I don't own Avengers or its characters. I only own Riley Stark and other OCs that appear in the story.
Take on the World
Chapter 45: Developed Feelings
Snow was falling throughout New York, powdering the city with its cold yet dazzling snowflakes.
Christmas time in New York was enchanting.
People loved to decorate their homes and the shops extravagantly adorning their windows with festive decorations.
The city was always beautifully illuminated but at Christmas, it was like a fairy tale.
Now the streets were bustling with excitement since the year 2016 was coming to an end and the year 2017 was about to begin.
While carefully walking down the stairs of his house, Peter smiled as he looked at the photo of himself with Tony Stark, who awarded him with a certificate for completing the internship.
Despite him not having an actual Stark Industries internship and simply using it as a reason to excuse his absence when operating as Spider-Man, Tony officially offered one to him.
The fifteen year old boy went to the kitchen and saw Aunt May preparing pancakes for him.
"Aunt May, I wanted to make breakfast for us today."Peter declared.
"Peter, it's alright."Aunt May assured."You've already got your hands full being NYC's friendly neighbourhood web crawler."
Peter smiled anxiously at Aunt May's declaration.
Not long after taking down the Vulture, his aunt learned that he was Spider-Man.
It happened when he was trying on his familiar red and blue suit in his room after Tony brought it back to him.
Of course, Aunt May freaked out when she learned his secret.
But later on, she accepted it.
After giving her nephew his plate of pancakes with maple syrup, Aunt May gave Peter an envelope.
"This came for you yesterday."Aunt May stated.
Peter opened the envelope to read the letter, only to become surprised that it was invitation to become a junior lab assistant in Professor Farley Stillwell's lab at Empire State University.
"Whoa."Peter remarked in amazement."Professor Stillwell is inviting to join ESU."
"That's wonderful, Peter."Aunt May stated with a smile."I am so proud of you."
"I gotta tell Gwen."Peter suggested as he picked up his phone."She will be-"
Peter couldn't believe what he just said.
Gwen, the girl who kissed him on the day of Homecoming and defeating the Vulture.
Aunt May folded her arms with a satisfied look on her face.
"Wow. Out of every one I know, she's the person I most want to tell."Peter admitted, his voice mixed with a hint of admiration for his best friend."That means something, right? I'll call her. We'll meet for breakfast and we'll talk about everything."
"That sounds like a plan."Aunt May commented.
Aunt May went back to her cooking, happy that her nephew was finally ready to talk to Gwen about everything.
At the Avengers Tower, Riley smiled brightly as she helped Tony decorate the Christmas Tree.
The Stark heiress wore a bright red sweater that had a title that said in white 'Rockin Christmas' and a Christmas tree design on it, dark blue jeans and pale grey boots. Her chestnut brown hair was loose and straight with a white headband on it.
The Christmas Tree had a giant golden star which was shimmering on top of it. Golden and red decorations wrapped around it. There were various other decorations on the tree including colourful lights, baubles, gingerbread men, reindeer gems and socks. Golden garland wrapped around the bottom of the tree with colourful glowing baubles attached to it with more baubles.
Riley and Tony stood together staring at the Christmas tree once they finished decorating it.
It had been fun hanging out with the X-Men, but it was good to be back home with her loved ones.
Even if the Avengers were still apart and most were on the run from the Government.
Uncharacteristically lit up by red and green spotlights, every glass pane on the Tower glowed as if lit from within by Christmas lights.
Tony had even taken it upon himself to replace all of the light bulbs in the 'A' on the side of the Tower with red and green bulbs.
Pair that with the gaudy, dazzling tinsel that was twined around the railing up high and it looked like Tony had transformed the Tower into his own personal Christmas tree.
Though the real tree was inside the tower.
Riley glanced at Tony.
"Say, daddy."Riley spoke up."Who exactly is coming to our New Years' party?"
"Celebrities that like you and me."Tony answered.
"What about Aunt Janet?"Riley asked curiously."You know the fashion designer and socialite who acts as the winsome super-heroine known as the Wasp?"
Tony raised an eyebrow at Riley's question.
"Do you think the Wasp is actually fond of me for sending her boyfriend in prison?"Tony questioned.
Riley let out a small wince.
"Oops."Riley responded with a sheepish smile."I've forgot about that."
Then Pepper came into the room while holding Morgan, who was dressed in a red tartan dress with two bows and white tights.
"Aw, Morgan."Riley remarked lovingly."You look so cute."
Morgan lightly cooed as Pepper shared a kiss with Tony.
"Hey."Riley retorted with a small frown."We don't have the Mistletoe, you know?"
Tony smirked at Riley.
"Either way, we don't need a scoorge or hear a humbug for the holidays, Rye-Rye."Tony sneered.
"Right."Riley chuckled.
"The holidays have been wonderful."Pepper remarked."And to think it will be our first New Year with Morgan around."
Morgan gurgled a bit to show she was excited to celebrate New Year's day with her parents and older half-sister.
"Despite everything that occurred this year such as the many ups and downs, I am glad to say that I am very grateful to still have my family here with me."Tony stated proudly."Nothing else matters to me."
Tony gave Pepper, Morgan and Riley a hug.
Riley became alarmed when she smelt something was burning.
"Uh oh!"Riley panicked as she rushed over to the kitchen."My cake!"
Riley placed on her oven gloves to take out her baking try from the oven, only to see her cookies were still fine.
"The Roscón de Reyes is save!"Riley announced.
"Translation, please."Tony insisted.
"She means the King's Cake."Pepper translated.
Tony gave Pepper a playful smirk.
"Your learning Spanish from Rye-Rye, my signorita?"Tony joked.
Pepper smirked. "Maybe."
Riley carefully placed the baked cake on the kitchen counter to leave it to cool.
"Since my mum was from Seville, Spanish Christmas traditions have been a big part of my upbringing and have formed my love for the season."Riley explained with a small smile."For me, Christmas revolves around family: extended uncles, aunties, cousins, grandparents, neighbours and pets. We mostly celebrated the holiday season in my Grandfather Reginald's hotel."
"It sounds Christmas in Spain is kind of like here, Rye-Rye."Tony commented.
Riley shook her head.
"Not exactly, dad."Riley answered with a smirk."Spanish Christmas celebrations begin on Christmas Eve and last until January 6 or the Epiphany. Seville also hosts Christmas concerts, street musicians, parades and the tradition of eating grapes on New Year's Eve in Plaza Nueva."
Pepper smiled in approval.
"When I think of Spain, I usually think of the beaches and sunbathing under the hot sun."Pepper complemented and smiled at Morgan."And who knows? It would be actually fun to go there summer holidays."
Tony smiled in a slight anxious way at the thought of seeing his ex-girlfriend's parents after such a long time.
Morgan let out a gentle yet happy gurgle.
"Right."Tony replied.
Riley simply chuckled in delight.
At the Warrens House, Gwen was placing on her peach orange jacket and pale blue knit cap since outside was freezing cold.
After placing on her mint green gloves, the blonde haired girl went over to the kitchen where she saw Paul fixing his guitar while Captain George was looking at a newspaper that had the title 'The Kingpin Strikes Again! When will it end?'.
"Hey, dad!"Gwen called out."I'll be going out to meet MJ!"
"Alright, Gwen."Captain George responded as he lowered down his newspaper to look at his daughter."But don't be out for too long."
"And stay out of trouble, little sister."Paul joked.
Gwen gave an innocent smirk.
"Since when do I cause trouble?"Gwen asked.
Captain George raised an eyebrow, making Gwen smile sheepishly.
"I'll be back in less than three hours."Gwen assured.
After saying goodbye to her loved ones, Gwen took the bus to make her way to the streets of Manhattan to meet up with MJ at the Grace Street Coffee & Desserts Café.
Gwen knew that a talk was in order.
She has been dying for anything from Peter after their kiss during the day of Homecoming.
But she knew that she didn't do anything to help their situation either.
Whenever Peter came up to her in the morning before school, she just said bye and ran away because the school bell rang.
Gwen wanted this talk.
She needed this talk.
"Could this mean that he feels the same way?"Gwen thought with a hint of hope."Is this the day. Is this going to be the day that I waited for since the 7th grade? What am I going to say to him? What do I do when he says that he likes me back? So many questions. But first things first, where will this take us?"
Gwen snapped out of her thoughts when the bus arrived at Manhattan and went out of it with several passengers.
After meeting up at MJ at the Café, Gwen sat down next to her while silently mixing her cup of hot chocolate.
No one had ever said that Gwen Warren was good at reading social situations.
Between that social deficiency, her great fashion sense and her prodigious talents in academics, her fate as a nerd had been sealed from the beginning.
Despite that, even Gwen could tell when someone was giving her mixed signals.
Weeks had passed since she and her best friend had kissed.
Gwen had always been of the opinion that the depiction of first kisses in romance novels was overblown, a fun fiction that hid a dull truth.
But that kiss with Peter Parker had been everything she'd wanted and more.
MJ smirked at Gwen as she lowered her cup of hot chocolate from her mouth.
"So spill, girlfriend, what happened?"MJ questioned.
"Um, happened?"Gwen asked.
"Come on, Gwen."MJ insisted."You can't take your eyes off him, but you two don't talk."
Gwen blushed and looked down shyly.
"I kissed him."Gwen murmured.
"Oh, that's great!"MJ remarked."What did he-"
"I don't know."Gwen responded in shame."I ran away. And he hasn't said a word to me since."
"Hey, Gwen. Don't give up."MJ sneered."It's not the end of the world."
"But I hopeless when it comes to romantic relationships, MJ."Gwen muttered."I don't know what to say to Peter when he goes up to me."
"Three little words."MJ declared."I. Like. You."
Gwen frowned and laid her arms on the table before burying her face on them.
"I am a helpless case."Gwen muttered.
Spider-Man was in the middle of battling Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff) in the Central Park Zoo.
Kraven shot another arrow and again Spider-Man, who dodged it with ease.
The male web crawler then webbed the hunter's hands, threw in a few kicks and a final punch.
Kraven and Spider-Man started to fight hand-to-hand more.
As Spider-Man jumped up quickly and threw a punch at where Kraven was, only for his opponent to evade him and kicked him in the chest, throwing near where a caged lion was.
Kraven took out his daggers before leaping up, making Spider-Man jumped out of the over him and fired his web shooters to take the daggers off the hunter's grasp before pining them on a nearby lamp post.
"You're good."Spider-Man retorted."Maybe at the whole hunting thing, you're even the best."
Spider-Man and Kraven continued fighting each other.
When Kraven got pushed back for a bit, Spider-Man saw the opportunity to give the hunter a hard kick on the face.
"But when it comes to the New York super-powered scene, you're out of your league!"Spider-Man declared.
Spider-Man then fired his web shooters on Kraven's legs to catch him off balance before throwing him against the wall and fired his webs on him to pin him there.
"No!"Kraven growled angrily."This cannot be happening to Sergei Kravinoff!"
Kraven paused from talking when Spider-Man fired his web shooter on his mouth to shut him up.
"Oh, Kraven off."Spider-Man scoffed.
Spider-Man then swings out of the Central Park Zoo as police cars arriving were heard in the background.
The male web crawler paused above a building's rooftop as he thought about Gwen.
"How do I tell Gwen how I feel? Should we talk about the kiss first or do I just come out and say that I like her?"Spider-Man thought."Maybe I should call her straight away and let it all out. I am known for always being late for everything."
Spider-Man snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed his phone ringing and saw Ned was calling him, making answer his best friend's call.
"So, Peter."Ned spoke up."How did it go with Gwen?"
"I haven't even talked to her yet."Spider-Man admitted."I had to deal with that crazy hunter from Africa again."
"Seriously, dude? How long you're going to wait?"Ned said in disbelief."New Year is almost among us! And my among us, I mean a couple of hours left!"
Spider-Man face palmed using his free hand.
"I know that."Spider-Man retorted."I'll talk to her before midnight."
At the Avengers Tower, Tony stood clearly watching curiously Riley sitting on the sofa while fiddling with a small present box that was covered in red wrapper with a dark blue ribbon on it.
But when he saw her write 'To Peter' on the card leaflet of the gift with a little black heart on it, his mood went from curious to overprotective.
"Exactly, why are giving Peter a present, Riley?"Tony questioned.
Riley lifted up her head and gave her father a big innocent grin.
"Because his my friend and I like him very much, daddy dearest."Riley remarked."I got presents for Gwen and Ned too."
"You're not even sixteen yet, pumpkin."Tony informed.
Riley let out a sigh.
"Come on, dad."Riley responded."His already proven himself that he doesn't really need that rusty Iron Spider suit that you made for him to fight bad guys."
"Isn't Peter dating Gwen?"Tony questioned.
"Not really."Riley stated."They are only childhood friends. But it doesn't seem Gwen is keen to make their relationship go to the next level. And…"
"What?"Tony asked.
"Deep down, you actually like him too."Riley sneered.
Tony let out a scoff before talking a sip from his glass of scotch.
"I've never said that."Tony declared.
"You don't have to because Happy already told me that you do."Riley remarked with an amused smile."Would you rather I call him now and ask him to show prove?"
Tony simply rolled his eyes before planting a kiss on Riley's forehead.
"Alright. Fine, Rye-Rye."Tony answered with a small smirk."You and Peter can date."
Riley's mood brightened up in delight before she stood up to hug her father.
"Yay!"Riley cheered in joy."Thank you, dad!"
After successfully stopping Kraven the Hunter and coming back home safely, Peter was helping Aunt May bring out a few snacks on the small table next to the TV.
Once everything was ready, Peter stood up from the sofa and took out his phone to contact Gwen.
"I'm going to try her again."Peter stated.
Aunt May smirked. "I'm sure Gwen appreciates your perseverance."
After walking near the doorway, Peter took a deep breath before he began looking through the contact list on his phone and looked at Gwen's phone number.
He then pressed her phone number to call her.
"Hello?"
Peter paled at hearing Paul answer Gwen's phone.
"Hey, uh, Paul."Peter answered."It's me. Peter Parker."
"Yeah, I know who you are."Paul answered."What do you want?"
"I just wanted to tell Gwen that I've been invited to join ESU."Peter admitted.
At the Warrens House, Gwen walked into the living room and became alarmed at seeing Paul talk on her phone.
"Congrats, Peter."Paul replied."But care to explain why you're suddenly calling my little sister to tell her this five minutes before midnight?"
"W-Well, I-"Peter started.
Gwen took her phone out of Paul's grasp.
"Paul, would you quit answering my phone for me!"Gwen snapped."You have your own phone!"
"Chill, Gwen. No need to be an angry cat."Paul answered smugly."I was just about to give Peter the friendly older brother talk."
Gwen scoffed. "As if."
Paul went to sit with his parents in the living room as Gwen went to speak with Peter next the doorway of her house.
"Hey, Tiger. Sorry about that."Gwen apologised with a smile."What's up?"
"Professor Stillwell is inviting to join ESU."Peter admitted.
"Whoa. That's great."Gwen chuckled."It seems your scientific genius is finally being noticed."
"Yeah. Just like you said it will be."Peter agreed with a nervous chuckle."But besides ESU, there's something you should know. I wanted to tell you that-"
This was it.
He was going to finally tell Gwen how he really felt about her.
DING DONG!
Peter paused from finishing his sentence when he heard the doorbell ring.
Now who could that be?
Peter went to answer the door, only to become utterly surprised at seeing Riley wearing a maroon fluffy coat standing outside the house.
"Hey, Petey."Riley greeted with a wave.
"Riley. What are you-"Peter started with a smile and then became confused."Hey. It's almost midnight. What's going on?"
"10, 9…"
"I had to come see you."Riley responded.
"8, 7…"
"How come?"Peter questioned."Isn't Tristan your guy? I mean you went with him at Homecoming."
"6, 5…"
A small smile appeared on Riley's face.
"4, 3…"
"The truth is I will always care about Tristan."Riley stated honestly."But he and I? We're better off with just being friends. That's all we'll ever be. The truth is…"
"2, 1.."
Riley went up to Peter and placed her arms around his neck.
"I want to be with you."Riley finished.
Riley leaned in closer and finally kissed Peter for the first time.
Peter becomes utterly stunned as Riley planted her lips onto his.
But it wasn't something he expected.
And he didn't hate it either.
If anything he liked it.
Aunt May cheered in delight at countdown on TV ended, completely unaware of Riley kissing Peter in the doorway.
"Zero!"Aunt May announced joyfully in agreement."Happy New Year, everybody!"
Auld Lang Syne played in the background as Riley and Peter finished their kiss.
Riley gave Peter a loving smile.
"Happy New Year, Spider-Boy."Riley whispered.
Peter gave Riley a small yet bright smile, completely forgetting that Gwen was waiting for him to call back to her.
"Hello? Peter?"Gwen asked in confusion."Anyone there?"