Swing My Way - Peter Parker x Male Reader + Iron Dad

Drowning. (In Him.)

"Peter, your shirts gonna get soaked," I say, putting a hand on his chest, stopping him knee-deep in the water of the pool steps. I search his brown doe eyes with my own, for something, anything, an indication of the thoughts rushing through his head, like the sloshing of water below us as Ned and MJ splash each other. "Oh, right, yeah," he grumbles, muffled by the fabric of his shirt as he awkwardly slips out of it, and I help him get it over his arms as they get caught in the sleeves. I laugh as his head emerges from the material, hair scruffy, and face beet red for some reason, tossing his shirt into a crumpled pile on a nearby chair. "Hah...thanks," he says, shifting his feet awkwardly as his eyes avoided my own, his arms crossed over his torso, as if he were trying to cover it. Something was wrong, but I didn't know what, was it me? Had I made him uncomfortable? Did he not want to take his shirt off? Is he self-conscious? Or...was it because I'm gay? I bring my eyes back to his, now sharing the same look of concern, but I let my shoulders relax as I see the twinkle return amongst his dilating pupils, like black holes I'd fallen too deep into to get out.

I extend my hand next to his, his nimble fingers that picked the skin of his nails coming to a pause, curving my eyebrows in a question, giving him a choice, and he takes it. Engulfing my hand with his own, we further the steps into the water, now waist deep, and I slowly feel Peter loosen back up, his hand less stern against my own, as if his stresses were flowing out of him through his fingers, waves of relief rushing over him like the ones of the pool that crashed into our chests. Suddenly, my feet are swept from the slippery pool floor, strong arms cocooning me, before I'm plummeting through the air into the deep end of the water. "Peter-" I shriek as his arms release me and I'm swallowed by the waters below, the crash of my body against the water flooding my ears, stinging at my nose and pressuring my chest, before I feel myself being dragged out, lifted back above the surface, laughter slowly floating into my ears as they drained. Letting my squeezed eyes open with a sting of chlorine, I'm met by the beautiful grin of Peter Parker, the song of his giggles making me feel as though I'm, floating, his arms wrapped around my torso like vines.

"You're an asshole, Parker" I murmur as he holds me close, spinning around, lacing my hands around his neck as our foreheads meet in a mess of soggy hair. "Yeah yeah, sure, you love me," he retorts, before his face drops with a rush of red, averting his eyes from mine as he parts our foreheads, his grip on me loosening with a clearing of his throat. I merely keep my eyes on him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and when his eyes return to mine, they look apologetic as he puts his arm around my shoulders. "You should've see that, you went flying!" Ned howls, clutching his chest as if he were the one who had almost drowned, a hysterical MJ beside him slapping his arm yelling something incomprehensible through her wheezes, and a grin cracks back onto both mine and Peter's faces. "Sorry, couldn't help myself, you're just so small and throwable," he smirks mockingly, shaking me side to side by my shoulders as I lightly slap his chest, the hard muscle tensing under my hand, making my cheeks feel hot. I'm suddenly very aware of my body and how close I am to Peter, the quickening beat of my heart, the deafening rush of blood through my veins, the fluttering in the pit of my stomach, and the cloudiness of my brain.

I take a step back from Peter as the sound of  him, Ned and MJ's conversation in drained out by a pounding in my skull, bringing my hand to my head as if it will steady me as dizziness washes over me, making my legs feel weak and the room spin. I squeeze my eyes shut, and when I open them, Peter's face is blurry and inches from mine, his eyes concerned and mouth moving, hands that I hadn't realized were there, holding me up by my arms. Slowly, my eyes and ears focus, on Peter, his voice, as he repeatedly asks if I'm okay, and all I can muster is a nod. "Jesus, Y/N, you scared us, where'd you go?" MJ asks, hand over her heart in relief, Ned patting my shoulder while Pete stays examining me and keeping me up. "Hm? Oh, I'm okay, just...blanked out for a second there," I say, forcing a weak smile, "Probably just...stress, I think. I don't know, just felt sick for a minute, I'm okay though,". "What are you stressed about?" Peter asks, his voice was firm and full of concern, and I couldn't meet his eyes, feeling sweaty even in the cool water, my heart still beating hard, bouncing off the walls of my chest, and I hope he can't hear it. 

"Just...school, probably. Yeah. School, y'know, assignments, test, all just a lot, just moved here. Guess it just hit me all at once," I lie, because really, it was him, and it wasn't just stress. I didn't know exactly what it was, but I had an idea, and it scared the hell out of me, because I'd never felt it before. Not like this. "Oh, okay. I can help you, Y/N, you know that. We can study for the physics test together tomorrow, if you want. What's the assignment on?" Peter speaks quickly, almost as if he was excited, his voice heightening with the question. "Uh...art," I say, swallowing hard as I glance at MJ, whose mouth was slightly ajar in confusion, "Yeah, art," I say more firmly, clearing my throat, my eyes locked with MJ's who understands and nods, even though she knew full well it was a lie, and we didn't have an art assignment. "I can help you with that, how about...Sunday? I could come to yours, just us two? Talk about it, plan it out," she says, a source of understanding firmness in her voice, and I just nod. She knows, and it gives me both relief, and dread at the same time. This could change everything, and whether it were for good, or bad, I didn't know.