Every Day ── PETER PARKER²

29. First Dance

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          Luna let out a snicker as Sharpay Evans appeared on screen, looking as perplexed as ever, reminding her all too much of herself. The Midtown Tech Homecoming dance had slowly descended into chaos, the night ending with a student arrested, and police attempting to pry a man off of a dented school bus. It wasn't at all what was expected of the day, but in an odd way, Luna was glad it happened.

         For one, her problems with Danielle were no longer an issue. Though she insisted on not pressing charges, Victoria was quick to do exactly that, not accepting any of Luna's pleads. After all Danielle had done, she still wanted to give the girl a final chance, to finally be able to show the girl that her father wasn't the hero she'd been lead to believe. But Andrew had made sure to hug her tight enough that she was unable to free herself, forcing her to watch with guilt as the girl was lead away by officers.

         By the time the police left the premises, she wanted nothing more than to go back home and cuddle up in bed. And she did exactly that. Though both Diana and Andrew had offered to join her in watching a movie, Luna had insisted on watching it on her own, unable to endure the calculating eyes of her siblings. It's like the two were waiting for her to crack, waiting for everything to come rushing forward and leave Luna a weeping mess. Truthfully speaking, she was waiting for it too. But when all her feelings overflowed, she could only hope she'd be alone when it happened.

         Glancing down at her phone, she sighed as Mia flooded their groupchat with link after link of the same article. Spider-Man's latest catch had gotten more attention that any other, unsurprisingly, seeing as a majority of Coney Island was covered in flames. Typing another overly-excited reply to Mia's text, she felt a frown tug at her lips. How long would she be able to keep it up? Keep up the lies she fed to her best friends about the identity of Spider-Man.

        Before she could give it much thought, a knocking sounded in her room. Snapping her head up, her eyes widened as they settled on the window, more specifically, the boy hanging off the ledge of her window. Scrambling across the room, she pulled up the window, grabbing onto Peter's hand to bring him in. He let out a breathe as he stepped down, taking a second to gain his balance back before looking up at the girl.

        It was the Peter she'd seen in her dreams. He was beaten and bruised, blood smeared across his face. His suit, one she hadn't seen in a while, was stained all over, tattered with rips and tears in random places. And yet, a smile still tugged at his lips.

         "I did it," he breathed out. "I beat him."

         "I can see that," she teased, a breathy chuckle leaving the boy. All signs of amusement left her features as she reached her hand up, resting it on the boy's cheek. "I'm proud of you."

         Peter's features softened. Proud. She was proud of him. Just a couple weeks ago, they'd been standing in his room a few feet apart, and his heart had plummeted as Luna told him how disappointed she was in him. And here they stood again, in her bedroom, and she was proud of him. It was enough to fill the boy with warmth, his heart yearning for the girl in front of him.