Peter Parker Imagines

Cobweb.

Summary: (Somewhere in the spiderverse where Infinity War hasn't taken place) After Peter and the Reader meet at Empire State University, the reader becomes insecure with their relationship as Peter is always late to dates or cancelling plans. It becomes an endless pattern of apologies, excuses and empty promises. After being lied to time and time again, enough is enough.

Warnings: Reader is insecure and worry's she's not good enough, vague mentions of romantic themes (I think that's it), lil angst and a lil fluff

    Pale moonlight pooled in through the thin white cloth, of the linen curtains that billowed in the midnight breeze. As you laid in the dark, curled into the worn fabric of your duvet, you found yourself yearning for some sort of reassurance that there was some sort of truth in the lies he told you time and time again.

The damp spots underneath your puffy eyes paid tribute to the hours of crying you had done. Much too tired to bother reading the messages that bombarded your phone, you tucked it between the stiff mattress of your bed and the springs.

It was exhausting; trying to convince yourself that he wasn't doing something behind your back, that he was telling the truth.

Maybe it would hurt less if this wasn't the first boy you had fallen for, maybe it would be an easier pill to swallow if you could shake the feeling of butterflies you felt when you had shared your first kiss.

You just wanted Peter, and even that seemed like an impossible wish.

"Psst." Your eyes widened at the hiss that whispered into the darkness.

Frozen in your place, you wrung your blanket in your hands as you desperately tried to convince Peter you were in a deep sleep.

"Psst. Y/N. Psst." He continued as he pressed his lips to the space between the sliding glass and the window pane; You had always left it open ajar, you were desperate for salvation from the stuffiness of the small confines of your single bedroom. "I know you're awake, and I know you're mad, but th-there's this really big campus security guard walking around and he's gonna kick my ass if he sees me trying to sneak into the girl's dorm."

You had wondered how much it would take to give into the constant routine that you two had fallen into - it hadn't taken very long at all.

Throwing your covers to the side you sulked toward the window and pried the piece of plywood up, that stopped the window from sliding open any further than an inch. Not saying a word, you allowed Peter into your room and waited for him to speak; to spew the same lines he had been pulling since the two of you had been together.

When you looked at him with eyes filled with hurt, he felt his stomach tie into knots and his mouth became dry.

"What was it this time?" You asked with strain, taking every ounce of strength you had not to let out a strangled cry.

"I got caught up at the Stark Internship-" he said, trying his best to make it seem believable, but you saw right through it.

"Why do you keep lying to me? Is there someone else? " You pressed, thoroughly convinced he had found someone else. "Is it that Gwen girl from your class?"

His mouth fell open at your question, each word sounding more and more like an accusation.

"I would never cheat on you, y/n please, I promise you, it's not like that." He reassured as he stepped toward you, only to have you take two steps back.

"Then what is it? Is it me? Are you avoiding me? Is it because I'm taking things too slow?" Your lip trembled as you tried to rationalize why he would do this to you. "I know I'm no supermodel and I don't always know what you're talking about...but I'm trying really hard Peter, really I am."

Sometimes you could see her, never in reality but hidden away in the chambers of your insecurities; she was flawless, no doubt, not a single imperfection brandishing her skin. She had outstanding hair and a gorgeous figure and she was smart, unbelievably smart. She was the unattainable image of yourself that you had put on a pedestal your entire life, and yet, she didn't exist.

"No, no, you're perfect. I promise," his voice shook as he struggled to get the words out. He took your face into his hands, carefully dragging the calloused touch of his thumb across the wet spots that had collected underneath your eyes. "I promise you, nothing, absolutely nothing, is wrong with you. I swear nothing is going on. What can I do to fix this?"

Giving into his touch you leaned into his palm, though your eyes remained off to the side.

"Just tell me the truth." You croaked, finally meeting his glassy gaze. "Please."

"I can't." He choked, pulling you into his arms as he feared he was about to lose you. "I want to y/n, really I do, but I can't."

"Okay," you whispered, taking fistfuls of his jacket as you buried your face into the crook of his neck.

Swaying ever so slightly, you relished in the small moment that the two of you shared; it was something you had craved for so long and for the first time it felt like he was truly present, that he had heard you, that he had truly seen you. As he murmured "I love you's" in your hair, he debated whether or not he should make his confession; if he wanted to keep you safe, he couldn't, at least not yet.

Like an ironic twist of fate, Peter felt like a fly caught in a spider web, and he wasn't sure if he'd ever break free of it.