The Intern & The Daughter {peter parker au}

Chapter 4: Forgiveness & Fearlessness

Life is NOT good.

My date with Peter was an utter disaster.

We met in the park and then walked to the restaurant. I had one of dad's drivers drop me off. I left the house under the pretense that I was meeting some girls who might actually want to be my friend. Dad was suspicious, but he let me go. The restaurant was a recently remodeled automat, which is basically a restaurant run entirely by vending machines. You can get everything from chips to burgers to green tea ice cream. It was totally sweet and un-fancy. I loved it.

That is, until Peter bailed on me. His phone beeped, and he checked it quickly before putting it away. Then, as if finally registering whatever his phone said, he hopped up and said he had to leave.
"What, why?" I ask, borderline frantically.

"It's just....it's kind of an emergency. I'm sorry! I have to g-" He didn't even finish his sentence before rushing out of the door. I look down at my chocolate cone, but I no longer have an appetite. I dump it in the garbage by the door and walk back to the park, where the car is waiting for me. I get in the car silently and the driver takes off.

I spend my Sunday morning moping around, trying to do something to make myself feel better. I take a hot bath, I use a facial treatment I got as a gift from Pepper, and I even paint my toenails a cherry red. In the end, I don't like how they look and take it all off. Unfortunately, cherry red is the only color Pepper has in the house since she usually goes to the salon if she wants her nails painted. I'm just picking up a book with a cup of hot tea by my side as my phone rings. Peter's face is displayed on my screen, but I hesitate picking it up, not sure if I want to hear what he has to say. My heart wins out over my brain, and I swipe the green answer button.

"Hello?" I answer quietly.

"Hey, Emmeline. Uh...listen, I just wanted to say how sorry I am about last night. I.." He trails off. I wait for him to finish in silence. After a few brief moments, he continues.

"I had to help someone."

"Who?" I ask.

"A....a neighbor."

"Why? What did they need help with?"

"They needed help taking care of something.....something kinda private, they didn't want me to tell anyone." I wait in silence. That answer doesn't really feel right, but if it's true, then I don't want to be mad at Peter for being helpful.

"Well, it pretty much sucked because you just left me hanging with no idea of if/when you'd be back."

"I know, and it was so rude. I promise, if anything like that ever happens again, I'll....well, I'll handle it a lot better." That answer also seems weird, but I like Peter too much to give up on him after just one bad date.

"Well, at least you're a good samaritan, I guess." I say, laughing so he knows I've forgiven him. I hear him laugh nervously on the other line.
"So, can we try this again?"
"Another date?" I say, suddenly becoming nervous. I still haven't told him about my dad, and I don't know how long I can get away with this actually-having-friends-act.

"Yeah. I was thinking may-"
"My dad doesn't want us dating." I spit out, interrupting Peter's sentence. "It's just...I don't know. He didn't really give a reason. He can be....well, for lack of better term he can be kind of unreasonable sometimes." Peter is silent for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to be really, really careful." He says, and I can almost see his nervous smile based only on his tone. I can tell he's feeling me out, trying to decide if I'm okay with dating behind my dad's back.

"I guess so" I reply, hoping he can hear the smile in my voice.

Giving my life a 180 was exactly what I needed. I still worry sometimes about my decision to go behind my dad's back, but at the same time it's very freeing. And, for the most part, I'm happier now than I have been in most of my life. I didn't realize I was so unhappy until I felt this - true happiness. Peter and I spend the week doing our usual routine. We meet at Starbucks, talk about school or movies, then we head to the train station. Sometimes Peter rides upstate with me, other times he just drops me off before heading home. On days when he and I are going to the same place, we still take separate cars from the station because no one is supposed to know that we still see each other. On the train on Friday, Peter asks me a question that I have no straight answer to.

"What was it like growing up with your dad?" I think long and hard before answering.

"It wasn't...it wasn't like everyone assumes. They all assume I was raised by nannies and never saw him. That's only, like, half true." I look out the window because I don't want to see Peter's face as I continue my answer.

"I had nannies while he was gone on trips and during the day, but whenever he would get home from work, it was just us. And, eventually, us and Pepper. My dad did normal dad stuff, but he was also gone like, a lot. He would have these long trips where he'd be gone and then he'd come back and try to be a normal dad." I laugh as a funny memory comes to mind.

"I remember one time, we went to the Bronx zoo, and some guy recognized dad. He wouldn't leave us alone, so we had to leave early. Dad had the guy like, arrested or something but I don't think he went to jail. He just kept asking dad these stupid questions and it was really, really annoying." I laugh, and Peter does too.

"It sounds like he's a pretty good dad." I chuckle.

"As good as a billionaire-slash-superhero can be as a dad, right?"
"Yeah." Peter replies, laughing.

Peters hand finds it way to mine. We sit there, holding hands for the rest of the train ride home.

I'm in a deep slumber when my alarm goes off, stirring me awake. I am extremely groggy and confused. First of all, why is my alarm going off while it's still dark out? Second, why is my alarm going off on a Saturday morning? I lift my head and grab my phone. I stare at the screen for a few moments before realizing that it isn't my alarm - I'm getting a phone call. From Peter. At 3:48 A.M.

"Hello" I answer, my voice raspy.

"Hey!" Peter replies. He's whispering, but he sounds cheerful.

"What is going on?"

"Go downstairs to the side door of the residence."

"What?"

"Just do it!" He says, a slight giggle in his voice. I sit up and fling my comforter off of me. My first thought is that he's left me something at the door. Perhaps those chocolate covered pretzels I mentioned earlier? I pad quietly down the steps and across the kitchen. When I open the door, I find myself face to face with Peter. My jaw drops and I hang up my phone.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, thrilled but also terrified of being caught.

"I told security I forgot something." He says, laughing. He grabs my hand. "Come on!" Peter pulls me out the door. I turn back and shut the door as quietly as possible. Together, we tiptoe around unfamiliar corners and halls. Peter seems to know where he's going, but I haven't spent much time in this part of the complex. Finally, we come to a set of silver double doors. Peter gently pushes on one and we sneak inside. Looking around, I realize it's some sort of training room. What looks like a wrestling floor is at the center of the room, and different workout equipment is stored around the perimeter. A single light illuminates the wrestling floor, but the rest of the room is dark.

"You're going down, little Stark!" Peter taunts, running out to the floor. I chase after him. When I reach the edge of the floor, I slide off my sweatpants to reveal my athletic shorts. I run onto the soft yet firm floor. Peter takes a fighting stance. I stand across from him and mirror it. He lunges at me, but I'm ready and counter it. I barely tap his shoulders with my palms and he falls, acting terribly injured.

"Ow, ya got me!" He says, laughing. We continue to play fight for several minutes. In that time, any thoughts of my dad, school, or anything else negative fly out of my brain. It was just Peter and I, having the time of our lives. At one point, he finally "tackles" me, and we find ourselves down on the floor, Peter laying with his chest on mine, his legs flung out to the side. His face is directly in front of mine, his eyes looking deeply into mine. The butterflies in my stomach flare up, and I feel giddy. Peter leans in, his lips coming closer to mine. I slowly close my eyes and lift my head to make my lips meet his. Our bottom lips have just grazed one another when the rest of the lights in the center flip on, blinding us both. We both shoot up, terrified. I pray for a moment that they are on some sort of timer, or we triggered a motion detector. Once our eyes recover, I can see that Peter is staring up at a viewing room I didn't notice before. Inside, my dad stands, arms crossed. He's also fully dressed, so I know he must have known we were in here practically from the beginning. I suddenly feel hot and like I need to vomit. Peter waves nervously at my dad. He turns around and walks stiffly to the door.