Behind the Mask

SIXTEEN: Date Night

.:::.

"How about that one?" Peter jerked his chin towards an approaching woman with electric blue lipstick.

I rolled over in the fresh, green grass of Central Park to spot her myself. We were spending the afternoon trying to interpret our most recent assignment for Photography, which asked for us to photograph something under the title of 'unusually beautiful'. It was our last assignment before the Photo Expo that would take place the upcoming weekend.

"No, that's not it." I smiled at the unusual part, but I didn't see the beauty.

"What does unusually beautiful even mean?" Peter pondered the thought out loud. "Unseen beauty, or ignored beauty?"

"Maybe it doesn't mean beauty at all." I suggested. "Maybe it's something completely different." I lay back in the grass again, allowing the late spring sun to soak into my skin. I was finally able to breathe without a hitch in my breath or the constant tightness in my throat. I didn't feel like I was on the verge of tears anymore. For the first time in a very long time, I felt good.

"Maybe it's a trick question." Peter snorted.

I chewed my lip in thought, tinkering with the lens of my camera. I almost lost myself in my own little world. When I looked up at Peter again, a flash coated my face.

"Like a candid?" Peter asked. "I'd say that's unusually beautiful." He showed me the photo he'd taken. My eyes were wide with the flash, and it looked like I was biting my lip off; not to mention the way my hair was spread like octopus arms across the grass. It was terrifying.

"Delete it." I felt my cheeks go red.

"Why? I like it."

"Peter, delete it."

He shook his head, teasing me now.

I reached across him to grab the camera. "Delete the damn picture!"

"Why are you so insulted? It's a candid photo, it's supposed to be like that." He held it high in the air.

"I look like an alien." I laughed regardless, climbing over him to steal it away. He had no problem keeping the camera just out of my reach. "You can't use that photo."

Peter wrestled me to the grass and pinned my arms over my head. "I am most definitely going to use it. Know why?"

"Why?" I grumbled in defeat.

"Because I fixed your camera for you, so you owe me." He leaned down and kissed me once on my lips, just a tender but meaningful touch. "And because you are a beautiful alien."

I smiled, my eyes still closed and absorbing sunlight. "You can't assume that you can solve everything just by kissing me."

He laughed and kissed me again, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

My life consisted of more playful and lazy days spent with Peter with less stressful and hectic days spent with Spiderman. Those days were still lessening over time, and it gave me an overall sense of relief. Maybe it would eventually just fade away. He had a habit of making my life very stressful, but he could also take it all away with a quick little smile in my direction.

In addition to his kiss, I flinched at something slobbery and warm swiping repeatedly across my cheek. I guided Peter's head out of the way to discover the familiar German Shepherd standing over us.

I leaned up on my elbows, wiping my cheek with the back of my hand. "Onyx?" I immediately scanned my eyes over the grassy area around us. "What are you doing here?"

Peter scratched her head as she became comfortable sitting beside us, her tongue dangling and her tail wagging. I realized then that only one person would be close behind her. I hurried to get out from beneath Peter, sitting up straight on my knees.

"Well, well." Chase strolled over to us, a large sweat stain on the front of his t-shirt. "I didn't pin you to be one to bounce back so fast."

It was the first time I'd seen his face since I kicked him out of my apartment. "It's been almost...what, three weeks now?" I reminded him, attempting to use the same tone he was using.

Chase shrugged. "Hey, I'm glad you aren't moping. So how've you been? Looks like you've been keeping yourself busy."

Something came over me, and I suddenly wanted to rub it in his face, regardless of the consequences it would have. "I'm great." I grabbed Peter's hand and intertwined our fingers. "I'm really great."

Chase chuckled like I knew he would. "Cute, Liv. Real cute." He eyed Peter next. "And how's the bug world treating you, Parker?"

Peter wasn't sure where to go, especially since I had just shown Chase we were together through my actions. "It's alright." He decided, though he seemed disappointed in me. Maybe I'd become too confident in the time I'd been away from Chase.

Chase nodded. "Sure seems that way, doesn't it?"

I wasn't in the mood for his games. "Chase, that's enough."

"I'm just saying, don't put your guard down. They might be lying low now, but I can almost guarantee they're preparing to strike at any moment." He spoke in a lowered voice, emphasizing the intensity of the situation.

I crawled up to my feet and pulled on Peter's hand. "Come on, we better get going, anyway."

"So soon?" Chase stepped closer, reaching out to touch me. "I miss chatting with you, Liv."

Peter took a step to protect half of my body with his. "She said that was enough."

Chase grinned. "Parker! That nose looks as good as new." He was right, his nose was almost perfect again, but it was only after he purposely re-broke it to make it heal straight. I still got chills remembering the awful cracking sound.

I tugged on Peter's elbow and led him around Chase's large frame. "Goodbye."

"Hold on a second. Have you been down to the station lately?"

I faltered my step, but forced myself to keep walking. "No." I hadn't been there since well before Greg died.

"They hung up a plaque for him. Your brother. There's a picture of him and everything." Chase's voice was significantly softer, less mocking. "It's nice."

He hadn't tried to say anything else to stop us, but we hadn't spoken yet, either. I assumed Peter was waiting until we were out of earshot - although human earshot was much different than spider earshot.

He finally peeked over his shoulder and wrapped his arm around mine. "Coast is clear."

I leaned into him as we walked, admiring how the simple toss of his arm over my shoulders made me feel so safe and secure. It made me feel like I was worth something, a valuable prize. Peter was the only person that could do this to me.

Maybe that was why I was falling in love with him.

I felt him watching me from the corner of his eye. He knew me too well. "I'm okay." I assured him. I was okay, and I always would be, even though it still hurt every now and again. I swallowed the tightness in my throat. "When does it go away?"

"It fades over time," He promised. "But it doesn't go away."

I watched our feet below us, moving in perfect synchronization.

"You know what?" Peter stopped walking for a moment.

I looked up at him curiously.

There was a burst of excitement in his voice. "What are you doing tonight?"

I thought for a moment and shook my head. "Nothing. Why?"

He started walking again, a smug expression on his face. "I think it's about time I took you on a proper date."

I became giddy at the idea. "A date?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "You can say no."

"Why would I say no?"

He squinted his eyes at me. "Is that a yes?"

I giggled and reached up to kiss his jaw. "What do your spider senses tell you?"

He held me closer to him, laughing quietly to himself. "You're more dangerous than I thought."

. . . . . . . .

It shouldn't have been so difficult.

It was a date. Our first date, but a date nonetheless. It wasn't even truly qualified as a first date, considering Peter and I were well past that stage. Sure, we were going somewhere fancy for dinner, but in all honesty, the date was meaningless. We'd spent so much time together on unofficial dates, there wasn't much significance to this one.

Yet I was nowhere close to being ready, and Peter was going to pick me up within the next twenty minutes.

I sighed with a frustrated groan, tossing my clothes off of my bed and collapsing onto it. I didn't have time to collapse, I needed to get ready.

I stared absently at the television when a breaking news feed interrupted the program. There appeared to be some sort of riot outside a building faced with neon signs. I knew exactly where it was.

According to the report, the owner of the bar - we knew him as Roy Stevenson - had been murdered. The people rioting outside claimed that Spiderman was their first suspect, blaming him entirely for the man's undeserved death.

An officer from the NYPD was interviewed as well, confirming that Spiderman and his female accomplice had been luring the men from the bar in order to leave the owner unprotected and foil their plans in taking Spiderman down. He forgot to mention the NYPD's role in all of that, but he did go on to say that Spiderman may have gone a little too far this time.

My first reaction was somewhat subdued. I didn't believe Peter would kill the man. But if he had, it was the first step in taking down his strange little enemies.

As the new information began to sink in, I became much more anxious. Was it possible that Peter murdered the bar owner? I sure hoped not, but I couldn't be sure. The officer also announced on the news report that Spiderman had a female accomplice, which brought me back into the picture. Would they try and hurt me again? Would they come after me?

I started to panic. I could feel my pulse in my ears and sweat gathering at my hairline. I had gone so long without an incident like this, and I had forgotten how to deal with it. I needed to find Peter.

In my sweatpants and slippers, I scurried down the hall to the elevator and quickly decided to use the stairs. My legs carried me up two flights until I reached Peter's floor.

I knocked quickly on his door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and the door opened just enough for me to squeeze through.

Peter pinned my shoulders to the wall. "I didn't do it. It might seem like I did, but I swear I didn't kill him."

I reached up to brush his hair out of his face. He was being honest, there was no doubt about it. "I know, Peter."

He dropped my shoulders and let his fingers get lost in his hair. "But now everyone thinks I'm a murderer."

"They have no proof." I said. "Just a man's opinion."

"Isn't that all they need?"

"No. They need evidence, real evidence that you were the one to kill him. Do they have any evidence?"

He was silent, deep in thought.

"Peter?" I prompted him.

"I have to go." He put on this face of business. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go."

I panicked again. "You can't go down there if that's what you're thinking."

"I have to straighten things out for myself."

"It's a mob scene! Haven't you seen the -"

"I'll go as myself. Just me. I have to see if there's something I can do."

"Then I'll come with you."

He laughed out loud. "You'll stay right here."

"Peter -"

"Maybe I can convince them to look deeper into it. I didn't kill him, but someone did. I'll find out who did it, clear my name. I have to do something!"

"That isn't your responsibility! By going down there and making a scene you'll only become more suspicious. Please don't go."

He reached around me and opened the door. "I'll be back before you know it. We'll reschedule our date night, I promise."

I was powerless, and I should have expected that. There was no convincing him. He kissed my cheek and was out the door before I could even say goodbye. Before I could tell him I loved him.

My relationship with Peter Parker was sweet and carefree. My relationship with Spiderman was a completely different story.