SpideyDevil

Fancy Date Night

Their lips met, and it was like sparks of electricity ignited from the brief brush of sweet friction between them. Static current spread throughout Peter’s lean body, making his limbs feel all tingly and his heart somersault in his chest with a happy excitement.
Now the spider’s ears were not so sensitive as to pick up on the minute pauses in conversations or the soft aws and muttered scoffs of the packed street they were on, however he could feel the weight of several eyes on them and he couldn’t help but  soak in the feeling of showing off to everyone he was with Matt. Like he could jump up and point to him and go ‘Look, everyone! This is my person! My incredible, wonderful person!’
As they broke apart and Matt took his hand to lead them inside the restaurant with determined steps, Peter made sure to keep up easily with him so as to not squander the ruse Matt had seemingly, momentarily forgotten to maintain.
Indoors, the restaurant’s tropical theme was quite a pleasant surprise for the New Yorker. The lush plants and warm lighting evoked a cozy feeling, as if they were actually on some beach somewhere and not in the middle of a city. As they were led to their table, Peter was in awe at the beautiful vivid flowers that decorated the place. The photographer within him appreciated the commitment to the aesthetic.
Settling down at the semi-private table, the first thing Peter registered was all the different cutlery that had been laid out for them and he began alarmingly to question how exactly he would be able to pull off this dinner without completely making a fool of himself. What did grown-ups even talk about on these fancy dates? However, before he could think up anything clever to say, they were greeted by their friendly server, who, at the mention of a kosher menu, brought a look of pleasant surprise to Peter’s face.
Although he still somewhat kept up the kosher habit from his upbringing, he didn’t exactly make the constant effort for all his meals. So, he thought it an incredibly sweet gesture on Matt's part to go the extra mile to assure it for him.
As the waitress scurried away to grab a braille menu, leaving them in momentary privacy, he fixed his softened gaze on his partner across the table.
"Thank you, Matt. You didn't have to. But you did.  And for that, I’m really touched. Thank you.” he repeated in a lighter tone than usual, his voice laced with sweet reverence, in awe of the kind, considerate man he was lucky enough to call his boyfriend.  “Uhm this place is really nice. I kinda get the impression we’re in the middle of a lush oasis somewhere nice and warm, Doesn’t really feel like it belongs in the middle of a concrete city. I was thinking.. Uhm, we should uh snap a picture together when we have a chance. That-that is if you want to, of course.”
The woman quickly returned with the menu, placing it in front of Matt before asking politely if they needed a moment to decide or if she could get them started with something, to which a clueless and out of his element college student Peter replied he’d start off with seltzer water for the moment being as he picked up the drink menu to give it a glance over. He hadn’t heard of half of these names, but one look at the price tags attached was explanation enough.
-
A red tint had taken to his cheeks and he shrugged a bit but ultimately didn't want to shoo away Peter's kind words and he ended up letting his chin fall bashfully, bumping Peter's knee with his own beneath the table.
Chuckling softly, endeared entirely to Peter's nervous nature, he nodded along to the idea of a picture. Something he admittedly rarely thought about given his afflictions, though he understood and appreciated Peter's draw to them.
But he did consider how different Peter carried himself now from the nonchalant way he acted in his suit.
He seemed nervous and tense like he had some impressing to do when Matt was entirely sold already, but it ran deeper than even just that.
It was a feeling Matt understood, the confidence and vibrato which came with the mask was encompassing when one spent as much time in them as they did; but the young law student had come to think, in the last year of his life, he was meant to be Daredevil. Matthew Murdock was the costume.
He wondered, momentarily, as the waitress returned if Peter felt that same dichotomy.
Matt had mentioned his internal identity struggle more than once now and didn't think now was a good time to retread any of that ground. Instead he asked the waitress for a regular water with lemon and a moment to take in the menu and when she was gone Matt pushed his, and Peter's,  silverware out of the way, and took one of the willowy nervous hands in his firm grasp, squeezing softly.
"We can ask the waitress if she will take it when she comes back."
He tilted his head a bit, his free hand finding the raised dots on the drink menu, slipping quickly down the list before pausing and retreading a couple of messes of dots. With a playful smile and a decent spanish pronunciation (with perhaps a generous roll of the r), he tried to make this easier on Pete.
"In the meantime… I bet you'd like the La Rojita, aaaand I might go for theee Infallible."
He gave another squeeze, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to the other man's hand.
He didn't want this to be stressful. He didn't care about the fancy wines or the silverware.
"I told you about how Foggy and I used to crash fancy parties, yeah?" He smirked and cocked his head a little before whispering like it was a secret.
"We got caught quite a few times before we figured out how to blend in. And just so you know, the silverware is an easy one to learn, start from the outside, and work your way in. Smaller the utensil the earlier you use it." He cocked his head the other direction now.
"But I do like it here. Everything smells… fresh and crisp. Plants can do that. Liven up a room… I guess they do that for everyone, but I would be lying if I didn't admit that it was a big draw for accepting this deal."
-
Peter’s eyes were laser focused on the menu in front of him as he tried to figure out what exactly he should order that would taste good to him and also paired well with their set food, because that’s what he heard people did at least… paired their drink with their food. But honestly, as he studied the drinks, it became painfully obvious to him that that was way above his understanding. He might be studying chemistry, but he didn’t even know what to begin to look for in the first place.
Although he knew Matt wouldn’t judge him, he at least wanted to seem like he somewhat knew what he was doing in this sort of fancy setting. That he wasn’t completely clueless… like he actually was.
He was worriedly chewing on the inside of his cheek when he felt the strong boxer’s hand envelop his and give it a squeeze. His eyes flickered up from the menu to stare at Matt, who had on the most charming playful smile. It eased his nerves simply at the sight of it.
A smile of his own raised the apples of his cheeks at Matt’s suggested drink and the way his r’s smoothly rolled off of his tongue - which Peter found he really liked the sound of.
Proverbially throwing the fancy schmancy drink rules out the lavish restaurant window, Peter thought the combination of fruits and sugary mixture of lemonade and soda sounded refreshing and right up his sweet-tooth alley.
“I do like the sound of that,” he pleasantly agreed, grateful for the assistance. "And the drink too," he cheekily added in an airy tone. His heart skipped a beat as his hand was squeezed again and swept up to be kissed.
At the subject of Matt and Foggy’s old mischievous habit of party crashing, Peter nodded his head and leaned forwards in his chair as the law student lowered his voice and relayed the helpful tip to the question Peter hadn’t dared to broach aloud.
A little embarrassed, a red blush rosied his cheeks and nose.
He had to admit, he was being a bit silly. He really had nothing to be ashamed of for not being well versed in an area he had no real experience with. It was okay that he was totally clueless about this high life stuff.
So as Matt moved on to talk about the botanical decorum, Peter’s voice was a little brighter, a little less nervous, and his shoulders more relaxed.
He thoughtfully hummed at Matt’s admittance for being drawn to this particular restaurant. Peter assumed that with all the pollutants in a city as big as New York, it’s why the fresh, purifying air all this foliage provided would be an appealing atmosphere for his boyfriend and a much needed relief on his highly sensitive senses.
It sparked an idea in his head, and he pocketed it for later.
Squeezing Matt’s hand back, Peter brushed his thumb over the back of his knuckles and replied with an air of amusement, “Plants, nature’s practical decorations. They breathe life into a room in more ways than one.” Then softly, he continued, “I’m glad it’s refreshing for you. Maybe for our next date - that is when the city wants to give us another peaceful day off,”  he exhaled an amused huff, “we could give the Botanical Garden a try?”
From underneath the table, Peter lightly skimmed Matt’s ankle with his. “And thanks for the cutlery tip, by the way. I don’t really know much about silverware or drinks or anything fine-dining, really..” his heart tightened in his chest as he said the next part, “But I do know I like being out on a date with you.”