Elizabeth rushed out of school. She needed to internship at Oscorp and do her work before going to the 'Back to School Bash' with Peter tonight. Before she stepped off the campus grounds, she heard someone call her name. "Elizabeth!" She stopped and turned around. Flash was running after her. "Hey, are you coming tonight? We're going skinny dipping!"
"Yeah, definitely," Elizabeth said. Bella Allen had told her she was invited during U.S. Government, but it was nice to actually talk to Flash about it. "About that," she started slightly nervously. "I'm bringing Peter tonight. And I don't know if we really told anyone about us, but if you could just take it easy on him ..."
Flash was silent for a second before it hit him. "Oh, yeah. Okay," Flash said, nodding his head. "I haven't outed Tiny McKeever, yet, so you can trust me."
"Fuck," Elizabeth groaned. "Thanks Flash, appreciate it. See you tonight."
Elizabeth hurried to Oscorp, not wanting to be late than what she already was. Norman had been reluctant to let Liz take up the task, it was dangerous and needed a guinea pig - not the heiress to the company - but Elizabeth had insisted. In all honesty, Norman didn't want Liz to even know about the project, but she had overheard and volunteered. Elizabeth's return home had almost been a symbolic door to Norman. New opportunities, new challenges and a new relationship between a father and daughter. But that doesn't mean Norman's willing to throw away Elizabeth's safety to further testing.
Liz actually had returned to New York three weeks ago. After persuading her father to let her attend Midtown Science, Elizabeth had persuaded her to intern at Oscorp. "I have to learn the family business eventually." Norman groaned and agreed. They had set up a schedule: Liz would shadow Norman for two days, exclusions from executive meetings, then for the next three days she would shadow engineers, lab technicians and some of the scientists, if they allowed. Norman would even send her on small business meetings across the city, giving her more trust in the company than Elizabeth had expected. While those meetings discussed small issues, something that an assistant could have handled, Liz was glad that she was sent instead.
Norman had carefully picked those she shadowed, avoiding anyone who has worked, or was currently working, on "Project Green." He clearly had stated to his crew that he didn't want Liz involved in any aspects of the experiment, but he didn't expect Elizabeth to overhear him outside the door. Liz was returning to Oscorp late after running errands for her father, missing the meeting that she was supposed to be involved in. She was about to enter the room until she heard her father tell his top employees that the project was "too experimental" for Elizabeth to know, and that they were not to speak a word of it to her.
Liz knew if this was three years ago, she would've barged in and demanded answers ... which wouldn't turn out well. If this was last year, she would've tried to talk to her dad one-on-one, only to be denied answers. Instead, Elizabeth went to go research. Her dad carried the meeting on without her, so she must still think Elizabeth's in meetings. In a spare meeting room with her Oscorp-linked laptop (and a previous login from her father), Elizabeth learned about the OZ experiments from genetic testing and health revitalizing to the Arachnid Archives and Project Green. Once she realized why her father has kept this secret, she knew that she had to help out.
Elizabeth printed a few pages out and ran into her father's office, where he was having a conversation with one of his lead researchers.
"Elizabeth, there's such a thing as knocking," Norman scolded.
"I know about it," Liz said firmly. "I know about Project Green."
"Who told -"
"I found it, by myself," Liz said, slightly lying. Her father's voice carried through the door and helped guide her the way. "I want to help."
"Elizabeth, it's not going to happen."
"Sir," The lead researcher meekly spoke up. "She would be perfect for trials. She's young and more energetic than anyone on our team. And would be a perfect choice for -"
"Don't even mention it," Norman snapped, hoping that Elizabeth didn't know everything about Project Green.
"Dad," Liz said, softer. "I know your sick ... I want to help." Elizabeth looked at her father, fighting back the tears forming in her eyes. "Please, let me help."
Now, Liz exhaled, trying to relax as scientists took her vitals.
"Remember what we've told you," Norman said. "We are just testing out the suit and nothing else. Do not engage with anyone. We will be checking communications every three minutes. If you don't hear from us, you come back. Got it?"
"Got it," she repeated.
"And just south Manhattan and back," Norman specified. "To Wall Street and back."
Elizabeth nodded. She knew the way. Her father used to take her as a child 'to see the Charging Bull' only to realize that was half of the stop. Stocks were more important to Norman than the bull. Thank goodness, Elizabeth's mom liked the bull as much as she did. She noticed one of the scientists had a long needle, nodding towards her arm. They've been testing for the last two weeks, since Liz's discovery of Project Green. She watched the needle, prick her skin, slowly entering her arm. She closed her eyes and exhaled, thinking about her mom. She would love to see the 'Fearless Girl' statue in front of the Wall Street's Bull -
"Fuck!" Elizabeth mumbled, as soon as the serum hit her blood stream. She kept her arm extended, fighting the urge to reflex. She groaned as it felt like her blood was set on fire. This isn't what it felt like last time.
"We up'd the dosage," the scientist explained to Elizabeth. "Two milliliters instead of the one we've been testing. This will help in case the suit fails."
"Which it won't," Norman ordered, rather than confirmed.
"Which it won't," the scientist repeated, placing a bandage on Elizabeth's arm.
Norman walked to Liz, brushing her long hair out of her eyes. "You'll do well," he said. Elizabeth wasn't sure if that was an order, or her father trying to be comforting. "Make me proud."
Fully suited, Elizabeth took off. It was a learning curve to keep the glider steady, but she got the hang of it after the first mile.
"Checking in," The scientist said over the speaker. "Do you copy?"
"Copy," Liz confirmed. She passed by a building, with reflective windows. It was the first time she saw herself in the suit. Her grin peaked from the helmet's opening at the mouth. The design of the costume was slightly lame, but she wasn't going to complain.
Second mile: "Elizabeth do you copy?" "Copy."
Third mile: "Eli- do - opy?" "Copy."
Fourth mile arrived, and no messages. "Hello?" She called. All she received back was static. She moved the speaker away from her mouth. If she didn't need to speak to anybody, there was no reason she needed to have it on. She had a half mile to go. She needed to see the Bull.
She changed her speed, trying to hurry when she heard a call. "Is it no longer my shift?" Elizabeth flew around the building. She knew the only person that would be this high up could be-
Spider-Man. Standing on the ledge in front of her, waiting for a response to the gust of wind that flew by him.
"You wish," Elizabeth laughed. She almost didn't recognize her voice, but she knew it would fade as soon as the serum wore off.
"I think the green is a little overkill," Spider-Man joked. "What are you? The swamp monster?"
Elizabeth knew exactly what the suit was called: Globulin 350, or by its nickname. "The Goblin."
Before Spider-Man could finish his sentence, Liz forced her body backwards, allowing the bottom of her glider to face Spider-Man. With a push of her heel, the repulsor beam on the bottom initiated, pushing Spider-Man off the ledge, and Elizabeth away from him. She knew Spider-Man would find a way to get out of his situation, he always seems to do so. But Elizabeth needed to get back, and play dumb like she didn't know she lost communications.
After she left Lower Manhattan and the Empire State Building was only a few blocks away, she heard her panicking dad over the speaker. " -you copy? Elizabeth! Do you copy? Elizabeth!"
"I'm here," Elizabeth replied. "Lost communications in Lower Manhattan."
"Street," Her father commanded.
"Eighteenth," Elizabeth replied, now seeing Oscorp building in the distance.
"Did you go to Wall Street?"
"No. I turned around."
"Elizabeth-"
"I turned around," Liz said, firmly.
As soon as Elizabeth got back, they took her vitals. They said her heart was beating faster than it would if she just finished a marathon. Elizabeth felt fine. Her adrenaline was high, too. She felt calm.
"You're staying in for the night," Norman said, walking away.
"No way," Elizabeth said, shocked. "I have a date -"
"He can wait another day," Norman replied. "Or maybe you can learn to listen to us, when we tell you to turn around."
"I did-"
"At eighth street," Norman snapped. "A mile away from where you said. You are to stay home. That's final."
That wasn't final.
Liz originally went up to her room, using the elevator to go upstairs. She showered and changed clothes. Slier than normal, thanks to the serum, she slipped out, grabbing a pair of car keys, she used the stairway to go down several floors - twelve at the last - before dashing toward an elevator and heading out.
The entire night with Peter, Elizabeth felt normal ... she felt great. She wasn't sure if it was solely because of the serum or if it was because of her date with Peter.
She felt normal watching Peter getting ready in the hallway.
She felt normal comforting Peter, holding his hand in the car.
She felt normal eating Korean barbecue from a food truck, riding the tilt-a-whirl and winning prizes for Peter.
On top of the Ferris wheel, Elizabeth felt on top of the world with Peter.
At the party, she felt sober; no matter how much she drank. Her first drink, a coke and Jameson mixture, didn't feel as strong as it used to. She took a shot, hoping to feel more. Nothing. She took another shot. Nothing. She took another. Still nothing. She would've taken another, but she realized that Peter had been taking them with her, and the face he made after the third shot, made Elizabeth realize that this might be the first time Peter's drank before. She passed the bottle to Flash, telling him to share with everyone as she went to get Peter two glasses of water.
After Peter finished both glasses of water reluctantly ("I have my coke'n Jameson. I'm good." "Drink it." "I'm good - " "Drink."), Flash raised the nearly empty bottle of Jameson. "Someone finish this, I got an idea," he declared. Elizabeth grabbed the bottle, hoping that her fourth shot would make her feel something. She put the bottle to her lips and leaned back, taking every drop, before handing it back to Flash. Flash unveiled his game of Spin the Bottle.
"Are you sure you don't want to play seven minutes in Heaven?" Elizabeth laughed, couldn't think of a more outdated game to play. However, she sat down to play. Peter sat down next to her.
She watched as the bottle passed down the line. Flash spun, tricking Liz Allen to kiss him, then passed the bottle to a red-head that she didn't know. She complained, spinning the bottle. Elizabeth watched as it landed on her. "On second thought," She smirked, leaning in to kiss her. She grinned, mainly amused at the way she changed her mind over her because of her looks. She gave her a small kiss before carrying on. "Would be better if you weren't still in high school."
"Then why are you here?" Elizabeth laughed. She was the only college student at the party, even if she was only a year older than them.
"Your turn Parker," Flash said, reaching over Mary Jane to shove the bottle into Peter's chest.
"Oh ... I," Peter said, not sure if he even wanted to spin. Elizabeth watched as Flash rolled his eyes. She glared at Flash, trying to remind him to be nice, as she took the bottle from Peter's hands.
"I got you Pete," Elizabeth said, spinning the bottle for herself. The bottle spun a few times before it landed back to Peter. Elizabeth grinned, praising whatever deity or political leader that was listening.
Liz noticed Flash's awkwardness, trying to make sure he didn't make a mistake and out Elizabeth and Peter's relationship, like he said he wouldn't. "The rules say you gotta - " Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She wrapped her arm around Peter's waist and pulled him in for a kiss - their first kiss. She could feel Peter's shock, but soon he melted into the kiss, gently cupping Elizabeth's jaw in his hand. Elizabeth felt ... amazing.
Flash cleared his throat, audibly separating the two. "You turned down seven minutes in Heaven earlier."
"You didn't state the rules," Liz said, shrugging and passing the bottle to Seymour O'Reilly, who seemed too eager to spin. Elizabeth took a glance at Peter, and smiled. Liz was glad to be back and spending time with Peter.
Time passed rather quickly, and soon the two were running late.
The alcohol, which hasn't affected Elizabeth in the slightest, really hit Peter hard. Elizabeth helped him to the car, to which Peter refused to get in. Liz had to convince him that she was sober enough to drive him home, even though she was never drunk in the first place.
Once home, Liz tried to convince Aunt May that Peter wasn't drunk, but it didn't help that Peter kept trying to tell Aunt May that he was sober, but his words kept slurring. Elizabeth took the blame, it was her bottle anyway. Aunt May wasn't happy, but she was glad that Liz was Peter's "DD."
In Peter's room, Liz shut the door. "Good one," she rolled her eyes. "You really fooled her." If she was staying the night, she better get comfy. She slipped out of her clothes, tossing them to the ground. She looked at Peter, who was still trying to unbutton his pants. "You're like a big, drunk child," She laughed, pulling Peter's shirt over his head. She unbuttoned Peter's pants, thinking to herself that action was normally sexual and with anyone else, she'd be quick to act on it. But this was Peter. She wasn't going to do that until they were ready. She helped Peter out of his clothes, tossing them into his hamper.
"To bed," she said, pushing Peter onto the bed, chuckling. She helped Peter get comfortable, hoping to whatever god answered her prayers earlier that Peter wouldn't throw up in the bed tonight. Elizabeth slipped into bed next to Peter. "Goodnight," she whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against Peter's temple. She felt Peter readjust himself, pulling Elizabeth onto his chest.
"G'dnight," Peter mumbled. Elizabeth laughed. She thought she had offended Peter by laughing and was about to apologize, but Peter interrupted her with a soft kiss good night, before resting putting his arms around Elizabeth. Falling asleep.
Elizabeth woke up before Peter. She checked the clock: 4:42 a.m. As much as she wanted to stay in bed with Peter, she needed to get home. She slipped out of Peter's bed and got dressed. On Peter's desk, she found a sticky note pad and a pen among the mess and wrote a quick note.
Had to go before Norman finds out
x E
She stuck the note to Peter's chest before bolting out and driving home.
Chapter 5: 'Babe, if it was your first time, you should've have let me known'
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Peter grabbed his phone of his nightstand and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?" He groaned. His head was pounded.
"Pete, you gotta get up," Elizabeth said from the other side of the line. "I told Aunt May that we wouldn't be late, and you're pushing it."
"I'm not going to be late," Peter groaned, rolling over.
"Really?" Liz huffed. "I'm outside waiting on you." Peter quickly got up, knocking the sticky note off his chest, and looked out the window, searching for Elizabeth.
"No you're not."
"Right," Liz said. "I'm on my way to first period." Peter glanced at the clock: 7:52.
"Oh shit."
"Yeah, oh shit," Elizabeth rolled her eyes, loud enough that Peter could hear her. "There's Advil on side table. I found it on your desk this morning and figured you might need it." Peter groaned because he definitely needed it. He popped off the lid, took two, then drank part of a water bottle that was on the table. "Pete, I gotta get to class. You need to, too."
"Yeah, okay." Peter said, hanging up. He went to the bathroom and washed his face, trying to remember what all exactly happened last night. His head boomed loudly in the silence. He couldn't remember how much he drank, if they went to Flash's, if Elizabeth actually kissed him. He swore Elizabeth stayed the night, but Liz would have woke him up before leaving him. Maybe Peter can try to clear up his mind on his way to school because he needed to get going of classes start at 8.
It didn't take him long to get ready, he just needed to get dressed and something to eat, which ended up being three granola bars and a banana shoved into his bag for later. He'll eat during Latin.
Peter ended up being late for Latin, to which the teacher, Mr. Mulligan, would not let Peter have a mulligan and handed him the syllabus then kicked him out of class. "Remember this next time you're heading to class, Mr. Parker." Peter looked at the clock 8:03.
"I'm three minutes late - "
"See you Thursday, Mr. Parker." So Peter went and sat outside, and ate his breakfast. He could've gone out somewhere for breakfast. He still could.
At 9:25, the bell rang to end first period. Liz went to her locker, putting her English book away. She wasn't planning on caring that for the rest of the day, as it seemed to weigh more than the rest of her books combined. She shut her locker to see Peter, rushing down the hall, with two coffee cups in hand, dodging everyone in between.
"Hey Lizzy," Peter said, handing Elizabeth a cup of coffee. "I ... uh ... had some extra time on my hands."
Liz took the cup and smirked. "You were late, weren't you?"
"Three minutes late," He sighed. "I was practically on time for getting up when you called. It could have been worse."
"Make it to English," Liz laughed, and running her fingers through Peter's hair. "See you at lunch?"
"Yeah," Peter said, flatting his hair back down. "See you there."
"I cannot believe how many shots you guys took," O'Reilly laughed, elbowing Peter in the ribs. That confirmed the drinking part.
"That was nothing," Elizabeth smirked, knowing that it hadn't effected her at all.
Peter rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe you were sober enough to do anything."
"Clearly, you weren't," Flash joked. "Elizabeth had to help you to the car."
"Peter wasn't the one who stuck his head in the fish tank," Liz laughed. Peter didn't remember that.
"That was a dare," Flash retorted. "Plus, I'm not the one who drank toilet water." They all looked at O'Reilly, who just shrugged.
"A dare?" Peter whispered to Liz, not remembering that either.
"Nope," Elizabeth whispered back.
"C'mon, O'Doggo," Flash laughed, gathering his stuff. "We gotta go talk to coach." O'Reilly nodded, shoving the last of his burger in his mouth. He tried to say bye, but it was muffled. "We'll leave you two lovebirds on your own," Flash whispered, winking. Liz groaned, smacking her head against the table. And that confirms it for Peter: They did kiss and Elizabeth wasn't fond of that. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was frustrated at Flash's ability to keep things low-key. She will never share another secret with Flash, again. Peter snaked around to the other side of the table, finding it a bit awkward to be sitting beside someone alone. Plus, this also gives Elizabeth some space.
"I'm sorry about Flash," Liz mumbled against the table. She picked her head up and whispered. "Do you want to keep it low-key?"
Peter bit his lip. If Elizabeth was asking, then she must have been embarrassed about the kiss. "Uh, yeah, sure," he nodded. Inside, he was hurt. Even if somehow Elizabeth was attracted to him and decided to date him, they would be in hiding.
On the other side of the table, Liz was more concerned about how Peter felt like they were perceived. He knew Peter was bullied over the past couple of years and figured he'd want to stay out of the limelight, but if he wanted their relationship out in the open, Elizabeth would fight everyone for Peter. "Thanks for the coffee," She smiled, thinking of the warm caffeine that helped her out during Latin. She did get scorned by the teacher about having an off-campus beverage. "Carter thinks that Latin IV should be spoke only in Latin."
"Yeah, no problem," Peter said, shoving fries into his mouth. "I had the time and figured that we may need it to help the hangover."
"Your hangover," Elizabeth smirked. "I told you, I was practically sober."
"You drank just as much as i did," Peter said, trying to count all the drinks. Liz did finish the bottle, too. "More?"
"I have a higher tolerance," Liz said. Well, that and Osborn-created steroids. "Have you ever drank before?"
"Not ... that much," Peter lied, blushing.
"Uh-huh," Elizabeth smiled, reaching over to ruffle Peter's hair. "Babe, if it was your first time, you should've have let me known."
"I ... considered it," Peter said, blushing more at Elizabeth's nickname for him. He knew it wasn't anything more than it seemed. He gathered his plates. "C'mon, we can talk more about how drunk I was in study hall."
Liz raised an eyebrow. "Study hall?"
"Yeah, it's like when you study, but you're not in a hall, you're in the library or a classroom."
"No shit, Sherlock," Elizabeth said, reaching into her bag and pulling out her schedule. "Study hall's after pre-calc."
"No," Peter said, setting the plates on the table. He pulled out a crumbled schedule from his bag. "It's before ... calculus ... " The two compared schedules, suddenly realizing that they had very different schedules on their B days. Instead of only having study hall together, they only had lunch period.
The bell rang.
"Shit," the two said in unison.
"I guess I'll catch you between classes?" Peter said, trying to make the best.
"Yeah," Elizabeth nodded. "Uh, let's go out tonight, too. We can make up for the extra time." She grabbed her tray, and walked to put them away. "We can go out for supper or gelato or a movie."
"Yeah, all of those sound good," Peter said nodding ... then remembering he's not just a regular teenager. "I do need to make sure that I'm not grounded or anything first."
"For a whole 20 minutes that I took the blame for," Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Peter marked that off the checklist of things that happened last night. "I need to go to Oscorp anyway. Shadowing the engineering department today," she grinned. "Text me later, alright?" She wanted to kiss Peter goodbye, even on the cheek, but she knew that if they were laying low, that's a big red flag in the cafeteria. She ruffled Peter's hair once more, before sprinting off to pre-calc.
"Yeah, okay," Peter said, before watching Elizabeth sprint off. He turned to rushed towards the library. He had a lot of catching up to do for the time he missed in Latin.
After school, Peter had a calm day as Spider-Man. Only a few robberies, one involving a jewelry store and another a bank, right before the vault closed, but after those, New York City seemed pretty quiet. Which concerned Peter. New York never was this quiet. Whenever it was closer to five, Peter went back to eighth street, to the same sky scraper that he saw the "Goblin" at yesterday and waited. He had set up a sticky trap between the buildings, just in case he flew by again, but he never came.
Bzzz.
Peter quickly checked his phone, excited for a text from Liz.
E: I'll be done in 30 if you're still up for grabbing a bite. Bring calculator? I hate precalc already.
Peter chuckled. He also had homework for calculus, but he would definitely be willing to help Elizabeth out.
P: Are you paying me in food?
E: Of course.
The two met up at Moonstruck Diner, where Peter would see how expensive some of the meals were and regret joking about Liz buying him food. Elizabeth and Peter sat on the same side of the booth as they snacked on an order of Greek fries while they worked on Liz's precalculus. Peter figured he would do his later, or after their food came. Right now, he was focused on Elizabeth, and that was pretty easy with Elizabeth's left hand resting on Peter's knee.
Elizabeth was trying to focus on her math, but it was hard when her pre-calc tutor was Peter. But she needed to focus on functions, ranges and domains if she wants to keep Peter as her tutor. If she doesn't, she's going to be assigned an actual tutor.
Soon, their food came. Peter's New Yorker burger, with the fried egg a little runny and the bacon crispy, and Elizabeth's sandwich, the Lord Johns with chicken, mozzarella and veggies. Peter had opened his book and tried to zoom quickly through his work while they were eating. He completely missed Elizabeth handing her credit card to the waiter to pay. By the time Peter had finished most of his burger and homework, the waiter had returned with Elizabeth's card and was ready for her to sign the house receipt. Peter blushed. "Dude, I'm so sorry you didn't have to pay."
"I figured it's a date," Elizabeth winked, putting her card away and searching through her bills for a tip.
"Let me get the tip," Peter said, as he took his wallet out and put a five dollar bill on the table.
Liz started to pack up. "Did you walk here?" Liz blushed. "That's dumb, sorry, you didn't swing here from ropes." Peter chuckled, a little nervously, as he closed his book and slipped it in his bag. Spider-Man did swing in this direction.
"No, I took the bus."
"Let me drive you home," Elizabeth said, standing up from the booth. Peter slung his book bag over his shoulder and before he could even fully stand up, Liz grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the restaurant. He waited for Elizabeth to let go of his hand after they were out, but she never did. She even interlaced their fingers as they walked beside each other. Elizabeth felt it was safe, it was after school and they were barely a block away from her car. Peter was trying to figure out why Liz hadn't let go yet, but he wasn't going to complain. He was going to enjoy holding Elizabeth's hand.
The car ride home, Liz complained how Flash wouldn't leave her alone during study hall. "I almost wanted to take up marching band to avoid spending another hour and a half in the library with Flash." She groaned. "Would you still like me in a marching band uniform?"
"The uniform? Yes. The hat? No," Peter laughed.
"Then it's confirmed: I'm going to duct tape Flash in the 480s of the reference books."
"French?"
"Greek," Elizabeth smirked, looking at Peter, who missed the joke. "Because no matter what you say, it's all Greek to him." Peter smacked Liz's arm.
Once they arrived outside the Parker household, Peter grabbed his bag. He couldn't forget that. He still had a little more to finish before he forgot how to do calculus. Plus, part of his Spider-Man suit was tucked at the bottom of the bag.
"I'll see you for Principles," Peter smiled. "I can't promise coffee, again."
"Maybe I'll surprise you," Liz winked.
"It's not a surprise if you tell me about it," Peter rolled his eyes.
"You'll never know," Liz laughed, leaning slightly over the centre console to kiss Peter, only to realize that Peter wasn't going to do the same. So Liz ruffled Pete's hair instead. She returned back into his seat. "I'll catch you tomorrow then."
"With possible surprise coffee."
"Possible."