkly before continuing. "Besides…Peter has plenty of more things to offer than some stupid trip to Aspen."
"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Flash questioned, his eyes flashing with jealousy but Emma just smirked at him before looking back at Peter with a slightly more seductive look on her face.
"Things that an inexperienced boy like you wouldn't understand." Peter blushed at the suggestiveness of Emma's voice. The blonde then turned back to Flash, feigning an innocent look. "We won't give you the details. I wouldn't want to embarrass you, Flash." The Hispanic boy then flushed red with embarrassment as he quickly turned away without saying another word. Everyone else laughed at the embarrassed arrogant teen who quickly stormed out of the room. Emma just loved humiliating that spoiled rich brat and the idiot just made it way too easy for her. Darcy was right all those months ago when she told her that high school could be fun. High School was fun because Emma got to tell arrogant assholes, like Flash Thompson, where to get off.
"Did you see Flash's face?" Ned asked the couple as he walked over. "You guys sure told him."
"Well, Flash's a little dickhead that should learn his place anyways." Emma said shortly and Ned nodded, looking a bit taken back by Emma's language like he always did. Peter used to seem taken back too but now he just seemed almost charmed by some of the things Emma said. Ned supposed that was what happened when you were in love but he didn't really care to understand that too much either.
"So…Peter are we still up for that movie?" Ned asked Peter and the teenage boy immediately stopped gazing at his girlfriend to look at his friend. He gave Ned a slightly confused look.
"What movie?" Peter questioned and Ned just stared at him in disbelief.
"Dude, Star Wars: Rogue One? Remember? The same one that you ditched me for last week when you took Emma to see that boring old person movie." Ned said, sounding a little bit annoyed with Peter. Emma gave Peter a confused look.
"What's Ned talking about, Peter?" Emma asked him and Peter looked down at floor, suddenly embarrassed.
"He didn't tell you? Your boyfriend skipped going to see Rogue One opening day because he was too busy getting ready for his date with you." Ned said, even sounding somewhat angry at Peter.
"I'm sorry, Ned, but I'm going to take Emma into Manhattan to see all the Christmas decorations. I don't I think I can make the movie." Peter said quietly and Ned gave him a look of disbelief. Emma just watched the two best friends silently as she tried piece together what was going on with them.
"But this is Star Wars." Ned told Peter but the teenage boy just shrugged his shoulders.
"It's just a movie, Ned." Peter told him and Ned shook his head, not understanding Peter's actions. Ned was feeling slightly left out by his best friend. He had barely seen Peter since the teenage boy and Emma had gotten together. It felt like Peter was ditching him now that he finally had the girl of his dreams.
"Whatever." Ned mumbled. "I'll just go see if Abe wants to go." The dark haired boy then walked off, leaving Emma and Peter alone. Emma had a dumbfounded look on her face before turning back to Peter who seemed almost unaffected by Ned's sadness. Peter noticed Emma staring at him and gave her a confused look.
"What?" Emma then glared at her boyfriend before harshly smacking him upside the head. Peter winced at the impact, soothingly rubbing the spot where Emma smacked him. "Ow! What was that for?"
"For being an asshole." Emma hissed as she continued to glare at him. "What the hell, Parker? You've been ditching Ned for me?" Peter gave Emma a sheepish look.
"Not really. I mean, we see each other at school." Peter told Emma but she gave him a doubtful look.
"What about all the times you do your little nerd things?" Emma asked and Peter shook his head.
"We haven't really been seeing each other outside of school that much. Well, we did when you and I weren't speaking but not since." He explained.
"And Star Wars?" Emma inquired and Peter actually managed to look a little shameful of how he had been ignoring his best friend.
"We were supposed to see it Friday but I wanted to go on the date with you instead." Peter told her and Emma gave him a look of disbelief.
"But you love Star Wars." Emma said and Peter just gave her a love sick look.
"Yes but I love you more." Peter said with his usual amount of cheesiness. Emma glared at her thick headed boyfriend.
"Yes, I'm aware of that but you can't just drop everything for me, Peter. It doesn't work like that." Emma said before the expression on her face softened. "We can't just ignore everyone else in our lives to spend time with each other. We'll only end up resenting each other."
"I'll never resent you." Peter told Emma, looking at her almost adoringly. "I just love spending time with you, Emma. What's so wrong with that?"
"There's nothing wrong with that Peter. I love spending time with you too but it's incredibly selfish of us." Emma said, almost wincing at her own words. Since when did she care about being selfish or not? Emma supposed since she fell in love and started caring about people other than her father, Steve, and herself. "Look, I'm one of the most selfish people out there but even I know that it's not fair to everyone else. When my father and Steve come back I'm not going to spend every waking moment of the day with you. I'm going to want to spend time with them too." Peter's gave her an understanding look.
"I know you'll want to spend time with them. I'd never stop you from doing that." Peter said sincerely.
"So you'll understand why I'm not going to keep you from spending time with Ned. He's your best friend and I don't want him resenting me for keeping you from him." Emma said to him as she locked eyes with his, trying to get him to understand her point. Peter sighed.
"I guess, I see what you mean." Peter finally said.
"Do you want to see Star Wars?" Emma asked him carefully.
"Well, yes. Of course, I do." Peter admitted and Emma smiled.
"Then go apologize to Ned for being an ass and go see it with him." She told him and Peter still seemed unsure.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm abandoning you or anything." Emma rolled her eyes at him.
"Oh, get over yourself, Parker. I can survive a few hours without you." Emma retorted and Peter nodded, understanding that Emma would be okay without him. The only time they had recently spent apart was when they both went their separate ways at night to get some sleep.
"If you're sure." Peter responded before giving her a longing look. "I'll miss you." Emma smiled but shook her head at him.
"You'll be fine, Parker. Absence makes the heart grow fonder or so they say." She then leaned in and pressed her lips against his softly. Peter only barely had time to respond as he kissed her back before Emma pulled away. A mischievous smirk then came over her face before she leaned in real close, whispering something in Peter's ear that made him blush.
"If you prove that you can spend a couple hours without me maybe I'll kiss you like I kissed you the other night." Emma whispered suggestively and Peter knew exactly what she meant by the tone of her voice. She then pulled back and Peter felt his heart race at the mischief that was sparkling in those blue eyes of hers. Peter cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I guess I'll get going then." Peter told her as he tried to remain calm and not think of the kiss Emma was talking about. If he thought too much about the kiss he knew he'd never be able to focus on the movie he was about to see. Emma just smirked at her boyfriend as he got up from the steps to go over to Ned.
"Have fun at the movies, Peter." Emma said with a teasing smirk. Peter, his face still red, barely nodded before he walked away, feeling slightly overwhelmed by Emma's teasing. She always teased him in the past but it was different now since she actually meant the things she teased him about. Unlike before, Peter actually liked it when Emma teased him or flirted with him. He knew she wasn't really making fun of him. Her intentions were sincere. Even so…Peter knew that girl was going to be the death of him.
Spending a couple hours away from Peter turned out not to be a big deal for Emma and she was glad for that. Her worst fear was relying too heavily on Peter. Ever since she admitted to herself that she loved him she was deeply scared of the power Peter held over her. However, he didn't seem to be taking advantage of that power even though knew he could if he really wanted. Emma, however, knew he never would because Peter wasn't that kind of person which was another reason why she loved him in the first place.
It was actually nice spending a bit of time away from Peter. She hadn't seen him since the day before. Time spent apart from him felt nice because it left her with more to tell him in his brief absence. Emma had gone to a coffee shop with Michelle after school where they studied a bit for the international competition and talked about books they had read lately. She had then gone home where she spent the rest of the night watching New Girl with Darcy. Something she pretended to hate but actually kind of liked. Emma was slowly becoming the very kind of person she used to hate. A person who actually watched New Girl and liked it.
"So what are you up to today?" Darcy asked her as she sat at the kitchen table, drinking her coffee and reading something off her Stark tablet. Emma had just come down the stairs, dressed casually but still nice despite it being the first day of Christmas vacation. She was wearing a maroon colored ribbed sweater, mid-rise skinny jeans, a belted black wrap coat, and faux black suede ankle boots. Darcy still remembered the days that Emma hated to go shopping and didn't care about clothes. She thought Emma was just playing a part when she started having a fashion sense after she started going to high school but Darcy was starting to think that Emma was just like other teenage girls deep down. She liked dressing up to impress the boy she liked…or in this case loved apparently. Darcy was still in shock over the fact that Emma could actually be so normal as to fall in love with a boy. It was kind of amusing and Darcy wondered what Steve would think of all this.
"Peter's taking me to do Christmas things." Emma told her and Darcy gave her a look of disbelief.
"You and Christmas things? You hate Christmas." Darcy replied, laughing as she did so. Emma shrugged.
"Well, I don't actually hate Christmas. I just find it pointless." Emma said, defending her dislike of the holidays. Darcy didn't look like she believed her.
"Yeah, right. You're the one who stole all of Tony's Christmas presents so that he'd think that everyone had forgotten to get him anything." Darcy told her pointedly. "You ruined Christmas for literally the richest guy in America. You're a total Grinch."
"I think I was instilling the true spirit of Christmas by making Tony appreciate Christmas again." Emma said smugly as she smirked at the brunette. Darcy gave her a doubtful look.
"I don't think I've seen Tony look so sad in my life." Darcy remarked but Emma just shrugged.
"He should thank me for giving him a new perspective on life. I made him a better person." Emma said casually before returning to the subject of Peter taking her out on another date. "Peter thinks that it'll be fun so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt." Darcy just smiled at the teenager.
"Look at you, Em. You're so in love." Darcy said almost teasingly. "It's so cute." Emma glared at her.
"If you tell anyone about that I'll kill you." Emma told her seriously. "Don't think I'm kidding because I'm not."
"I don't think I'll have to tell anyone when it's so clearly written all over your face."
"Can you ever shut up?" Emma questioned and Darcy just smirked at her.
"The big bad Viper Assassin and she's about to go out and have a romantic montage with the boy she's in love with." Darcy continued to tease.
"And you wonder why you don't have a boyfriend." Emma mumbled, thinking that Darcy had to be the third most annoying person she had ever met. Tony and Flash easily surpassed Darcy there. Fortunately before Darcy could respond they heard a knock on the door and Darcy admired the happy look that had come across Emma's face. Darcy was glad that Emma was finally happy again. It was almost like when Steve was still around but at the same time it felt different. Emma went over to the front door and opened it, revealing Peter whose face lit up the moment his eyes rested on Emma. Darcy smiled because young teenage love was so adorable.
"Hi." Peter said softly.
"Hi." Emma said back to him.
"You look really pretty." Peter told her and Emma blushed despite the cold winter air coming from outside.
"You don't have to say that every day, Parker. I'm already dating you…there's no need for flattery." Emma told him, ignoring how much she actually liked it when Peter complimented her like that. Peter just smiled at her.
"But you do look pretty every day so I won't stop saying it."
"You guys are so mushy. I love it!" Darcy exclaimed, interrupting Emma and Peter's moment. Emma fought the urge to glare at the brunette so she just stayed focused on Peter. Peter, however, flashed a quick smile in Darcy's direction.
"Hey, Darcy." Darcy gave the teenage boy an amused smile.
"Hey, Peter." She said in amusement. "Have her home at a reasonable time. Say…three in the morning."
"Um…I don't think we'll be out that long." Peter said nervously and Emma rolled her eyes.
"She's just messing with you." Emma told him and Peter nodded.
"Right." He responded before looking back at Emma. "Are you ready to go then?"
"Yes."
"Have fun, you two crazy kids!" Darcy called after them as Emma walked out the door and pointedly slammed it behind her. Emma was really making an effort to show Darcy how annoying she could be. Her annoyance was then forgotten the moment Peter slipped his hand into hers, giving her a smile that made her feel all warm inside despite the snowy weather. Emma didn't really care for Christmas but she didn't think she was going to mind Peter getting her into the Christmas spirit. This was going to be interesting…that was for sure.
Emma and Peter rode the subway to Manhattan and Emma was a bit frustrated that Peter wasn't telling her where they were going. He really seemed to like surprises she was soon finding out. The two had stopped at the newly reconstructed Delmar's Deli on the way to the subway station where Peter had enthusiastically introduced Emma as his girlfriend to Mr. Delmar. She could tell Peter enjoyed calling her his girlfriend since he basically told anyone who would listen. Emma also knew that Peter was really struggling not to tell Tony about them. She gave him props for actually keeping his mouth shut because she knew it wasn't in his nature to do so. Anyways…they made the stop at Delmar's Deli to grab a couple of sandwiches for lunch later on. Emma didn't know how a sandwich could make someone as happy as Peter was when his eyes landed on it. Emma loved food too but she didn't love food like that. She even wondered whether or not she should feel jealous of the sandwich.
"You've never been on the subway before, have you?" Peter asked Emma when he noticed the discomfort on Emma's face. She suspiciously eyed all the passengers on the subway and sent a scathing look to a six year old who drifted a little too close for her liking.
"No, not really." Emma told him as she remained glued to the subway pole, hating the way the train jerked whenever it made a sudden stop. She was definitely going to have to soak her hands in hand sanitize after this. Emma tried not to think about all the people that touched the pole who also hadn't washed their hands.
"How have you lived in New York for two years and never been on the subway?" Peter questioned, smiling in amusement at her. Emma shrugged.
"Happy drove us everywhere and I never left the tower or compound that much. We didn't really need to go anywhere that often." Emma told him truthfully. It was true. She had never needed to ride the subway because she never really had to leave the comfort of home. It's not like Emma ever felt trapped inside the tower or compound. She was perfectly fine with never leaving because the tower and compound felt safe to her. Emma didn't consider herself to be an overly curious person, never feeling the need to go out and explore the city.
"You really are a country girl." Peter teased and Emma playfully glared at him.
"Well, excuse me for never wanting to ride on a means of transportation invested with germs and bacteria." Emma retorted before looking in disgust at a man who was creepily staring at her. "Besides…isn't the subway notorious for creeps that masturbate in public? That doesn't sound exactly thrilling to me." Peter glared at the creepy guy who was staring at Emma before stepping in front of her, subsequently blocking her from view. Emma was a little amused at Peter's protectiveness considering that she was more than capable of protecting herself. It was kind of cute to see Peter be so protective over her.
"Okay…so there's a lot of creeps on the subway. I'll give you that." Peter admitted quietly to her but Emma just smirked at him.
"Don't worry, Peter, I brought my knife with me. That asshole makes one wrong move and he's gonna get a knife through the heart." Emma told Peter, looking like she was a bit excited at the prospect of the man attacking her so she could retaliate. Peter stared at her in disbelief even though he didn't know why he was surprised. Of course Emma would bring a knife with her. She brought a knife with her everywhere.
"You brought a knife on our date?" Peter asked in a hushed voice, seeming a little alarmed.
"Of course, I did. Knives are my preferred choice of weapon. You know that." Emma told Peter as if it were nothing. "Papa loves knives too. He actually made me the one I'm carrying…maybe he can make you one someday too? I'd make you one but he's way better at it than I am." Peter just shook his head at her but he was more amused with his girlfriend than anything else. He had to admit he was a little curious see how Emma interacted with her father. Peter knew that Emma and her father were probably not the most common example of a father and daughter. Most fathers and daughters didn't bond over knives after all.
"Um…no thanks. I think I'm fine with the one you gave me." Peter told Emma, not sure if it would be cool to have a knife made by the Winter Soldier or a little creepy. "Has anyone ever told you that you're incredibly paranoid?" Peter asked her and Emma shrugged.
"Nope. Just you." Emma replied before smirking at him and Peter playfully rolled his eyes at her. " So where are we going anyways?"
"Macy's." Peter replied as the conversation shifted away from knives and subway creeps. Emma raised an eyebrow because she was actually surprised Peter had told her where they were going.
"Macy's? Like the department store?" Emma asked in confusion.
"Is there any other Macy's?" Peter threw back at her before smiling, looking very excited for some reason unknown to Emma. "Besides…this Macy's is the most famous Macy's in the world."
"Okay but why exactly are we going to Macy's?" Emma questioned but Peter didn't say anything. He just continued smiling at her with an excited gleam in his brown eyes. Somehow Emma didn't have a good feeling about this.
"This is so stupid." Emma muttered as they waited in a long line inside the famous department store. Peter just grinned at her. Macy's was fully decked out in Christmas decorations that even Emma had to admit looked quite amazing. Christmas displays were littered through out the store, proving that Christmas shopping was more fun than normal shopping. Well, Emma supposed that's what Macy's hoped for business wise. The line they were waiting in, however, was filled with kids and their parents. Emma glanced down in annoyance at a little boy who was talking about how he was going to ask Santa for a Kylo Ren lightsaber. The kid talked a mile a minute and Emma wondered if that's what Peter had been like when he was that young. If he was then Emma was sure that she wouldn't have been friends with him.
"Come on, it's going to be fun." Peter reassured her and Emma looked at him like he was stupid.
"It's going to be lame." Emma shot back as she looked in distaste at a middle aged man decked out in a Santa Clause suit, sitting in a chair and surrounded by bored looking college students dressed as elves. "I can't believe I agreed to this."
"Well, you did." Peter reminded her smugly and Emma glared at him.
"Only because it was either this or going to build-a-bear workshop. I'm not going to let you pay fifty dollars for some stupid stuffed bear that I have to make myself. That's like throwing money out the window." Emma told him. She still couldn't believe she had even agreed to do this Santa Clause thing but Peter has insisted after she admitted to never talking to a mall Santa. Emma was slowly starting to think she was better off letting Peter pay for an overpriced bear. She didn't even know why the store was letting her do this. Well, maybe it was because Peter gave them some sob story about how she was a military brat that spent years overseas and never gotten the chance to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas. He was getting a little too good at lying. Emma was starting to think that she had finally corrupted him.
"Just relax, Emma. It's not a big deal." Peter told her, trying to calm her down but Emma ignored him.
"Don't you think it's a little strange that this old man has a job that requires little kids to sit on his lap? I question the parenting skills of these kids' parents who'd let their kids sit on some weird old man's lap." Emma said casually and Peter looked around fearfully, worried that one of the parents standing in line might've heard her.
"Emma, don't say that so loudly." Peter whispered loudly to her but Emma just continued like she didn't hear him.
"I'm just saying that it sounds like a pedophile's dream job." Emma remarked as she continued talking about her opinion of Santa Clause. "I just wonder if Macy checks these guys out to make sure they don't hire pedophiles. I mean, who else would want to dress up in that ridiculous looking red suit all day and listen to a bunch of spoiled brats ask for stupid junk?"
"I don't know…maybe someone who enjoys the spirit of Christmas." Peter suggested and Emma just scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, right. I'm sure he totally enjoys getting paid minimum wage at his age too." Emma said cynically before glancing back at Peter. "You know, I also find it weird how much my boyfriend wants me to sit on some other guy's lap."
"Stop making a big deal out of this." Peter told the blonde. "All you have to do is tell him what you want for Christmas and we can leave." Emma then smirked at Peter as she suddenly leaned in closer to him and he knew she was definitely up to something. It seemed like Emma always had a few tricks up her sleeves to get out of things. Peter blushed as he swallowed nervously.
"Of course, I could always just sit on your lap and tell you what I want for Christmas instead." Emma flirted as she looked at him from under her lashes. Peter nodded slowly, a little caught off guard by her bold and flirtatious statement. Whenever Emma flirted with him like that she really seemed to get his heart racing and his mind just went blank.
"Okay." He said without thinking. Peter's eyes then widened in realization when he realized what she was trying to do. "Wait-No! You're not getting out of this one, Emma." Emma frowned when she realized that Peter wasn't going to give her what she wanted. She sighed.
"Fine. It was worth a shot, I guess." Emma muttered as she went back to glaring at Santa Clause.
"Just behave yourself and tell Santa what you want." Peter said as he bossed her around. Emma knew that Peter was probably the only one she let tell her what to do. Mostly because she found him attractive when he tried to boss her around.
"Yes, Dad." Emma said sarcastically before giving Peter a dark look. "But if Santa tries grabbing my boob or ass Santa's gonna die." Peter rolled his eyes.
"If Santa touches you inappropriately then I'll kill him." Peter told her but it was clear he was only joking. Emma feigned a surprised look.
"Wow, Parker, death threats? Maybe I really have corrupted you." Emma teased and Peter just laughed.
"Next!" One of the elves called out and Emma realized it was her turn to go sit on the old man's lap. Gross. The idea of sitting on an old man's lap didn't really appeal to Emma for obvious reasons but she didn't want to explain to Peter why she wasn't comfortable. That and Emma didn't want to be weak. She already let enough of her past haunt her with the nightmares and flashbacks. That part of her past didn't control her. An idea then occurred to Emma as she stared at Santa who was smiling and waving at her. How the hell did someone smile that much? God, it was fucking depressing. She'd love more than anything to wipe that stupid jovial look off his face. A smirk slowly formed over her face as Emma came up with an idea.
"Wait…I know that look." Peter said as he noticed the evil look on his girlfriend's face. She was up to something…she was always up to something. Peter pretended like it bothered him when in reality it fascinated him. "Why do you look so evil? What are you up to?" Emma just gave him an innocent look as she began walking over to Santa.
"Nothing, Peter. I'm just going to go tell Santa what I want for Christmas." Emma said softly and Peter watched as she plastered a smile on her face to greet Santa. A part of Peter wondered if she really was going to murder Santa but he knew this was probably something far worse.
"Well, you're a little older than the other kids." Santa said to Emma as he smiled up at her and Emma raised an eyebrow at the old man.
"Are you disappointed?" Emma asked and Santa gave her a confused look.
"What?"
"Nothing." Emma said quickly before sitting on Santa's lap. Emma probably could've just stood there instead of sitting on Santa's lap if she wanted to but she had something completely genius in mind. Peter fidgeted with the sleeve of his coat nervously because he knew she was definitely up to something this time.
"So tell me, young lady, what is it that you want for Christmas?" Santa asked her and Emma just smiled innocently before leaning in to whisper what she wanted in his ear. Peter watched curiously as the happy and jolly expression on Santa's face quickly morphed into one of shock and horror. When Emma finished she happily hopped off the old man's lap without a care in the world.
"Security!" Santa called as he stared at the young girl with wide eyes. Peter stared in confusion at a gleeful looking Emma and a disgusted looking Santa Clause. What did she tell him? Before Peter could give anymore thought to it, two burly looking security guards came up to Emma and Santa. The other parents in line also looked at the scene with confusion.
"Have this girl and that young man over there escorted out of the store." Santa told the security guards as Emma looked at them with an innocent expression on her face. "They're causing trouble."
The security guards leaned in so that Santa could them more details privately. When Santa told them whatever it was that Emma said, the security guards' eyes widened briefly before they nodded. They waved Peter over and Peter had no choice but to go over to where his girlfriend and the security guards were standing. He couldn't help but notice how Santa gave him the dirtiest look he had ever seen.
"I'm afraid we're going to have to escort you and your friend out of the store, sir." One of the security guards told him and Peter furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Why? What did we do?" Peter questioned. The security guard gave him a disgusted look.
"I think you know what you did, young man." The burly looking man told him coldly. Peter looked at Emma for clarification but she just continued doing that thing she did whenever she pretended like she was completely innocent. Santa shook his head at Peter and never did Peter feel more like a criminal than he did in that moment.
"You're a terrible influence on that young girl." Santa told him in a disappointed voice. "This is not a place for that kind of filth, young man. This is Macy's…a national treasure of this great nation." The security guards then placed a hand on his back and began to escort Peter away from Santa. Peter threw a bewildered look in Emma's direction and noticed that she was quite calm despite the security guard escorting her away. What the hell did she say? The security guards finally escorted them outside the store and gave the two teenagers stern looks.
"This a store for families. There's kids here, guys. They don't need to be hearing that kind of nastiness." One of the security guards told them, sounding tired and exhausted. They probably worked long hours during the holiday season. "This is a place of moral integrity and class."
"My boyfriend and I are truly sorry." Emma said softly, looking apologetic but the security guards still had grim looks on their faces.
"Even so, Miss, I'm afraid that we can't have you in here again. Macy's doesn't tolerate that kind of lewd behavior and we certainly don't tolerate that kind of language." The security guard told her and the other one looked at Peter suspiciously.
"I don't know why you did it or if…someone put you up to it but we just can't have that kind of stuff in the store." The other one said as he basically accused Peter of being behind all of this. Peter was bewildered and clueless as to why the security guards and even Santa had looked at him like that. No one had ever looked at Peter like that…the kind of look that told Peter that they clearly thought he was a troublemaker. No one thought that about him before but of course that before he met Emma.
"If we ever see you in the store again we'll have to call your parents and I'm pretty sure neither of you want that to happen." His partner told them sternly and Emma nodded.
"Of course." Emma said shortly and the two men nodded in response, moving to go back into the store but not because giving Peter one last judgemental look. Peter then turned to Emma with a questioning look on his face. What just happened?
"What the hell was that?" Peter questioned and Emma just shrugged as she began walking down the street as if nothing had happened.
"It was nothing really." Emma said nonchalantly.
"That was not just nothing!" Peter exclaimed. "We just got kicked out of a department store and probably banned for life."
"Don't be so dramatic, Parker." Emma remarked but Peter was still more confused than ever.
"What did you say to Santa, Emma? Why was Santa looking at me like I was the devil?" Peter questioned and Emma smirked, a mischievous look in her eyes. Well, that was never a good sign.
"I don't know why they were so upset. I just told Santa what I wanted for Christmas." Emma said innocently but Peter knew her better than that. She was fully aware of what she did wrong but it was Peter that didn't really know what.
"Well, what did you tell him you wanted?" Peter asked her in confusion, clearly perplexed by Emma's antics. She then stopped him in the middle of the street with that same evil look on her face. Why was she so pretty when she looked like that? Emma leaned in close and whispered into Peter's ear.
"I told him that I wanted my boyfriend to eat me out." Emma whispered suggestively and Peter stumbled back away from her, his face a vibrant shade of red. He stared at her wide eyed as she started laughing at the look on his face.
"W-what are y-you even t-talking about?!" Peter stuttered as he looked at her in shock. Out of everything that Emma could've possibly said that was the last thing he expected to hear. Emma thought the look on Peter's face was priceless.
"Come on, Parker, don't be like that. I was only kidding." Emma told Peter, rolling her eyes at him like he was the one being ridiculous. "It's not my fault they can't take a joke."
"Emma, you mean to say that you actually said that to Santa?!" Peter said as he started panicking. "Oh my god and they thought I told you to say that, didn't they? That's why Santa looked at me like I was a disgusting person."
"I thought perverted Santa would get off on hearing that. How was I supposed to know he'd get pissed?" Emma told him. "I think Santa should encourage a guy to take care of his girlfriend. That's the jolly thing to do." Peter glared at her.
"You're a terrible person. Now everyone in Macy thinks I'm the disgusting pervert that told my girlfriend to say sexually explicit things to Santa." Peter complained, looking quite embarrassed. "I'm definitely going to get a sack of coal this year…a really, really big sack of coal." Emma gave him an amused look.
"You know Santa's not real, right? May filled you in on that fact, didn't she?" Emma teased and Peter continued to glare at her although this time it was much more playful. He couldn't stay mad at Emma. It was just all too impossible to stay mad at her especially when she was just being her evil and trouble making self. Peter was fully aware of the fact that his girlfriend was a little evil but he loved that about her.
"You're going to be on the naughty list." Peter told her and by the smirk on his face she thought he might've even been flirting with her. She gave him a slightly surprised look.
"Are you actually flirting with me, Peter Parker?" Emma asked, humor gleaming in her blue eyes. "What would Santa say?" Peter just wrapped an arm around her as they continued to walk down the street.
"Santa's not here." Emma just smiled, delighted that Peter had a very flirtatious side to him when he was provoked. She leaned into his side comfortably as they resumed walking. Peter just kept surprising her every day and Emma loved it.
"Huh…it doesn't look like it did in the movie." Peter said as he looked around the famous jewelry store. It was after lunch that Emma and Peter wandered over to Tiffany's out of curiosity. So far they had taken a walk down fifth avenue and Peter had even taken her ice skating which was something Steve had never gotten her to do. Emma thought Peter should consider himself special because of that. Peter also managed to convince Emma to never tell anyone what she told Santa. Emma promised him that she wouldn't tell the others but she knew when the rest of the Avengers came back she would definitely tell Steve. Steve getting all red faced and uptight was a sight Emma found absolutely hilarious.
"No, it doesn't." Emma agreed as she frowned looking over all the cases of jewelry. "It actually looks too modern for me. This is kind of disappointing…I thought it would look like it did in the sixties. I mean, they had an entire movie centered around this store so you'd think they would milk that for all it's worth by having the same decorum as back then."
"Yeah, I don't really picture Audrey Hepburn in this place." Peter said as the two teenagers began walking around the store. "You know, I thought there would be way more people wearing fur shawls and fancy hats."
"And not middle aged guys wearing Nike sneakers and khakis?" Emma commented as she looked at a couple guys that strongly reminded her of Scott Lang for some reason. Maybe that was because she imagined both Lang and these men to be the type to tell lame dad jokes. In all honesty sometimes Steve told lame dad jokes too.
"Yeah, it's kind of disappointing in comparison." Peter said as they glanced down at an assortment of beautiful jewelry in one of the glass cases. Emma stared at the necklace and felt a bit disappointed that she wasn't more impressed. She didn't know what she thought would happen when walked into Tiffany's. Emma just assumed that she would naturally become transfixed with that one special necklace like Audrey Hepburn did in the movie. Maybe it was because Emma didn't really have an interest in jewelry. That was probably it.
"Anything stand out to you?" Peter said jokingly as they walked along all the glass cases much like Holly and Paul had done in the movie.
"Not really…so many diamonds though." Emma said before a teasing smile came across her face as she glanced back at Peter. "Of course personally, I think it would be tacky to wear diamonds before I'm forty." Peter laughed at her perfect impression of Audrey Hepburn.
"Are you actually being funny?" Peter questioned as he smiled at how carefree she looked when she was being lighthearted and happy. Emma scoffed.
"I can be funny…just like when I told Santa what I wanted for Christmas. That was funny." Emma retorted and Peter shook his head in amusement.
"That's only funny to you because you like causing trouble. You're like a female Loki." Peter told Emma and the blonde smirked at him.
"Does that mean you're physically attracted to Loki as well since I'm apparently the female version of him?" She teased and Peter just playfully glared at her.
"No, because for one he's a guy and two he's like an intergalactic terrorist." Peter then had a look of nonchalance on his face as he started to discreetly, or as discreetly as he could, pry for answers. "Are you physically attracted to Loki?" Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Ew, no. He's like a million years old and not to mention he looks like a young Severus Snape." Emma told Peter. "Seriously, Thor should tell his brother to wash his hair once in a while. If you're going to take over the world you need to keep up appearances. Gross looking hair and a pasty complexion won't make people worship you."
"Only you can criticize an evil villain's appearance." Peter joked before giving her a curious look. "So you don't think he's attractive or anything?" Emma gave Peter an amused smile, suddenly very interested in Peter's current behavior.
"Are you jealous, Parker?" Emma asked him and he blushed, suddenly looking very shy. "Because you're way hotter than Loki." Peter looked up at her hopefully.
"Really?" He asked her and Emma nodded.
"It's no contest. Loki doesn't even come close to you. " Emma reassured him and she was being completely honest. She found it to be even a little silly for Peter to think she found Loki more attractive than him. Gross. The guy was super old and not even half as attractive to Emma as Peter was. Emma even inwardly shuddered at the thought.
"Thanks." Peter murmured shyly as he avoided her gaze. Her eyes gleamed with amusement as a small smile came over her face at how adorable he was. Yeah, Loki definitely had nothing on him.
They were quiet for a moment as they silently explored the jewelry store. Emma thought that the employees might've been more snobbish about a couple of teenagers in the store but apparently Tiffany's seemed to be a popular tourist stop so it was like they were expecting all kinds of people to drop in. No one seemed to mind the fact that two teenagers were aimlessly wandering around the store. Emma felt Peter's gaze on her but didn't say anything until she started feeling like he had something to say.
"What is it?" Emma said without looking up.
"I want to get you something from here." Peter said suddenly and Emma looked up at him in surprise. It was seldom that anything surprised her but Emma was genuinely surprised in that moment.
"What are you talking about?" Emma asked him, a look of confusion on her face. Peter just smiled at her.
"I want to get you something from Tiffany's." Peter told her as if it were that obvious. Emma just shook her in disbelief.
"Are you high, Parker? Tiffany's is like the most expensive jewelry store in the world." Emma said before a mischievous look came over her face. "Of course we could always use Tony's credit card and see how long it takes him before he notices a five thousand dollar charge." Peter shook his head, seeming very determined as he looked at her.
"No, I want to buy you something with my money." Peter said and the smile fell off Emma's face.
"Don't be crazy, Peter. I'm not letting you spend money on me and besides…I doubt there's anything that a fifteen year old could afford at Tiffany's." Emma pointedly told her very defiant looking boyfriend. Peter smirked at her.
"You're always saying how you'd use men for their money if you had to so just this once use me for my money." Peter threw back at her and Emma glared at him.
"Yeah, I'd use Tony for his money but I wouldn't use you. We both know that I'm not with you because of your money." Emma told him and Peter just shook his head in amusement at her.
"Well, I've saved some money up from tutoring and I want to get you something." Emma couldn't believe how stubborn Peter was being. It was odd because a few months ago she wouldn't have cared whether or not he wasted his money on her but now it suddenly seemed to bother her. She guessed that's what love did to people. It made them care about other people instead of just themselves.
"Then let Tony pay for it. We've been having a lot of fun throwing his money away on junk food and other ridiculous stuff." Emma said as she tried to appeal to his more humorous side. She didn't think it would work that well seeing as she was the only one who thought it was fun making fun of Tony and spending his money. "Tiffany's would be the icing on the cake and if you want we can even see how much money we can spend before we max out his credit card."
"But I don't want Tony to pay for it, Emma. I want to buy you something with my own money so it's from me and me alone." Peter told her sincerely with that puppy dog look in his eyes that always drove Emma insane. She could tell he wasn't going to give this up. Emma sighed tiredly before eventually relenting.
"Fine, fine. You can buy me something although I don't know what you'd be able to buy from Tiffany's with a job as a tutor." It sounded like something a snob might've said but Peter knew it was just Emma being her usual blunt and honest self. "Unless you're a secret app developer you're definitely not going to be able to afford anything in here." Peter didn't seem bothered by her remark as he smiled at her, a confident look on his face.
"Ten dollars and under, remember?" Peter told her smugly and Emma gave him a look of disbelief. Oh my god…he was such a dork.
"Are you seriously trying to copy Breakfast at Tiffany's?" Emma questioned. God, it even sounded ridiculous when she said it aloud. Peter just continued to smile at her.
"Yup." Emma shook her head at him.
"You're ridiculous." Emma told him but also smiling at the same time because she couldn't help but be amused by the whole thing. "I hate to break it to you, Parker, but I don't think Tiffany's has anything for under ten dollars. It's not 1961 anymore."
"Well, I'm willing to go up. I have fifty dollars saved." Peter informed her and Emma scoffed.
"You said you've been saving money for a while but you only have fifty dollars saved? I've been pick pocketing the other Avengers and I have five hundred dollars saved." Emma said and for a moment Peter thought she was joking but he could tell she wasn't. Oh, Emma…
"You've been stealing money from the Avengers?" Peter questioned and Emma rolled her eyes.
"It's not like Sam, Rhodey, or Jane actually have any kids or anything. They're rich enough that they don't even notice when they're missing money. It's not like it's my fault if they leave their wallets lying around." Emma defended but Peter just gave her a stern look. Emma groaned. "Fine, Steve. I'll give the money to Barton's kids or something equally as charitable."
"Or you could just give it back to them." Peter told her and Emma smirked at him.
"Now where's the fun in that?" Peter shook his head at her before he grabbed her hand and began to lead her over to the counter where one of the employees was standing. It was an older man that didn't look too different from the guy in the movie. He looked like he had been working at Tiffany's a little too long judging by the look of disdain that came over his face when he saw two teenagers walk up to him. Maybe she was wrong before about Tiffany's not seeming that snobbish.
"May I help you?" The older man asked them once they finally reached the counter. He didn't look like he really wanted to help him but Emma supposed it was his job to ask anyways. Peter flashed the man a friendly smile.
"I was actually hoping to purchase something from here today for my girlfriend." Peter said as he looked over at Emma, adoration in his eyes. The older man looked between the two teenagers, seeming like he wanted to roll his eyes at them.
"Yes and what exactly are you hoping to buy?" The man asked them, causing Peter to turn back to him.
"Something that symbolizes our love for each other." Peter said seriously and the man looked slightly revolted. Emma wondered why the man was working there if he was revolted by couples being affectionate. This was a jewelry store after all. It was filled with mushy couples looking to buy jewelry.
"So a necklace or earrings?" The man drawled in a bored tone.
"Nothing with diamonds." Emma told the man just as serious as Peter had been. "Only snobby assholes wear diamonds." The man raised an eyebrow at Emma and Peter stifled a laugh. Yeah, it was clear to Peter that Emma was no Audrey Hepburn but he was completely fine with that.
"So what are you interested in then? Pearls? Rubies? Sapphire?" He questioned and Emma leaned forward against the counter with an interested look on her face.
"You wouldn't happen to sell knives here, would you?" Emma asked him and the man gave the teenager an odd look. Peter laughed nervously.
"She's just kidding." Peter reassured him before bringing the topic back to jewelry. "We were just hoping for something romantic."
"Well, what's your budget?" The man asked them and Peter blushed while Emma just smirked. Oh, this was going to be good. She now understood the humor and amusement behind Holly and Paul's antics in Tiffany's.
"Fifty dollars." Peter admitted and the man's eyes widened in disbelief. His surprised look then quickly morphed into one of anger and annoyance.
"Fifty dollars?!" He questioned, glaring at the two teenagers. "This isn't Breakfast at Tiffany's! What?! You think you two brats are the first ones to come in here and ask me what you can buy for ten dollars?" Emma was amused at how the man became so angry that has face turned from red to purple. He sort of reminded her of Ross in that way.
"I've worked here for fifteen years and frankly I'm tired of condescending little brats like you who come in here and think you can make some grand romantic gesture-" The man continued to rant until he was interrupted by a younger woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had a kind face and looked genuinely amused by her coworker's outburst.
"Okay, Kyle, you can stop scaring these poor kids now." The woman told her coworker before smiling at Emma and Peter. The man seemed exasperated as he looked between the two teenagers and his coworker.
"But Monica they want to-" He started to say but Monica held a hand up to silence him.
"It's fine, Kyle, I can handle the kids while you go help that elderly couple over there. The husband wants to buy a very expensive diamond necklace for his wife." Monica informed him and Emma glanced over at Peter.
"Audrey Hepburn was right. Only old people wear diamonds." Emma whispered to him and Peter chuckled.
"Fine, I'll go assist the couple." Kyle said heatedly before glaring at the two teenagers. "But I'll have you know that I really hate children." The older man then stormed off in a huff. Emma just watched him in amusement before her eyes returned to the lady behind the counter. Monica, wasn't it?
"Sorry about Kyle. He's a little tightly wound." Monica said, apologizing for her coworker's behavior.
"No kidding." Emma said sarcastically and the older woman smiled at the both of them.
"So you two are looking to buy something for under fifty dollars? Like Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard?" Monica inquired and Peter nodded furiously.
"Yes, something hopefully romantic." Peter replied.
"Well, we don't have a lot for under fifty dollars." Monica told them.
"So what do you have then?" Peter asked her and Monica looked amused at the two kids as she brought out a wine glass from inside the glass display case. A lot of the time the work at Tiffany's was fairly boring with the same average wealthy couples looking for jewelry to show off but every now and then there was some highlights. Monica knew this cute teenage couple was definitely going to be a highlight of her day.
"We have a wine glass for twenty five dollars. A really nice wine glass I might add." Monica said as both Emma and Peter observed the rather plain looking wine glass. Emma wondered what the difference was between this wine glass and one purchased at Target. Probably just the name. You were always paying for the name with Tiffany's.
"We don't drink." Peter told her.
"We could always steal from Uncle Tony's liquor cabinet." Emma joked although to those who didn't know her it was difficult to tell that she was, in fact, joking.
"She's joking. We're underage." Peter said as he reassured Monica. The older women smiled faintly before pulling out what looked to be a pad of paper.
"So there's also this nice, quality notepad for thirty five dollars." Monica informed them and Emma inspected the notepad carefully.
"It could be a thoughtful gift. I like sketching after all." Emma remarked but Peter didn't seem convinced.
"It's still not what we're looking." Peter told Monica and the older woman nodded before pulling out yet another object. This time it was a key chain with a gold colored charm on it that said Tiffany and Co.
"Lastly, our signature key chain for forty five dollars." Monica said and Peter frowned at the sight of the small key chain. This definitely hadn't been what he had in mind although he didn't why he was surprised everything was so expensive at Tiffany's. It was Tiffany's after all.
"Not that all these aren't great or anything but there not really romantic either. They don't really express my love for her." Peter told Monica as politely as he could. More than anything Emma was just amused by how cheesy Peter could be whenever he told people how much he loved her. He certainly didn't seem shy when it came to talking about his love for her. Not that Emma minded. No, for once she didn't think she minded a public declaration of love.
"It's honestly all we have available in your price range." An idea then popped inside Peter's head and an excited look came over his face. Emma narrowed her eyes. She knew that look. Peter only got that excited when he'd finally gotten his way or when he was well on his way to getting his way.
"What about an engraving? Like the one Holly and Paul got in the movie." Peter suggested and Monica looked mildly amused. Emma gave her boyfriend a curious look. Just where was he going with this?
"An engraving costs fifty dollars for the first ten letters and then ten dollars for every letter after." Monica informed them. "Although you kind of need something to have engraved. And Kid? I hate to break it to you but they don't really give prizes away in Cracker Jack boxes unless you want a pencil topper engraved."
Peter blushed because he realized Monica was right. He didn't actually have anything to be engraved. Paul in the movie had a ring from a Cracker Jack box but Peter didn't even have that. A confident look came over Emma's face as she wordlessly set an object down on the counter. Peter glanced down in surprise because he knew what that object was. It was her grandfather's compass.
"What about this? Can we have this engraved?" Emma asked Monica and the older woman curiously glanced at the compass before picking it up and inspecting it.
"It shouldn't be a problem. I've engraved a couple compasses before although it's not a very common thing to have engraved." Monica told her and Emma gave her a serious look.
"Well, it's special." Emma replied and Peter just widened his eyes at Emma, not believing that she was actually asking to have her grandfather's compass engraved. Peter knew how special that compass was to her. He just couldn't comprehend what she was getting at by suggesting that they have it engraved.
"We can't have that engraved, Emma. It's too important to you." Peter told her nervously as she just stared back at him with those pretty ocean blue eyes of hers. "I mean, it's your grandfather's compass after all."
"You're important to me too." She told him quietly, even seeming a bit shy. A smile came across Peter's face because he knew how hard it was for her to express her affection. This told him that she really did love him. Monica sighed happily as she watched the two teenagers who were obviously in love. They were so cute.
"So a ten letter engraving?" Monica inquired, getting their attention. Peter looked back at Monica before glancing back at Emma.
"If you're okay with it?" He asked her, wanting to make sure that she was okay with having the compass engraved. An engraving was pretty permanent. In all honesty Emma knew she was sure about the engraving because she knew she could never love another person like she loved Peter. It was all so fast and overwhelming but she was sure of that. Emma didn't think she was even capable of falling in love in the first place so she sincerely doubted she could ever love anyone other than Peter. The feeling both terrified and thrilled her at the same time.
"I'm sure, Peter." Emma told him and Peter looked back at Monica, a goofy smile on his face.
"Ten letter engraving it is then."
It took Peter about fifteen minutes before he decided on what he wanted the engraving to say. Emma was a little annoyed that Peter didn't let her see what it was but he said it was going to be a surprise that would have to wait until Christmas. He seemed to love ignoring the fact that she hated surprises. Emma just hoped that he didn't have something stupid engraved like a quote from Star Wars. She'd probably kill him if he did that. Peter had just finished paying for the engraving and Emma felt weird about that. She never felt weird about people spending money on her before but with Peter it felt weird. Of course, how many girls her age could say that their boyfriend had gotten them something from Tiffany's. Probably none.
"It'll be ready by Friday, guys." Monica told them and Peter smiled back at her.
"Thanks." The older woman just winked at the young couple.
"Not a problem. Stay cute, you guys." Monica told them and Peter linked his arm through Emma's as they began to walk towards the exit of the store. Emma gave him a look that was a combination of annoyance and frustration.
"If it'll be ready by Friday then why can't I see what the engraving is on Friday?" Emma asked her boyfriend and the teenage boy gave her a slightly teasing look, seeming very pleased with himself.
"Because it's part of your Christmas present." Peter informed her and Emma groaned before giving him a look of disbelief.
"Part of my Christmas present? Really?" Emma questioned but Peter didn't seem fazed by her disbelief. He gave her that same adoring look that always caused Emma's heart to race while he smiled softly at her at the same time.
"You deserve everything, Emma, and I'm going to spoil you." Peter told her determinedly and Emma blushed at the determination in his brown eyes.
"You don't need to buy my love, Peter. You already have it." Emma told him softly and Peter also blushed, swallowing nervously.
"You're my girlfriend and I love you. If I want to buy you things then I can." Peter said as they passed a glass case containing a beautiful necklace that probably weighed a ton given all the diamonds that encompassed it. The necklace looked quite similar to the one Audrey Hepburn had eyed in the movie.
"Someday I'm going to buy you a necklace like that." Peter promised his girlfriend as he pointed out the necklace in the glass case. Emma felt incredibly warm inside from Peter's promise because he sounded so sure of himself. Like he thought he'd stick around long enough to buy her something ridiculous like that. Emma tried to gather her bearings as she thought about how to respond to something like that.
"Just because I'm a girl it doesn't mean that I want my boyfriend to buy me jewelry." Emma told Peter, pretending as though she hadn't been affected by his promise but Peter knew better. He could see how beautiful she looked when she blushed. It was nice to know that he could actually make her blush like she made him blush. "It's also a little sexist to assume that. Maybe I'll buy you a pretty necklace instead. What do you think, Parker? Are you a diamond kind of boy or an afternoon pearls one?"
"Whatever but I'm going to buy you things whether you like it or not, Rogers." Peter told her firmly and Emma gave him a slightly impressed look.
"You're resorting to using my last name now?" Emma questioned jokingly and Peter scoffed.
"Why do you seem so bothered? You always call me by my last name." Peter retorted but Emma just shook her head and smiled. Peter leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss against the top of her head. Despite Emma saying that she didn't care for jewelry or for Peter to buy her things, she did actually feel giddy about his promise. Not because she wanted anything materialistic from him but because he obviously thought they were going to be together for a long time if he was promising to buy her expensive things. Peter obviously saw a future with Emma and that made her more than happy.