PETER
"This is going to sting more than the water did. I'm sorry. Just please try not to move. Bit on this if you need." Scarlett hands me a towel to bite on.
"No, I'm good… I'm good. Just do what you have to do." I say bravely. Towel still in my hand, I rest it at my side, watching her pouring the alcohol on another towel.
"Ready tough guy?" She asks, a slight tease in her voice. I nod.
"Ahhh!" I scream in pain and my towel flies up to my mouth and I bite on it as she presses her towel on my side.
"Sorry!" Scarlet cries and pulls the alcohol and blood-soaked towel back. "Sorry…"
"No, no, you're fine… it just stings… a lot." I tell her, taking quick deep breaths, trying to breathe through the pain.
"It's okay. I'm all done. I just have to apply the bandages now." She says softly. Her calloused yet soft hands move deftly over my skin, numbing my skin and stitching together the cut, applying gauze, and placing tape around the edges to keep them in place. There is a central gauze pad on the wound on my head, only three layers or so thick, then there's two layers wrapped completely around my head to keep them in place.
"Hey Scarlett?" I ask cautiously.
"Yes, Peter?" She says sweetly.
"Can I stay here tonight? Aunt May would freak if she saw all this…" I motion to the bandages on my head.
"Of course, you can. You're always welcome to stay here. I'll change the sheets and let you sleep here on the bed and I'll take the couch."
I've always loved how she sacrificed her comfort or safety for others.
"No… Stay with me. There's enough room for two." I pat the other side of her full-size bed.
She hands me one of the many shirts I've left over at her apartment over the years and I slowly put it on, careful not to tear the stitches. I sit in her desk chair and spin in circles as she changes the sheets and grabs and extra pillow and blanket for me. I climb into the bed and get comfortable as she goes to the bathroom and changes into her pajamas, which happens to be one of my t-shirts and a pair of shorts, and pulled her red locks into a messy bun on top of her head.
"Sorry I stole one of your shirts." She apologizes shyly. "It's the only thing I had. All my sleep shirts are in the wash."
"No, it's okay. It looks good on you." I compliment her and she lightly blushed. I pull back the blanket she's going to use and use a patting motion to invite her to lay down.
It's not like we haven't slept like this before. We have done it multiple times. Totally platonic. It usually happens when she has her visions or can't sleep. I'd always cuddle with her and comfort her, always using a separate blanket than her so nothing more would happen. I scooch closer to her, wrapping my arm around her waist and stare into her vibrant green eyes. Swirls of baby blue cloud them but I'm sure they're just from her worrying so much about me. I kiss her forehead and she nuzzles into my neck and we fall asleep, just like that.
SCARLETT
I awake the next morning to find the other side of the bed empty but the bed was made instead of the blankets folded neatly like Peter does when he has to leave. Peter must still be here. I get out of bed and walk to the kitchen where Peter is, mixing bowls, pancake batter, and flour just about everywhere.
"O-oh h-hey Scarlett…" He says somewhat nervously when he turns around and sees me leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. His hair is still tangled up from last night's sleep.
"Care to explain, Parker?" I ask him, motioning to the mess in the kitchen.
"I-I'll clean it up I promise! I was just trying to make you breakfast… You know… as a 'thanks for patching me up and sorry I lied about being Spiderman for the past eight months' thing."
I roll my eyes and walk over to him. "Here, let me show you how to make pancakes."
"No, it's fine Scar I'll figure it out." He says confidently but I know he's anything but.
"You're going to burn down the kitchen Peter. Or at least cover the entire thing in batter. Come on… Pleeeeeaassee let me help?" I beg lightly.
He looks at me and sighs. "Oh, fine." He hands me the bowl with some batter left in it and I take out a ladle from the drawer next to the stove.
"If you use a ladle, it's easier for you to get evenly sized pancakes and it'll be less of a mess instead of pouring it over the side of the bowl." I show him. "Also, if you turn up the heat a little, to about level six, they'll cook a little faster and more evenly. There's a hot spot on this burner, meaning a part of the pan will be hotter than the other so you have to be careful and watch carefully so it doesn't burn."
Peter watches and listens intently to everything I do and say. He looks like a little kid watching one of those silly little informational videos my dad made. Because, you know, if it's coming from Captain America, it's gotta be good and you've gotta listen to every single word, right?
Peter eventually tells me to go get ready for school and that he thinks he understands how to make pancakes now. I laugh and hand over the bowl and ladle and head to my closet to find something to wear.
Today's outfit consists of a black tank with white music notes across the bottom, starting from the middle and curving up the left side and around the back, stopping at the right shoulder. I pair it with some black leggings and high-heeled ankle length boots and do my normal make up, but this time adding some maroon lipstick. I decide to do a half-up half-down hair style and pin it in the back with a small gold butterfly clip.
I walk back into the kitchen and lean over the bar counter.
"Smells good, Peter." I say and he jumps a little.
"Geez Scar don't scare me like that." He turns around and smiles at me. "You look good today."
"Thanks." I smile back at him and grab a plate, already piled with three pancakes, two pads of butter, and drizzled with blueberry syrup. "Prepared just how I like them. You know me so well." I comment happily.
"Well, it would be kind of sad if your best friend of fifteen years didn't know how you liked your pancakes prepared." He states somewhat sarcastically.
I laugh and he comes and joins me on the stool next to me and eats his stack of pancakes as well.
After breakfast, he runs next door and gets ready for school, grabs his suit out of my room, and we head to school together. We decided to take the subway, even though I'm afraid of the subway. Peter holds my hand the entire time.
As we sit next to each other, I look over at him and smile.
'My best friend is Spiderman. I can't believe I didn't notice it before. The voice, the laugh, the stupid but funny jokes, the way he can make me laugh no matter what I was feeling like… It's hard to believe I almost kissed him that night. Had I known it was Peter, I would have never done it… Would I? I mean, I wouldn't mind knowing what it's like to kiss those luscious lips of his, and have one of his hands around my waist and one in my hair…"
I get lost in my thoughts about Peter.
"Scarlett? Are you okay?" Peter asks worriedly, snapping me out of my mental conversation.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Why?" I try my best to cover.
"Nothing you just seemed a little lost in your own thoughts."
"Oh okay… Just thinking about that Spanish quiz today…" I lie.
"Mkay… Not sure I believe you but okay." Peter shrugs and looks out the window of the subway car as it slows to a stop.
Peter and I walk into the school building and are bombarded with bright colors all over the walls in the form of banners, posters, and streamers. Homecoming. One week from Friday is Homecoming. I'm not going. I'd rather be training than going to some party wearing an itchy and sparkly dress and painful heels. Sparring with Bucky or having a movie night is so much more fun than Homecoming.
"Hey guys!" Ned comes up to Peter and I, MJ trailing behind him.
"Hey Ned. Hi MJ." I greet with a smile. Peter just waves.
"Hey, are you guys going to homecoming? I hear the theme this year is supposed to be awesome!" Ned asks excitedly.
"I'm not. But I'm sure peter is. He'd never skip out on a party." I nudge Peter's side with my elbow.
"Come on Scarlett! You have to go! Please don't leave me alone with these to dorks." MJ jokingly pleads.
"I don't even have a dress! Or shoes or a date or anything like that." I explain, trying to make excuses.
"We'll be your date." Ned says, motioning to him and MJ.
"Ha-ha thanks Ned but I still don't have a dress. Or shoes." I say half-heartedly.
"I'll take you shopping tomorrow after school. Do you guys want to come too?" MJ offers and asks Peter and Ned.
"I'm in." Peter says after giving it a moment of thought. Ned agrees as well.
I glare at Peter. "Fine." I give in. "I'll go."
MJ claps excitedly. "You're sure to be the Belle of the Ball. Just you wait." She promises.
Just then, Liz Allan walks by, sending a gentle wave to Peter.
"Hey Liz! Wait up!" Peter calls after her and runs away towards the tall Queen Bee of Midtown.
Ned pipes up. "He asked her to Homecoming on Monday. You should have seen his reaction. He was so excited."
"Yeah, I bet…" I say, a twinge of sadness in my voice. I don't know why but it kind of hurts to see Peter with Liz.
"You okay Scarlett?" MJ asks.
"Yeah I'm fine. It's nothing. Um, I have to go get my stuff for class… I'll talk to you guys later." I mumble and force a smile and walk away to my locker.
The rest of the day is all a mumble. I don't remember what I learned in my first few classes of the day and in art class, I couldn't draw anything. I had no inspiration. Finally, lunch time came around and I wasn't hungry so I went to the art room to relax. Well, mostly to avoid my friends.
"You okay Miss Rockwell?" I hear Mrs. Lancer ask as she sets down a few large jars of paint on her work bench.
"Just some friendship things Mrs. L. I'll be fine." I say, not taking my gaze off the view of the courtyard before me. I had been staring out the window for the past ten minutes.
"Want to talk about it?" She asks.
"I just… I don't understand Peter sometimes." I begin.
"Ah, the infamous Peter Parker eh? What did he do this time?"
"Asked Liz Allan to homecoming, not giving a flying fuck about how I would feel about it. He always asks before he makes a decision like that. He didn't even tell me. Ned did. Now I have to pretend to be all happy and shit when I'm not. I'm not happy Mrs. Lancer."
"Scarlett… Hon, I'm sorry. Why don't you tell Peter that him being with Liz makes you unhappy?"
"I can't! He's happy with her and that's all that matters. If he's happy." I say, on the verge of tears.
"What about your happiness? Scarlett, are you sure you don't have feelings for him? Feelings that are more than friends?" She questions.
"I don't get happiness! And no…I don't know… I mean… I don't know if I have feelings for him and if I do then it's going to get me hurt more than I already am so I'd like to keep it at the point where I don't know." I say roughly.
The bell for my next class rings. I quickly wipe the few rebellious tears off my face and grab my bag. "I have to go. Thanks for talking to me, Mrs. Lancer."
"Anytime." She says softly, opening the door for me to leave. "Oh, and Scarlett? Don't fight it." She gives me those last few words and I turn and walk down the hallway/
I know he likes Liz and was going to ask her to go to homecoming with him. That's why you didn't want to go, remember? But you can't resist Ned and MJ… I guess I'll just do my best and try to forget about these confused feelings,
But there was no denying it. I fell for Spiderman, and now I fell for the one behind the mask. Peter Parker.
I'm in love with my best friend.