37 - Germany

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It was much later that night when I heard a familiar knock on my doors. I was cuddled up in bed, my hair damp from the shower and a bowl of pasta sitting in my lap as I watched another episode of Grey's Anatomy. I had been expecting a text or maybe a phone call from him, letting me know how his little chat with Tony Stark had gone. Instead, when I glanced away from my screen, I found him standing on my balcony, a hoodie covering his head. I pushed back my blankets and laptop, setting my bowl of nothing but carbs on my bedside table. With an oversized NYU shirt on and fluffy bed pants, I padded over to the glass doors that served as windows too and let him in. 

"Hey," I smiled briefly across at him. 

He gave me that tiny smile and I knew something was eating him alive when that smile didn't reach his eyes. "Your parents are home." It wasn't a question but a statement. He seemed rather shocked by the news too. Lately my parents had been making more of an effort to be home and not spending every minute of the day at the labs.  

"Yeah, it's kind of weird." I replied quietly, "I didn't think my house would ever feel so small again, not without Colton." 

Peter inched forward, his hand shoving out without a word. I didn't know what he was thinking, or going to do but I placed my hand in his own. "Hold on tight, yeah?" Before I could even begin to ask what he was even referring to, he was pulling me out of my balcony doors, moving us into the chilly night air. Without much effort, he was slinging us upwards, heading towards my rooftop. Holding tight around his middle, we were lifted up in one foul swoop. Placing me down gently, he took a seat and I followed suit. With the bright city lights in the distance, we sat on my rooftop together. I was seated close to him, our shoulders pressed together, my hands a little numb from the cold, but I didn't mind all that much. 

"Tony Stark knows you're Spider-Man, huh?" I commented on the wind. He didn't speak for a long moment, too many thoughts rushing through his mind. I always thought he stayed quiet because he was nervous about speaking, but little did I know back then, he stayed quiet because he had too much to say at times.

Peter took a deep breath, threading his arms around his knees. "He wants my help."

"One of the most popular, richest and coolest superheroes, wants your help?" I questioned, letting my eyes drift away from the city skyline to look across at him. "What could he possibly want from you?"

He let out a little strange laugh, not believing it himself. "He wants me to go to Germany, help out with some Avengers trouble. Can you believe that, Flo? Iron Man wants me to help." 

I was already shaking my head, not quite understanding what he was saying. He couldn't just go overseas and leave everything behind. What about school? His job at the paper? What about Aunt May? But none of that mattered, because it wasn't me with powers, it wasn't me who could save people, it was him. "What are you going to do?" I whispered out. 

His head turned slightly, his eyes serious. "I thought just being Spider-Man I could help out in the city, you know? Stop the robbers, save a few people from a car crash. I didn't think it would become this." Peter softly started, "But when Tony Stark is asking for my help to protect others. That's just something else." 

I inched closer to him. "You can't really say no to Tony Stark, that's for sure." 

His lips lifted up with my comment, breaking that intense spell for only a second. "I want to make a difference, I want to help the world. This could be my way, Florence. It's like my uncle always said; with great power, comes great responsibly. Shouldn't I stand up and take that responsibility?" 

I was already nodding my head without question. I knew he would never stop hurting, that pain of loss didn't just vanish. It wasn't something you could turn off, I knew that all too well. In a sense, Peter had made a promise to his Uncle Ben and he was going to honour it. A promise not so different from my own to my brother. "You already do," I told him. "I know that you have to do this, Pete. I know that you can't turn your back on it. But will you promise me something?"

He was smiling, just slightly. I wondered if he was nervous to tell me, nervous about what I would say. To be honest, it was crazy of him to be going. We were just kids, but I understood why he needed to do this. "Anything."

"Will you get Black Widow to sign my bobble head?" 

Peter gave me a laugh, pulling me closer. With my head resting on his shoulder, I linked my hand with his own. "But seriously, stay out of trouble." I added in after a good moment of quietness. 

He pressed his lips to my temple, "I'm only going to be distracting them, I won't be actually fighting. Not that much, not yet." 

"Good," I replied. "I want you back home in one piece."

With the cold wind blowing on our faces, we sat like that with the stars watching over us, wishing us well as he would leave the country and face something much bigger than himself. "Make sure Tony knows that if something happens to you, he has me to deal with." I went on.

Another laugh vibrated through his chest, "I'll let him know."

I shifted backwards a bit, allowing myself to see his face. I let my fingertips touch his cheek, cold but soft. I didn't know why it was so easy letting him go, maybe because I knew deep down Tony Stark would try his best to keep him safe. Maybe because Peter trusted him, which means I trusted him. Maybe it was because there wasn't a bad feeling resting in my stomach about this all. "I guess I'll take copies of notes for your classes. Wouldn't want you getting that far behind."

His hand caught my chin, lifting it up slightly. He pressed his cold lips to my mine, a smile breaking across my face. "You're only letting me go because you think you can snake your way to the top of the class, don't you?"

I gave him a coy wink. "For once, you would be very correct, Peter Parker." 






AUTHOR'S NOTE:
So, I've finally reached Civil War. I would love to write about Florence going to Germany and getting to meet the gang and all that, but it just doesn't make sense. So, that will just have to do for now. I've only got a few more chapters left of book one, so please stay tuned. How cute are Florence and Peter? I actually grin like an idiot writing their banter and cute moments. I hope you are enjoying it. 

-Tinkertaydust

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