The Intern & The Daughter {peter parker au}

Chapter 6: Mistakes & Revelations

My dad doesn't come around. Just as promised, I'm driven to and from school by a driver. Monday evening Peter calls to tell me that dad ignored him while he was working. Ouch. I feel so bad for him, but he keeps insisting that it's worth the effort. I continue to pray that he never changes his mind.

On Tuesday, I don't hear from Peter. After multiple texts, he finally replies around 11 PM to say he got caught up working at the internship and that my dad was still ignoring him.

By Wednesday, I've nearly gone stir-crazy. I'm also craving a latte; who knew coffee could be so addicting? I also haven't seen Peter since our incident, which is harder than I had anticipated. I never knew you could crave another human's touch the way you crave chocolate or pizza. Yet, here I sit on my bed wanting nothing more than for Peter to be next to me. His warmth, his smell, his laugh, and his smile all seem to be haunting me like a far off memory. I am vaguely aware that it existed at one point, but I sometimes have to assure myself that it was real and not a dream.

My phone rings, awakening me from my deep trance. It's Peter, requesting a video call. I giggle with giddy, girlish excitement and tap the answer icon.

"Hi!" I squeal as soon as Peter appears on my screen.

"Hey Emmeline! How are you?"

"I'm okay, but I miss you!"

"I miss you too!"
"Where are you?" I ask. I don't recognize his surroundings.

"My room." He says, moving the camera so I can see a little bit.

"Me too." I say, doing the same with my phone. "I've been so bored. I mean, I can only do so much homework. I even finished a research paper that isn't due for 6 weeks." Peter laughs, and my heart aches with both longing to hear it in person and relief that I still have the privilege of hearing it at all.

"You're one crazy cat, little Stark." He chuckles.

"Crazy cat? Does anyone use that term anymore?" I jokingly question. Peter laughs, but then suddenly stops.

"Hey, Emmeline, I'm really sorry but I have to go." My heart begins to race. I don't want him to go.

"What, why? Peter, what's going on?"

"I'm so, so sorry but I have to go. It's for work. I promise I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"I guess." I say, nearly in tears.

"Don't hate me, Em. Just trust me, alright?" Peter practically begs. He looks desperate.

"I trust you." I reply, but Peter gives me a look that tells me he knows I'm not entirely sincere. He hangs up anyway, and I'm left alone again. I want to trust Peter; I really do. But this pushing me away for some emergency thing is getting tiresome, especially since I've hardly seen him.

All of these thoughts continue to cloud my head as I lay on my bed, wide awake and doing seldom more than let my mind whir like an overheating engine. Is he cheating on me? I hate to assume the worst. Is he hiding something that will upset me? If so, is it for my own good? Do I really want to know? Yes and no. That's the thing about words - they can't be taken back.

Before I realize it, it's nearly midnight and my phone is ringing again. Peter. This time, it's a regular phone call, not a video call. I desperately want to see him, so after I tap "answer" I also tap "video call". At first I can only see myself, because Peter hasn't accepted the video feed. He does, and then looks at his phone. His eyes grow big and I hear him say "shit!".

"Peter?"

"Uh...hey Emmeline. Did you request a video call?"
"Yeah? I just wanted to see you."

"Oh, uh, I must have accidentally hit accept. Give me a second, I'm uh...naked." I begin to giggle at his embarrassment. Finally, he reappears on screen.

"Hey!" he says, with a big cheesing grin.

"Hi!" I say, returning the smile.

"What's up?"

"Not much," I reply, noticing something on the dresser behind him. "Is that....do you own a Spiderman costume? Aren't those like, super expensive to buy?" I laugh. He would own a superhero costume; it's exactly the sort of nerdy, adorable thing he would do. I wonder if he owns a replica Captain America shield, too.

"Shit." He mutters, grabbing the mask. As he does, he drops the phone. As luck would have it, the phone lands on something, propping it up so I can see Peter. He opens a silver briefcase and shoves the mask inside. I briefly get a glimpse of the body of the costume, but something feels oddly familiar about the case. As if my brain found an old file tucked away, I remember seeing those cases all around Avengers Tower; usually used to carry expensive items.

And then, it clicks.