Violet and Peter arrived at Gwen Stacy's house a bit later than planned. Peter was dressed in a tan long sleeve, gray jacket and jeans, matched with his Converse. Violet had gone a bit more fancy, dressed in a black dress that clung to her skinny, muscular frame, but was still modest with a neckline that hung close to her collarbone and shoulder straps that were at least two fingers wide. It was a family dinner, after all, and she had given Peter an odd look when he had stepped out looking so casual.

Gwen herself opened the door, sporting a huge grin. "Peter! You came," she practically gushed, before her eyes caught on Violet and her grin faltered a bit, although she knew it was more in surprise than irritation or jealousy. "Violet! You came, too! Oh, welcome! Come in, guys, dinner's almost ready." She stepped back to let the two in, and Violet silently appreciated how well she could handle surprises.

It wasn't long before Peter and Violet had been introduced to the entire family. George and Helen Stacy were nice, George notably being the head of the police force, which made Violet side-eye Peter warily. Spider-Man and the police didn't have the best of relations. But Peter didn't seem scared, crouching down to greet Gwen's younger brothers, Howard and Simon, before standing up to shake the hand of her other brother, Philip. She greeted the younger ones with a wave, giving Philip a loose hug politely.

"Oldest of four, the rest being brothers? Kudos," she mumbled to Gwen while they awkwardly stood to the side, causing the blonde to snicker and nudge her arm playfully. It wasn't a joke, though, as Violet had grown up an only child, and simply being friends with Peter made her realize that being related to boys and having to share a whole entire childhood with them didn't seem like the ideal life.

Not that anything between her and Peter was exactly sibling-like.

Dinner was done before they knew it, and everybody washed their hands before walking into the dining room. Peter and Violet let the Stacys take their respective seats before sitting in the two empty ones set out for them, and Violet grimaced as her stomach growled at the simple smell of the branzino, which was laid out prettily on the plate in front of her. Picking up her fork and knife, she started to cut into the fish, laying it out in bite-sized pieces for her.

Next to her, Peter visibly struggled, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"You having trouble there?" Helen graciously piped in, causing the boy to raise his head, and Violet snickered quietly as his cheeks dusted a rosy color at being called out. "The head goes on the other... Simon, help Gwen's friend with his fish," she instructed her young son, causing Violet to laugh out loud as the tiny blonde kid got out of his seat to reach over and help him.

"I got no idea." Peter visibly gave up, awkwardly rubbing his chest and leaning back so that Simon could easily reach his plate.

"First time." Helen supplied, trying to ease his embarrassment as she looked back at her husband. "George. Why don't you tell us about your day?" She questioned, bringing her water glass up to her lips and taking a sip as she raised her eyebrows.

Howard popped up at that, glancing over so fast that his brunette hair brushed his cheeks. "Did you catch that spider guy yet?" The words were laced with excitement, the kid obviously very intrigued in Spider-Man and his dad's job being involved with him.

Violet fought down the urge to choke on her own water, gulping so hard that it hurt her chest before glancing at George for his response. Nothing bad, please, nothing bad...

"No, we didn't catch him yet," he started, and she let out a relieved breath, "but we will." There was another inhale. "He's an amateur who's assaulting civilians in the dead of night. He's clumsy, he leaves clues, but he's still dangerous."

The entire time Captain Stacy rambled about how bad Spider-Man was, she kept a close eye on Peter, who shoveled his mouth with fish to try and avoid speaking out of turn. Her own course of action to keep her from jumping up and screaming at him was to hold on tightly to her thighs, digging her fingernails into her skin so hard that it left an indent. Finally, Peter spoke up, and she gave him a hard look. Do not give this away, Parker.

"He's assaulting people?" He questioned, although the way his eyebrows were turned down showed that he obviously disagreed with the police captain. Violet watched as even Philip Stacy gave Peter a cautious look, but the boy kept rambling. "I'm not sure. I mean, I saw that video, with him and the car thief, and I think that most people would say he was... providing a public service." Peter's hands raised in some sort of half-shrug, his lips pressing together tightly as he tried not to speak disrespectfully.

George was quiet for a second, obviously surprised that he had been spoken against, before speaking again. "Most people would be wrong. If I wanted the car thief off the street, he'd already be off the street."

Ah, the blissful arrogance of cops.

Peter obviously held the same distaste in his mouth at the comment, but was brave enough to say it aloud. "So why wasn't he, then?" He commented, taking a bite of his fish.

Violet laughed awkwardly, turning her gaze down to look at her meal as she pushed around her leftover bites. Her anxiety made her appetite disappear, and she really hoped he learned how to shut his mouth.

The police captain sat up straighter, giving a tense look towards the teenager. "Let me illuminate you," he started, and Violet already knew it was bad. "See, the car thief was leading us to the people who run the operation. It's a whole six-month sting. It's called strategy. I'm sure you're aware of this term? Strategy, you've heard about that in school?"

The girl couldn't hold back her subtle glare at the questioning of Peter's intelligence, knowing it was a low blow from a grown man. At this point, George was throwing out whatever he could to try to assert some dominance over Peter, and it was really starting to piss her off. Peter, too, it seemed, as he gritted his teeth as he mumbled a quiet agreement.

Gwen gave a pleading look to her mom, who just nodded with a small 'I know' of reassurance, but that still didn't stop Peter.

"He didn't know you had a plan," he started, but George was quick to finish his sentence, sending the two into a spiral that was, admittedly, a fight that caused testosterone to seep into Violet's nose. They constantly spat back in forth while Violet, Gwen's brothers, her mother and her watched along in slight amusement, slight fright of what would happen.

"Well, no. I'm just saying, if you watch the video - maybe I can send you a link? It looks like he's trying to help -"

"No, on the Internet, he's being made out to look like some kind of masked hero or something."

"No, no, I'm not saying he's a hero. I don't think he's a hero at all!"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying he's trying to help! It looks like he's trying to do something maybe the police can't!"

"Something the police can't? What do you think we do all day? You think we just sit around all day, eating doughnuts, with our thumbs planted firmly up our asses?" George visibly got aggressive, leaning towards Peter, who was conveniently sitting right next to him. Ready to defend her friend at all cost, Violet leaned towards both of them, but Helen and Gwen were quick to break up the fight now that it had gotten too heated.

Howard made a comment about his dad's cursing, and Peter tried to patch the argument up nicely with a small little toast. "I think he stands for what you stand for, sir. Protecting innocent people from bad guys."

George definitely wasn't done, though. "I stand for law and order, son. That's what I stand for, okay? I wear a badge. This guy wears a mask, like an outlaw. He's hunting down a bunch of criminals that all look the same, like he's got some sort of personal vendetta. But he's not protecting innocent people, Mr. Parker."

Gwen slammed her fork down to stop her dad's monolog, scooting back in her chair. "Let's get some air, Peter," she demanded, giving him a look before starting her walk out of the kitchen. "Dad, we need to have a talk."

"Yes we do," was all the older man responded with, giving Peter a hard look.

Violet visibly shifted uncomfortably as Peter apologized and thanked them for having him before following after Gwen, giving the Stacys a tight smile before grabbing her plate, standing up and grabbing Gwen and Peter's. "I'll take these to the sink and wash them off before following after. Thank you guys for having me as well. It was really good, and I hope you don't think bad of Peter for solely having an opinion. Sir." She gave Captain Stacy a bittersweet grin before making her own exit, dropping the plates in the sink in the kitchen before following the same path Gwen and Peter had taken.

They had taken a walk out to the balcony, having shut the door leading out to it most of the way, leaving it open just a crack. It would take one small push for her to open it and step out, and yet something stopped her. Instead, she leaned against the wall, keeping her ear as close to the opening as she could.

All night, she had been wondering why Peter had brought her, and if he still had the feelings for Gwen that he did when they had met just a bit ago. She knew eavesdropping was wrong, especially on her best friend who could hear her heartbeat if he really tried, but she couldn't fight the curiosity clawing at her.

"What was that?" Gwen snapped from behind the door, her voice strained with exasperation over the events that had just unfolded. "I invited you to my house for dinner and somehow you ended up brawling with my father? Did you even try to be civil, Peter?"

A low chuckle left Peter's lips before he responded. "Civil? I was civil, Gwen. Holding my own opinions isn't a crime. Your dad getting ready to jump a teenager over having his own opinion is what isn't civil."

Wow. Insulting her father as clear as day. Brave. It made her want to suck in a sharp inhale, but she was afraid he'd hear it and catch her, so she stayed silent.

"Okay, what is wrong with you? I invited you here because I like you, Peter. Ever since you did something as brave as standing up to Flash, I liked you. And here you are, being a completely different person. I mean, hell, you invited Violet without even thinking about asking me!" The last part ended with a heavy sigh from Gwen's part, and Violet felt a pang of guilt for even being there. Gwen had tried so hard to establish a romantic connection between her and Peter, and she had simply ruined it.

A long silence followed before a deep sigh copying Gwen's followed, from Peter's mouth this time. "I brought Violet because I like Violet, Gwen. I wanted her to be here because I always want her around. I'm sorry if that's hard for you to hear, but it's the truth, and it's better I told you now than let your feelings simmer. I'm sorry, I really am." His voice was softer now, holding the same heavy rock of guilt that was currently sitting in Violet's stomach.

"Well, at least I tried, right? At least now I don't have to convince my dad you're a good person, because you are way too late on telling me that, Parker." A sniffle from Gwen, before suddenly footsteps were coming towards Violet.

Panicked and shocked by the scene that had just played out one junk of metal away from her, she took a couple steps back before stepping towards the door, as if she had just made her way up. She had gotten close to the exit when it was suddenly thrown open, revealing a teary-eyed Gwen and a sad-looking Peter a couple of footsteps away.

Violet's lips turned down into a frown as she reached for the blonde she felt she had just started to befriend. "Gwen," she mumbled, but was cut short as the girl just shook her head before bulldozing past her. Her guilt was replaced by anger as her eyes cut to Peter, and she took broad strides towards him, slamming the door behind her.

Peter obviously knew he was about to get his ass chewed out, turning and walking towards the brick that kept people from walking straight off of twenty stories, right into the bustling streets of New York. "Not now, Violet," he pleaded, although he knew it was pointless. She had something to say, so she'd say it.

She strode right up beside him, pushing the arm closest to her so that he'd turn and look at her. "Who the hell do you think you are? Breaking that girl's heart like that? Is that all you invited me here to be, Peter, a buffer between you and someone who is actually fucking good for you? Gwen is beautiful and intelligent, and last I checked you were pining over her like some helpless puppy! Did the spider bite infect your brain, too?"

He glanced around at the last question. "Keep your voice down, Violet, before Captain Stacy ends up arresting me like he wanted to do two minutes ago! I didn't bring you as a buffer, Violet, I brought you here because I like you, I know you heard that. I don't like Gwen, I like you, and that's the honest-to-God truth. She's beautiful and intelligent, but she is not you, and I don't know why you can't get it through your thick skull that I have feelings for you, and you have the same feelings for me!" His eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at her, and she didn't do anything but glare up at him, too encompassed in her own anger to even think about how genuine his words were.

Violet scoffed, turning around and threading her fingers through her hair to give it a frustrated tug, putting some distance between her and Peter at the same time. "You can't like me, Peter! You can't like me, because I don't like you, and we are not going to be a perfect fantasy couple like you think we are going to be in that delusional mind of yours!" She cried, spinning around on her heel to face him as her face contorted into one of pure anguish.

Deep inside, she wanted nothing more than to run into his arms, to feel safe in one of his godsent hugs and know that it could happen whenever she wanted because he felt the same. But right on top of that was some nagging feeling that happiness never lasted, and could be cracked until it was broken, hurting her more than she hurt right now, denying everything that they both already knew.

The brunette boy stepped forward, holding out a hand to brush his fingers against his wrist, right where her pulse could be felt over her skin. "You can't lie to me. Don't try to lie to me. Let yourself feel, Violet, don't hurt us like this," he practically begged, holding eye contact with her that was so intense it felt like she was choking on her own emotions. It was so obvious that all he wanted was for the right words to slip out of her mouth, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Violet let her own voice drop to a whisper. "I will keep lying to you until the day it becomes true, Peter Parker."

With that, she turned around on her heel, stepping away and pressing a hand to her eyes, as if it could fight the onslaught of tears that hadn't yet pushed their way to the surface yet. Before she could even think, the sound of a web splitting through the air hit her ears, a cool feeling spreading on her hip before she was spun around and back towards Peter.

Her mind told her to fight, but as Peter grabbed her with one hand on her hip before steadily placing the other on her other side, she simply stared at him with a stupid look, her arms bracing herself for impact by placing her hands on his collarbone. They breathed heavily in the small space between them, and suddenly she was aware of what was happening, her lips pulling open to argue. "You can't just use those whenever you want to for stupid shit like that."

"Shut up," he demanded, leaning down to press his lips against hers, leaving the rest of her words to get stuck in her throat as the rest of her body was suddenly shocked to life.

Violet felt like he had just doused her in gasoline and then threw a lit match at her feet, setting her alight. Her stomach felt queasy and her knees felt weak, and she was so glad that he pulled her close enough so that she could lean on him, her lips moving in sync automatically.

Heart ruled over head in this matter.

When she pulled away, he shook his head. "Don't fight it anymore," was all he said, and yet that was enough to bring out the deep depths of her feelings, causing her to kiss him again, this one just as heated and solidifying as the first. Her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him even closer, and yet she just wanted to sink into him, stay in the moment forever, forget about everything else that had ever happened and would ever happen.

After a while, she finally found the strength to stand on her own, pulling away and opening her eyes just to gaze up at him. A small smile played at the corners of his lips and she groaned, shoving him away and reaching up to rub her bottom lip with her thumb, trying to ignore the buzzing feeling she still felt. "Shut the fuck up," she grumbled when he laughed in response.

When she turned back towards him, he was gazing down at her fondly, his smile now in full play. He broke the silence, raising his eyebrows. "Can we try this? Us? Please? At your pace?"

Violet weighed everything in her mind, letting her silence stretch out for a lot longer than she probably should have. It took her a second, but she finally nodded, gulping.

"Yeah. We can."