Requested by ghostwriter3456: Peter is with Liz and seemingly has the perfect life. One night, he meets Y/N, who shows him the bubble that he's living in and shows him the corruption of the bubble, and how it allows people around him to control him without him even realising. She shows him the real world, so gives him his first cigarette, his first drink, and just shows him the beauty of the real world.

Peter's P.O.V

Peter stood at his locker, his hands shoving stuff into the box as he waited for his girlfriend.

"Peter." As if on cue, he heard her voice. He looked to the side, a smile curling onto his lips as Liz walked towards him.

"Hey, babe, you okay?" He smiled as he leant in to kiss her. She turned her head to the side so that the kiss landed on her cheek, making his smile dip.

"Is everything okay?" He asked slowly, his eyebrows furrowing as he pulled away from his girlfriend.

"No, it's not. You got an A in the Spanish test?! I only got a B." She scoffed. More confusion filled Peter's mind, the boy at a loss as to what he'd done wrong as he looked at her.

"That's still great, babe-."

"Yeah, well, it would have been better if you would have spent less time studying for your test, and more time helping me with my studying. Maybe then, I would have gotten an A too." She spat. Peter's eyes widened.

"Liz-."

"I don't care what you have to say, Peter. Remember that my party is tonight, it starts at eight, but I want you there at seven." She mumbled.

"I know, babe, we've been over it a thousand times." He sighed, making her roll her eyes before she strutted off again. Peter sighed again and shoved his last book into his locker, his mind wandering as he emptied his bag. To any outsider, Peter had the perfect life. He was dating the most popular girl in their grade, which in turn gave him popularity, his grades were almost perfect and when Liz let him see them, he had amazing best friends in the form of Ned and MJ. But yet, something still felt like it was missing. Peter had felt like that for a while, but could never put his finger exactly on the problem. After all, he had a beautiful girlfriend, a loving aunt, a very cool if not annoyingly secret job as Spider-Man, and yet...he was missing something. Peter just looked forward to the day that he realised what exactly that was. He shut his locker, questions starting to fill his head as he sighed and started to head to class.

Peter walked around Liz's house, the party that she was hosting now in full swing as music thumped throughout the house and dancing teenagers filled the space. The boy gave forced and small smiles to guests as they made eye contact with him, but in reality he was bored out of his mind. He'd already been here for three hours, including an hour before it had started as Liz had forced him to set up, and he wasn't drinking, so he had nothing else to entertain himself with. He was...bored.

"Hey, loser." He turned around and gave MJ and Ned small smiles as they walked up to him.

"Hey, guys, thank god, I was about to go insane from boredom." He chuckled as Ned and him did their secret handshake.

"You're not meant to say that about your own girlfriend's party, you realise that, right?" MJ scoffed.

"I know, it's just...she got mad at me today for doing better on the Spanish test, blamed me for not helping her study as much as I apparently should have done, and then still demanded that I came here an hour early to help set up." he sighed and shook his head.

"Ooh, a bit of trouble in paradise, huh?" MJ smirked.

"N-no, it's not like that, I just...I need some air." He gulped, making Ned and MJ look at each other as Peter headed to the back of the house and towards Liz's garden. He opened the door and headed outside, though his eyes immediately widened at what he saw. Or rather, who he saw. The girl looked at him, her body clad in ripped jeans, a white t-shirt, a leather jacket, and black boots as her lips parted to blow out the smoke of the cigarette that was in between her fingers. She was stunning, the problem was that Peter didn't know who she was. Though, even from just having seen her, he knew that he wanted to find out.

Y/N's P.O.V

I stood on Liz's back patio, my cigarette in between my lips as I just looked out into her back garden. I heard the back door open, making me look at it. My eyes widened slightly, my heart skipping a beat as the most gorgeous guy that I'd ever seen walked out onto the patio. His eyes widened too at the sight of me, my heart fluttering as he gulped, and his eyes flicked up and down me to check me out. It was very good to know that this mystery guy was already as enthralled with me as I was with him.

"Hey." I spoke as I blew out my cigarette smoke. The boy looked at me with confused chocolate eyes, his equally as perfect curls flopping over them slightly as he shut the door behind him.

"U-um...h-hey, do I know you?" He chuckled nervously as he walked towards me.

"No. You don't. I'm Liz's neighbour who she really doesn't like, and so wasn't invited to the party. But I heard it, and so hopped the fence." I shrugged.

"Wow, that's badass." He chuckled, making me return it and bite my lip as I could already tell how innocent this guy was.

"I'm Y/N. Liz's asshole neighbour, like I said." I smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. I'm Peter." He nodded. My eyes wavered, my heart dropping slightly as he said his name. Well, that sucks, I thought as I looked at him.

"Peter as in Liz's boyfriend, Peter?" I chuckled. His eyes widened slightly.

"Y-yeah, um...I'm Liz's boyfriend." He nodded as he awkwardly stuck his hands into his jean pockets. I smirked and shook my head, my fingers bringing the cigarette back to my lips as I looked back ahead into the massive garden.

"So, how's life underneath her thumb?" I teased. His eyebrows furrowed.

"W-what?" He chuckled nervously, the boy walking further towards me as he did. I let my gaze return to him as I blew out the smoke.

"Life underneath her thumb. You know, because she's holding you down, because she controls what you do." I continued to gently mock as I raised my thumb and pushed it down to mimic what I was saying.

"I don't know what you're doing about, I don't understand." He smiled and shook his head.

"I mean all of the times that I see you two together, the clear power dynamic between you two. You carrying her bag, her barking orders at you like you're her dog and not her boyfriend. Don't get me wrong, I get why you don't understand, you seem to be in this perfect little bubble of life, but I've noticed it. I've definitely noticed it." I nodded.

"Y/N, you don't even know me." He scoffed and shook his head.

"That in itself should be enough to tell you how deep you are. The fact that someone who doesn't even know you, not really, has noticed more than you have the bubble that you live in, that lets everyone control you." I shrugged.

"I'm not controlled by anyone, I-I have no idea what you're talking about." he insisted.

"Okay, Pete. It's alright, forget that I said anything. You're free. It's okay, you're free." I chuckled. He gulped harshly and looked at me.

"Don't say it just because-."

"Peter?" I looked past him, the boy also turning around as the door opened and Liz walked out. Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw us.

"What the fuck is going on here? You weren't even invited to my party, Y/N." She spat.

"I know, and I don't care." I smiled as I put the cigarette to my lips again.

"Whatever. What were you doing out here, Peter?" She scoffed. His eyes widened slightly, his mouth falling open as he tried to figure out how to lie to her.

"O-oh, I just, um...I needed some air." He nodded, making me chuckle and shake my head at how truly under her thumb he was.

"Well, I'm sure that you've had enough now. You coming back inside?" She checked.

"Yeah, give me a second." He nodded. She returned it before looking at me again.

"You weren't invited, so leave." She snapped.

"The party sucks anyway." I chuckled, making her roll her eyes before she headed back inside. Peter gulped and looked at me, my words clearly having gotten to him.

"You know where to find me if you want to break out of that bubble, Peter. It's your choice. I'll just help you do it." I nodded

"Good to know. I think." He mumbled, making me wink at him. He gulped and looked down, making me smirk to myself as he headed back inside and shut the door behind him, leaving me alone once again. He'd come back, I could feel it. It was just a matter of when.

Peter's P.O.V

"Hey." The girl spoke as she blew out her cigarette smoke. Peter looked at her in confusion as he shut the door behind him.

"U-um...h-hey, do I know you?" He chuckled nervously as he walked towards her.

"No. You don't. I'm Liz's neighbour who she really doesn't like, and so wasn't invited to the party. But I heard it, and so hopped the fence." She shrugged.

"Wow, that's badass." He chuckled, making her return it and bite her lip. God, the sound was already like music to Peter's ears. Meaning that he was in trouble.

"I'm Y/N. Liz's asshole neighbour, like I said." She smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. I'm Peter." He nodded. Her eyes wavered.

"Peter as in Liz's boyfriend, Peter?" She chuckled. His eyes widened slightly, his heart jumping at her words. Of course he'd never cheat on Liz, but it also didn't help his chance with this girl, the fact that she already knew him, but only knew him as Liz's boyfriend.

"Y-yeah, um...I'm Liz's boyfriend." He nodded as he awkwardly stuck his hands into his jean pockets. Y/N smirked and shook her head, her fingers bringing the cigarette back to her lips as she looked back ahead into the massive garden. Peter gulped as he watched her, his heart and mind already entranced with everything that she was doing. The way that her painted nails held the lighted stick to her red lips, all of it was just perfect to him. Even if she was doing an activity designed to kill her.

"So, how's life underneath her thumb?" She teased. His eyebrows furrowed.

"W-what?" He chuckled nervously, the boy walking further towards her as he did. She looked at him again as she blew out the smoke.

"Life underneath her thumb. You know, because she's holding you down, because she controls what you do." She mocked as she raised her thumb and pushed it down to mimic what she was saying.

"I don't know what you're doing about, I don't understand." He smiled and shook his head, his mind working faster than normal as he tried to deny to himself that she was lying. That she had no idea what she was talking about.

"I mean all of the times that I see you two together, the clear power dynamic between you two. You carrying her bag, her barking orders at you like you're her dog and not her boyfriend. Don't get me wrong, I get why you don't understand, you seem to be in this perfect little bubble of life, but I've noticed it. I've definitely noticed it." She nodded.

"Y/N, you don't even know me." He scoffed and shook his head, as if saying that would suddenly make this mystery girl completely wrong about him. Because he didn't want to admit it, but somehow, she was right. He had started to get the feeling recently that something was missing from his life. Maybe it was this. Maybe it was her.

"That in itself should be enough to tell you how deep you are. The fact that someone who doesn't even know you, not really, has noticed more than you have the bubble that you live in, that lets everyone control you." She shrugged.

"I'm not controlled by anyone, I-I have no idea what you're talking about." he insisted, though currently he was failing to even convince himself of that.

"Okay, Pete. It's alright, forget that I said anything. You're free. It's okay, you're free." She chuckled. He gulped harshly and looked at the beautiful girl.

"Don't say it just because-."

"Peter?" The boy's heart dropped as his girlfriend's voice filled his ears. Y/N looked past him, him also turning around as the door opened and Liz walked out. Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw the pair of them.

"What the fuck is going on here? You weren't even invited to my party, Y/N." She spat.

"I know, and I don't care." Y/N smiled as she put the cigarette to her lips again.

"Whatever. What were you doing out here, Peter?" She scoffed. His eyes widened slightly, his mouth falling open as he tried to figure out what to say to Liz that didn't sound like 'I've finally figured out what's missing from my life. And it's her.'

"O-oh, I just, um...I needed some air." He nodded, making Y/N chuckle and shake her head.

"Well, I'm sure that you've had enough now. You coming back inside?" She checked.

"Yeah, give me a second." He nodded. She returned it before looking at Y/N again.

"You weren't invited, so leave." She snapped.

"The party sucks anyway." She chuckled, making Liz roll her eyes before she headed back inside. Peter gulped and looked at Y/N, her words really having gotten to him.

"You know where to find me if you want to break out of that bubble, Peter. It's your choice. I'll just help you do it." She nodded

"Good to know. I think." He mumbled, making her wink at him. He gulped and looked down, his heart racing in his chest at Y/N's subtle flirting as he headed back inside and shut the door behind him. He gulped harshly, his mind and heart going at a million miles an hour as he thought about what Y/N had said. That he was under Liz's thumb. That he was living in a bubble. That she could help him get out of that. Peter felt awful, but everything in him was screaming at him to take her up on that offer too. Maybe he would. Just...maybe.

Y/N's P.O.V

I sat on the edge of the building, my legs dangling over the edge as I held the unlit cigarette in between my lips. I raised my hands to it, my head also ducking and my hand cupping the end of the cigarette as my lighter sparked into life. I lit the cigarette, the smoke filling my lungs as I moved it from in between my lips.

"Here." I nodded, Peter gulping as I extended the cigarette to him.

"A-are you sure?" He chuckled nervously.

"I'm not going to force you into anything, Pete. If you don't want to, it's okay. It's your choice." I reassured with a shake of my head. He bit his lip, his gaze flicking between my face and the cigarette as he tried to decide. But both of us knew what he'd land on. He nodded and took the cigarette, making me watch the gorgeous boy as he put the lit stick in between his lips. He sucked in, his eyes widening as he did.

"Fuck." He coughed, making me laugh and shake my head as the smoke spilled from his lips.

"Bit too much, Pete?" I chuckled.

"I'm okay." He smiled as he took another drag of it. I bit my lip and looked at him. It had been three months since I had met Peter at Liz's party, and since then, I had been trying my hardest to burst the bubble of fake perfection that he'd been living in. He'd come to me a week after the party, and had asked me to do exactly what I had promised him. And so, every night since then, we'd come up to this roof, and I'd shown him the beauty of the real world. We'd turn our phones off, we'd drink and talk, and tonight, I was introducing him to smoking. But as it always went with stories like this, Peter was no longer just a friend to me. I had developed more feelings daily for the boy, my heart now fully belonging to him after having opened his eyes to how people were unfairly using him, and what he could do to stop it. I loved him, and that scared me, especially as he was still with Liz. That didn't matter tonight, though. It never mattered when we were together. I watched the beautiful boy as he blew the cigarette smoke out and looked out at the Queens skyline as the sun set over it.

"You know, with you is the first time that I've had choices in a long time. The first time that I've looked unsure, and instead of Liz, or Mr. Stark, or someone saying 'go on, just do it', you said that it was my choice, that I didn't have to do anything that I didn't want to. That it wasn't even an illusion of choice, it was real." He scoffed. I looked at him, my heart breaking slightly at his words.

"You really never felt like you had a choice?" I asked quietly. He bit his lip and shook his head as he looked at me.

"Not until I met you. No." He admitted. I sighed and bit my lip at his words.

"You really have shown me so much, Y/N. I had realised that something was missing in my life before I met you, I just couldn't figure out what. That's why your words hit such a nerve at the party. You accusing me of being under Liz's thumb, of being in a bubble. It hurt because it was true." He chuckled and shook his head.

"You realise now, though, and that's what matters. I won't lie, I do still wonder if you ever felt forced into this. Felt forced into me showing you life outside of the bubble." I admitted as I looked at him.

"You didn't force me into anything, babe. You freed me from it." He smiled. I gulped harshly, my heart leaping at his use of the nickname. Maybe, just maybe, he was calling me that as a way to tell me that he felt the same. Maybe.

"Pete, can...can I tell you something?" I asked as I turned my body to face him. He looked at me.

"Sure, you can always talk to me." He nodded. I gulped harshly, my heart racing simply at the thought that he would reject me as I looked down.

"I-I like you, Pete. As more than just a friend. I completely get that you're with Liz, and I don't want to lose you, so it's okay if you don't feel the same, but I like you. Even when I met you, when you were unaware of everything, I could still see you. I could still see the adorable, kind, loving boy that was underneath Liz's thumb, and that boy has really come out of his shell. That boy...he has my heart." I admitted quietly as I timidly looked back up at him through my eyelashes. His eyes widened at my words, his mouth also falling open as he stared at me. I gulped harshly, my heart almost pounding out of my chest as the fear set in. What if he didn't like me back, what if he didn't leave Liz? Not that I could expect him to, but surely I hadn't been the only one who had felt the connection that had developed between us over the last three months. Please, fucking please have it have been mutual, I thought as Peter just stared at me.

"Y/N, I...I don't..." He gulped and shook his head. That was when I could feel my heart break. My eyes wavered, a tear immediately leaving one of them as the regret and embarrassment started to sink in.

"F-forget that I said anything, ignore me, it doesn't matter." I choked and shook my head as I grabbed my stuff and went to stand up.

"Y/N, wait." Peter spoke as he put his hand on my arm and stopped me. I stared at him, my heart suffocating me in my throat as tears left my eyes. He sighed and gave me a small smile.

"I don't know how to tell you that I feel the same." He admitted as he finished his sentence. My eyes wavered again, the biggest feeling of relief that I'd ever experienced washing over me at his words.

"You could have said that before I convinced myself that I'd fucked this up." I teased, making him chuckle and bite his lip as I sat back down so that we were facing each other.

"You're right, sorry. But of course I feel the same. Before you, I was just sleepwalking through life, I was in a relationship with a girl that I didn't love, but felt like I couldn't leave. You...you opened my fucking eyes. You've shown me what actual living looks like, and it's amazing. But it's amazing because it's with you. So, of course I like you back. I'd be crazy not to." He smiled and shook his head as he raised his hand to gently cup my cheek. I returned the smile, my heart mending itself again as I looked into his eyes.

"What about Liz?" I asked quietly. He sighed and gave me a small smile, his eyes fixated on my lips as his fingers gently stroked my cheek.

"Liz and I are over. We have been for a while, just not in public. I want you, Y/N. It's been you since the second that I met you." He spoke before leaning in and gently pressing our lips together. I returned the kiss, my eyes fluttering shut as I melted into Peter's touch. I raised my hands to hold his face, his hands moving to my waist as we sunk into the intimate moment. The intimate moment that I had pictured happening in my head hundreds of times since I'd met him, and was over the moon that it was finally happening. I broke the kiss and touched our foreheads, Peter's beautiful chocolate gaze on me as we looked at each other.

"You mean everything to me, angel. And I'd love you to be my girlfriend." He nodded, his voice quiet as he spoke. I smiled and bit my lip, my heart over the moon that this was finally happening.

"And I'd love to be your girlfriend, Pete." I whispered back. He smiled and nodded, making me giggle as he leant in and kissed me again. It was crazy to think that just a few months ago, Peter had been stuck in the rut of his perfection bubble, whilst I had been trapped outside of it. So, it felt amazing that he was finally out of it, and I was in his life. It felt amazing, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I had freed him, and he had freed me. We had freed each other.