I don't own anything except any original character and/or any original plot

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Chapter Fifteen: First Dates

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I walked into school the next day with all eyes on me. Shrinking under the student bodies' judgmental gaze, I pushed on. Meeting a few eyes in confusion, I stopped at my locker.

"When's the date?"

I jumped, nearly dropping my lunch box. MJ was leaning against the lockers next to me, a wide smirk on her face.

"Friday," I shut my locker. Harry had texted me the night before with a time and date, "Is it just me or is everyone staring? Did you tell everyone about him asking me out?"

"I just told Peter," MJ pointed an accusatory finger at an approaching Peter.

"I just told Ned," Peter looked to his shorter friend.

"And I told everyone."

"Why I trust you with the other secret I don't know," I ran a hand over my face, huffing out in frustration, "I'm surprised you haven't told the world yet."

"What secret?" Harry arrived.

"MJ hates Lost," I blurted, wincing when MJ hit my arm.

"Shame," Ned scolded.

"It's really confusing," MJ shrugged.

"You know what show is really confusing..."

I tuned out of the conversation when I noticed how off Peter seemed. He looked mad and sad at the same time. Brows drawn together in frustration, but a small frown that quivered every few seconds. Moving towards him, I opened my mouth to speak before the warning bell cut me off.

I would mention it later, then.

Four Hours Later- 1:54 PM

I sat down next to Peter in one of the plastic chairs in the practice room. MJ was asking questions while Harry, Cindy, Ned, and Charles were on the bench answering.

"What's wrong?" I asked him quietly.

"What? Nothing," Peter answered, too quickly.

"You suck at lying. You can tell me Bug-Boy. Judgement free zone here."

"I'm fine (Y/n)," Peter insisted, "Nothing to worry about."

"Pete-" I cut myself off when my hands tingled. I got up and left to go to the bathroom.

I didn't bother asking anymore. Everyone on the team knew that I would use the bathroom at some point during practice so they didn't question it. Even with so much freedom to handle it, the situation was frustrating and worrying. What would I do when I got a job? Leave at the same time every day to handle it?

When I returned Peter had switched place with Cindy on the bench, leaving me alone.

"Dangit," I sighed.

It felt like Peter was doing everything in his power to avoid me.

~*~*~*~

Norman walked casually into the building that once belonged to the famed Avengers team. He kept his head down as he walked towards the elevator, pressing the bottommost floor where the storage would be.

Norman walked along the neatly organized rows of equipment. He stopped several times to pick out different bits and pieces he would need. He placed his items in a large duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

Once he felt he had everything he needed he walked back to the elevator, easily leaving the building after flashing security his former ID card. When he came back at the company, he would get rid of the board, and increase security.

~*~*~

"Peter you've barely touched your food, what's wrong?" Aunt May took notice of her nephew's strange silence.

"Nothing May," Peter mumbled, throwing away his uneaten meal and placing his plate in the sink.

"I thought we said no more secrets," May frowned.

"Harry and (Y/n) are going on a date on Friday," Peter admitted.

"Oh, good for them!" May cheered until she noticed Peter's crestfallen expression, "You aren't happy with it?"

"No, no. I'm happy for them I just..."

"You like (Y/n), don't you Pete?"

Peter crossed his arms in response, shrugging slightly, "Kind of. I know Liz didn't leave too long ago but this started happening before that. When (Y/n) moved here, things changed."

"Oh Pete," May rushed over to pull Peter into a hug, "She's a great girl who is also a superhero, I get it. You're confused. But you need to get your feelings out in the open. That way both of you can discuss it and move on from there."

Peter, after an hour of thinking over May's advice, decided he was going to do the opposite. He would keep his feelings to himself and move on with his life.

That would turn out to be the best-worst decision of his life.

Friday- 9:23 PM (Month- March)

"Harry is picking you up pretty late," my mom commented as I tugged on the sleeve of my sweater.

"Mom, come on. He's classy."

"Don't let him do anything you don't agree with," Dad cut in.

"Dad," I groaned.

"I know you won't let him do anything but I'm obligated to say it," my dad raised his arms in a surrendering motion.

My phone pinged. Harry had texted me telling me he was waiting outside.

"Okay, he's here," panic set in, "Oh God it's sinking in. Why did I agree to this? I'm not ready to go out with someone."

"You agreed to it because you're a nice person," my mom assured, "And because you like him, right?"

"I don't know hun, I was getting the vibes she liked Peter."

"I'm not talking about this right now," I shoved my phone into my back pocket, giving my parents quick hugs before I left.

"What boy?" Jess asked when I stepped out of the elevator. I didn't ask how she knew I was going on a date. She was intuitive, "Or girl, but I've only seen you with MJ and I only get that best friend vibe."

"Harry," I informed her.

"I like that one," Jess grinned, "He looks like the type of guy who would buy you a car for your birthday instead of your parents."

"You have no idea," I chuckled, leaving the building.

I spotted the Osborn family limo parked on the side of the road to the right of the building. Sucking in a deep breath I walked towards the car, smiling politely as Bernard opened the door for me.

"Thank you," Harry was waiting in the limo for me, leg bouncing up and down in nervousness, "Hi."

"Hi," Harry greeted, "I hope this isn't too late or anything. It's Friday so I thought it would be better to do it today and-"

"Harry it's fine," I interrupted him with a smile, "My parents were a bit confused at first but they're cool."

"Yeah, your parents are pretty great. I like having dinner with you guys. It was... different from dinner at our penthouse."

"Do you and your dad not eat together?"

"We used to, but even then it was always super quiet and weird. Now, he's always holed up in his office. I don't know what he does in there but he tells me he's helping the company so I can't argue against it."

"Right, I can see how not being close with your dad would be difficult.. But, I'm positive he loves you. Some people just show it differently."

"Or not at all," Harry said bitterly, before shaking his head and changing the topic, "So, your past is all mysterious. What was your old school like?"

"Always interesting. There was never a quiet moment there. I didn't have a lot of friends, but I bonded with the teachers really well. I know, I know, teacher's pet. They let me join their 'team' you could call it. I travelled with them sometime to um, speak about mutant rights."

"Oh, you're an activist for mutant rights?"

"Yeah, I believe that even though they're different, they're still conscious beings. Some of them use their mutations for bad but it's the same as the villains the Avengers face, or everyday crooks. People just always look for something to hate and mutants are different."

"I've never really thought about that before," Harry stated thoughtfully, "With all this talk about how mutant positive your school was I'd almost think it was specifically for mutants," Harry chuckled.

I laughed nervously, tugging on the sleeve of my sweater so my hands had something to do other than shake. I was aware I had to tell Harry at some point. He didn't give a negative reaction to me mentioning mutant rights which was good. And he was already really close with our group which was good for his credibility.

"We've arrived."

Bernard opened up the door for the two, getting back into the limo when we exited to go and park it. I looked up at the Osborn residence in shock. I knew they were rich, but she didn't think they would have a home this nice. Especially because it lacked a woman's touch, though I supposed Bernard kept it tidy. It was a mansion in the middle of the city.

"Our plans are on the roof actually," Harry grabbed my hand, leading me through the multiple levels of the home until we reached the roof.

On the roof, a blanket was set up in the clear center, a small garden surrounding it. It was beautiful, full of unique and colorful flowers.

"Wow," I looked around in awe, "A rooftop garden. I wouldn't imagine you as the gardener type."

"I need something to do when I was home on the weekends," Harry grinned, "Although it looks better in the summer when all the plants are bloomed."

"I thought you'd be the type to rent out a restaurant, not bring a girl stargazing," I commented, not complaining in the slightest.

"I thought we'd start of simple," Harry nudged me teasingly, "I didn't want to scare you off."

"I can handle almost anything. You wouldn't scare me."

We shared a laugh, a comfortable silence settling over us as we looked at the sky. Due to the cities pollution the majority of the stars were hidden, but the moon shone brightly and the largest stars peeked through the haze blocking the others.

"I didn't think you could see this many stars in the city. Not like you could upstate. You could see everything up there," I sighed, remembering the times when I would lie in the grass outside the manor, staring up at the bright sky.

"I didn't think so either until I started coming up here. I thought it'd be nice to bring you up here too, that's the real reason why I didn't rent out a restaurant."

"It's a pretty good reason," I nodded in understanding.

"Alright. Classic first date question, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"An oceanographer maybe? Something to do with water for sure," I shrugged.

"You dye your hair blue, you wear it a lot, you like the ocean, are you Aquawoman?"

I chuckled, glancing at the streaks in my hair. I had forgotten they were a part of my mutation, a part of who I was.

"Water is just my element, I guess. What about you? What's your dream job?"

"Honestly, I'd love to be an author," Harry admitted, almost shamefully, "I know I have to take over the business someday, but it'd be nice to write and get published on the side."

"I think you'd be a great author. You could write about superheroes, or mutants, or maybe a few love stories."

Harry nodded, "So, everyday you're wearing either that gold or silver necklace with the X on them. Care to share?"

"When I became a part of the activist group I got the silver one, they all had one. The X stands for X-Men, it's what we called ourselves. I got the other one when I left as a going away gift."

We continued to talk about whatever random things we could think of until Bernard informed us it was nearly my curfew and I had to be driven home. Harry accompanied me on the car ride, stating "We've gone this far together."

When Bernard stopped in front of my building, I wished time would slow down, just for a few moments. I loved being with Harry. That night didn't even feel like a date, more like two friends talking.

"I'll talk to you later then?"

"Yeah, maybe I'll share some rough drafts of that love story with you," Harry chuckled.

I stepped out of the car and waved goodbye. Walking into my building Jess immediately stopped me, she was packing up to go while Stan took over for the night shift.

"How was it?" She asked, eyes shining with excitement.

"Nice."

"Nice? That's it? Come on, I want all the details! What's he like? What did you do? Did you kiss? It's my job as a secretary to know! We always get the tea."

I rolled my eyes, stepping away from the overly excited adult, "I'll tell you about it tomorrow, alright? I'm beat."

Jess sighed sadly, but nodded. I took the elevator to my apartment and snuck past my parents who were passed out on the couch watching The Incredibles.

Hey ship killer. How was the date?

Fun. We talked about our hopes and dreams while looking at the stars

Ew. Sounds boring

Wasn't as boring as you think it was. Have you heard from Peter? I texted him asking about some homework after school and he hasn't replied.

Yeah we finished talking about conspiracy theories earlier. Maybe he just missed your text

Yeah, maybe... Anyway, I'll talk to you tomorrow

I frowned, turning off my phone. It wasn't like Peter to just miss a text. This was the same boy who left Happy a voicemail every day even if he day was boring beyond belief.

"He can't be avoiding me, could he?"

My heart dropped at the thought of Peter avoiding me. It was the two of us against the villains of New York. I didn't want to lose him. Especially while I was trying to figure out my feelings for both Harry and Peter.

Neither of us knew we were trying to figure out the same thing; How much we liked each other.