"Alright guys, great job, you can head home!"

The entire decathlon let out cheers at the mention of being let free. Abraham whacked the bell as they all laughed as Liz packed up her flash cards and Mr. Harrington went to answer a call. Nora let out a whoop just to add to the hysteria already and Peter clapped beside her. Off stage, Liz nodded along. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Calm down, losers." it was said with affection, but it did quieten them slightly. "We only have two weeks to the regionals, so don't get relaxed just yet."

"We are going to kick this competitions ass!" Flash exclaimed, punching the air. He went to high five the girl Nora now knew as Michelle but she completely ignored him.

Nora snickered at the scene in front of her. Joining the decathlon was better than she thought. She never understood why Cindy was so adamant to join when they went to join extra curricular activities. While Nora signed up for soccer and drama, Cindy went for chess and decathlon, completely going against the plan she had explained to her friend weeks before. Now, being here with an atmosphere she didn't expect, she now understood why Cindy was looking forward to their weekly meetings. Also, the reaction she got from Peter when she showed up was pretty freaking hilarious.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" he had stuttered, checking his watch. "You don't have to wait for us." with one swift wink, she took the seat next to him, continuing as if he hadn't spoken to her at all. On the other side of him, Ned was elbowing him to the point of bruising.

Now, beside her, Peter nudged her shoulder, grabbing her attention. "Walk home with me?"

She smiled bashfully, ever since her father's birthday(which had dire consequences for the adults in the Mendes household, she was pretty sure Rafe couldn't remember his name), Peter had been more confident wither her. However, even though he now could talk to her without falling over his words, nothing had really happened between them. They hung out alone more often, and they both knew they liked each other, but times were she thought he would make a move were always either interrupted, or never happened. Even now, as they walked off the stage to collect their things, their hands would brush and every time Nora would hope he would just lace their hands together. Maybe he wasn't that confident.

Nevertheless, Nora nodded. "Sure, I've got time to kill in Queens." she answered sarcastically.

"Well, I'm sure aunt May can squeeze you in for dinner. I mean, if she has to." he drawled out, as if she was the biggest burden in the world. Their hands brushed again, and Nora sighed quietly. Just take my hand, you idiot.

She gave him a sweet look. "I'm sure there will be room for me at that thai restaurant you always go to."

Peter feigned a hurt look, a hand to his chest. "Well, you're not invited then." Nora stuck her tongue out at him, making him drop the look and finally intertwine their fingers. Nora felt a sort of release when he did it. Little did she know he had been trying to figure out a way to do it effortlessly since she arrived at practice that day. As he noticed the tips of her ears heat up, he felt slightly less nervous. Their moment was ruined by the sound of a yelp and a book slamming on the floor. They both spun around, thinking someone had hurt themselves, but it was just Ned staring at them with wide eyes and mouth hanging open.

The couple glanced at each other. Yeah, they probably should've mentioned their budding relationship to Ned.

"Ned, what's wrong?" Liz asked. Peter shook his head rapidly, Nora slicing her throat with her hand. They didn't want him to say anything, especially not to the nosiest bunch of people there ever was.

"Peter a-a-and Nora!" he pointed at their joint hands, which lasted about half a second more before they were scrambling away from each other.

Sally rolled her eyes. "Ew." she said at the same time Liz aww'ed. Nora felt her face heat up as she saw Peter began to flatline beside her.

Flash crossed his arms in a huff. "Why are we making such a big deal about this?"

Abraham cried from halfway across the room. "Ha ha, Peter has a girlfriend before Flash!"

Flash began to shout denial at Abraham, giving Peter enough time to look at Nora with an apologetic look. Nora gave him a 'don't worry about it' look, she was the one who wanted him to hold her hand anyway. She was going to kill Ned though, this was not how they wanted their feelings to be announced. Over all the commotion, Michelle just spoke. "You guys didn't know?"

Everyone went silent, attention now on Michelle. She was a girl of few words, but she had the ability to grab people's attention when she did speak. "What, you knew?" Ned exclaimed.

"They've been acting like that since the start of January." she shrugged. "You're all idiots for not noticing."

"Guys, can we not make this a big deal." Nora said, suddenly very sheepish. Teenagers had a way of blowing things out of proportion, especially when it came to romance and relationships. Right now, she knew exactly how Cindy felt when Benny ratted her out to her crush when there were in fourth grade.

Liz stepped forward, nodding. "Yeah guys, come on, let them do whatever they want. Even if it's extremely cute and finally happening."

Peter blinked. "Huh?" neither of them noticed Ned hadn't moved a muscle, except for the grin threatening to eat his face.

"Oh come on, it was only a matter of time before you got together."

By this time, Nora's face was redder than a tomato and she was getting quite sick of being the centre of attention. "Ok, I'm leaving." she turned on her heels, walking promptly out of the hall, ignoring all their protests for her to come back.

Peter glared at his best friend subtly, who was still grinning. "Go after your girl, Parker." Michelle grumbled.

He didn't hesitate, grabbing his backpack and legging it out of the room and to Nora who he expected to half way down the corridor, but instead was over at the lockers, headphones in as she scrolled through her phone.

"I thought you were storming out." he said once she noticed him.

"Sorry about that, it's just I don't know them that well. Felt weird talking about it." she took a breath, smiling again as she pushed herself off the locker. "But, I'm fine now, I'm over it."

He nodded. "That's good, awesome." it was said so matter of factly that it made her chuckle.

"Although, I think some fro-yo might help me really over it."

He scoffed playfully, taking her hand again as they walked down the hall. "Alright, I see how it is."

They walked down the hall in silence, hearing a faint, "I knew it!" from Ned who had exited into the hall.

"Sure you did!" they called back in unison.

-

"Our top story today: the new hero Mercy saves a mother and daughter from a horrific car accident. In the late hours of Thursday night, a devastating car wreck occurred on the corner of Main and Park. Seemingly a hit and run, a little girl and mother were trapped in their car, left to helplessly watch the gas leak out of their car, about to ignite the fire growing in the opposite car. It was then that a brave soul sources are calling Mercy came to help the pair. Displaying powers no one has ever seen before, she successfully rescued both mother and daughter just as the car exploded. Thankfully, no one was injured."

On the way home, after picking up what could only be described as the best fro-yo they had ever gotten, every store with a tv in it's window was blaring the news at top volume. Peter and Nora, unbeknownst to each other, were trying to ignore it as much as possible. However, they both felt like they needed to comment on it, so every now and then, one of them would say something akin to, "Thank god no one was hurt." or "I'm glad the guy was caught." Neither mentioned the actual act being done, or the hero doing the saving. Because one was watching and the other was the one doing the saving.

Absentmindedly, Peter's thumb brushed over the beacon in his pocket, completely unaware that the girl beside him had the matching one in her bag.

Peter tried not to think about that night for a few different reasons. He had never seen Mercy with the drive she had in those crucial moments. To be honest, he tried not to think about that part of his life when he was Peter Parker, but it was hard. He just loved being Spider-Man so much, to be able to help people, to make a difference, to take use the power he had to stop the bad things from happening. He couldn't wait to get out of school so he get his homework over with to then throw on the suit and find Mercy so they could keep the city safe.

He didn't really like that she took up so much of his thoughts nowadays. Obviously, there was the curiosity to know who her real identity was, but the way she handled being a hero, how she solely wanted to heal people, that also took up his thoughts. He didn't really like how his feelings for her started to feel like he was talking about Nora. Sometimes, he didn't know which one he was talking about. God, his hormones needed to chill out.

Nora tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Hey, where did you go?"

He blinked, scratching his ear. "Oh, uh, sorry I was just thinking of the Spanish test we have on Monday."

A look of realisation washed over her face. "The one where we have to recite that stupid poem, that's on Monday?" he nodded, finishing his yoghurt. "Dammit, I need to look over that again."

"You think you're unprepared? I'm pretty sure I haven't looked over that poem, like, at all."

Nora gasped as they entered the elevator to his apartment. "You mean those notes I wrote for you were for nothing?"

"Y-you wrote them for me?" she froze, spoon in her mouth. Peter felt butterflies loose their damn minds in his stomach.

"Well, yeah, I mean, you did it for me." a blush crept its way up the back of his neck as the elevator brought them to his floor. Together, the entered the apartment where they disposed of the empty yoghurt containers and placed their bags into his room

Peter disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. "May's finished work in about an hour, she's probably going to ask you to stay for dinner."

Nora sat down on his bed, opening up the Spanish notes, still in the red binder. "Peter Parker is this your screwed up attempt at asking me on a date with your aunt?"

There was a pause. "Come on, don't blow my cover."

"Well, it's working. I'll need to text my dad though."

He came back into the room, just as she put her phone down. "What are you doing?" he asked, pointing to the notes in her lap.

"Studying." she told him in a 'duh' tone. "I'm not having Ms. Suarez in my ass for the rest of the year."

He nodded, as much as he loved being a superhero, his education was a big factor too. He sat beside her, ignoring the voice in his head excitedly reminding him that a girl was on his bed, and peeking into her notes. Shutting them, she tutted. "Nope, test time."

"I thought you said you needed to look back over the material." he said, watching her walk around his room.

"Bet you I know more than you." she challenged, sending him a smirk.

A confident look hit his features. "What are you proposing?"

"I propose," she leaned against his closet. "loser has to do anything the winner wants."

Peter had to stop the little squeak leaving his lips, but he nodded as confidently as he could. "You're on."

"Detrás de la cortina hay un mundo de calma," she began, eyeing him from across the room.

"Detrás del verde espeso el remanso," Peter continued, making Nora believe this may be a tighter game than she originally thought.

Looking around the room, she went on, as if this didn't matter to her. "La profunda quietud. Es un reino intocado, su silencio."

For a second, she heard Peter think quietly to himself, mouthing the words to the poem. "Desde el espectro líquido de otro...." her eyebrow raised as he struggled to find the next word. "Otro...."

"Tick tock." Nora sang, as Peter floundered for the next few lines to prove himself the winner.

"Goddamn it!" He said, his mind going blank.

Nora squealed. "I win."

"What's the end?"

Sitting back down next to him, she spouted. "Desde el espectro líquido de otro mundo, desde otra realidad de sonidos dispersos; desde otro tiempo enmarañable, me llaman." Nora shrugged. "You're fucked, Mr. Parker, and you lost the bet which means you have to do whatever I tell you."

He sighed, his head dropping. "Man am I lucky you're not Ned."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm way worse." Nora thought about it for a moment, her gaze sauntering around the room. Her eyes landed on a picture frame by his bedside and her stomach did a somersault.

Beside his bed was the picture she had taken at her dad's party, Nora had to stop herself from melting at it. She honestly thought he hated that picture, considering the stink he had made about it, but it obviously held such sentimental value to him now. To both of them, considering it was her phone screen. That night was something special to her, it was a night where she forgot she went out almost every night to fight crime. It was like her double was like being two separate people. Mercy, the determined healer, and Nora, the doofus who couldn't get her crush to hold her hand when she wanted him to.

So, it came out before she had time to stop herself, without looking, she told him. "Kiss me."

There was a moment where Peter genuinely thought she was joking. "What?" he asked as his brain went into overload.

Feeling a braveness surge through her, she nodded, turning back to him. "Kiss me."

"Um, I-I've never, I don't know—" a sudden sheepishness surged through him. Was it hot in there?

"I haven't either, don't worry." She said calmly, laying her hand against his. "You don't have to if you don't want to, I was just—"

Her excuse died on her tongue as Peter brought his face closer to hers. Soft, small lips came to rest on hers, pressing tentatively against her lips. Her eyes, once wide with shock, fluttered closed as she kissed back. Her free hand curled around the side of his neck, just as they deepened the kiss. Her heart was doing jumping jacks in her chest while fireworks exploded in Peter's mind. With his heightened senses, every finger on his skin sent his mind reeling, a warmth spreading through his entire body that was both unexplainable yet totally welcomed. He didn't want this feeling to end. After less than a minute, but what felt like an hour to them, their foreheads pressed together, smiles eating their faces.

"Hey," she said softly, earning her a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"Hey," he said back.

"I'm still better at Spanish than you."

He dissolved into a fit of giggles, forehead still pressed against hers.

How could he ever like anyone else other than this dork?

-

a/n: this is so sweet I think my teeth are rotting, like actually falling out of my mouth.

listen to shelter by Porter Robertson and just imagine happy and domestic Penora it's gr8

Credit for the Spanish translation goes to nursemccall  bc without them I would be writing this chapter still.

Btw mercy is like 300 and something in the fanfiction tab idk what to say except thank you! I never expected this at all!

Comment, vote & follow! - Emma