( DISCLAIMER: this chapter contains moderate sexual content, but not full on smut! it will cut away right before anything too graphic takes place so the readers can stay comfortable! proceed with the chapter and enjoy! )

Two Hours Later
9:23 P.M.

Christina was careful while walking with her heels as the director of the musical guided her to the dressing rooms, and she could feel the cold breeze of the air conditioning blowing against her legs. Compared to the insufferable heat outside, it felt like Heaven to her at the moment. She had since taken her hair out of its braid and it was hanging down her back, and she didn't care that it was a little messy.

Peter had told her that he was going to step outside for some fresh air and for her to go ahead and see Mary Jane, which she was fine with despite having a suspicion of the real reason.

So here she was now, feeling a bit out of place like she did almost a year ago when she had visited her friend after seeing her performance in The Importance of Being Earnest. But she didn't mind all that much since she wasn't embarrassed whatsoever, she was more so happy at the moment because of the experience she just had watching the musical. The entire duration of it had seemed very magical and otherworldly, which had given Christina the opportunity to escape for one night into the fantasy world.

It wasn't that long until she spotted the dressing room with the name Mary Jane Watson-Jameson taped onto the door with a notecard. She then saw the redhead removing her foundation with makeup wipes and her eyes lit up, and she began jogging in her direction.

"Hey, M.J!" she called out, just hoping she wouldn't slip in her heels.

Mary Jane, whose red hair was still tied up and who was now in a pinkish robe and preparing to change back into casual clothes, turned around and spotted her friend coming in her direction. Placing her makeup wipe down, she ran over to embrace the blonde. "Chris!" she exclaimed, grinning with pure joy as they hugged.

"You were wonderful," Christina complimented with an expression of glee written all over her face before pulling back from the hug. "Probably your best performance yet."

The redhead's face flushed slightly as she shrugged her shoulders. "Thanks," she mumbled. "I appreciate it. I was so nervous that my knees were shaking up there!"

"I didn't notice," the blonde replied, shaking her head a little bit. "You were just fine. Did John come back here lately?"

"Yeah, he came back to congratulate me but he had to take an important phone call from his dad," Mary Jane said, smiling lightly. "You know him, he's busy a lot of the time."

"Yeah..." Christina murmured. "I'm sure he was very proud of you, though."

Christina's friend nodded before glancing behind her, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Where's Peter?" she asked. "I thought he was in the audience with you."

"Oh, he said he was going outside to get some fresh air," she answered. "I'm sure he'll be back in a few minutes."

Mary Jane nodded before playfully nudging Christina's arm with her elbow. "Soooooo..." she mumbled teasingly. "How's it going with you two?"

The smirk on her face was way too obvious and it took a ton of effort for Christina not to burst out laughing. She was completely aware of how her friend always wanted to be updated about her relationship with Peter and how far they had come since getting together last September. She instinctively became shy about the topic but, unlike other times, she chose to hide her timidness.

"Um, we're doing really well, actually," she said truthfully. "Peter... he... he makes me super happy. He's so sweet and is just as amazing as I thought he'd be. And I always try to return that for him."

"I can see that," Mary Jane said with a giggle. "You two are just adorable, I swear. Even if Peter is the biggest nerd I've ever known." It was obvious that the redhead was just joking.

"Oh, shush!" Christina whispered, going crimson.

"Well, it's true! I always rooted for y'all, you know."

"Yeah, I know," the blonde simply said. "And I'll always appreciate that."

The two women then heard their names being called out and they both turned to see Peter jogging towards them, and they grinned.

"Hey, how's it going, Peter?!" the redhead greeted him while giving him a one-armed hug that he happily returned.

"Oh, nothing much," he replied with a smile. "You were great up there as always, congrats."

"Thank you," Mary Jane said before tilting her head. "Chris told me you went outside for some fresh air."

That was when a slight amount of suspicion hit Christina squarely in the gut as she raised her head to look up at Peter. "Was everything alright?" she asked him with a small frown. "I never really asked."

Peter hesitated and nearly created a lie for his girlfriend that he was perfectly fine and that nothing happened. But, knowing she could read through him like the pages of a book, he had to give in and deliver the truth. "Yeah, I..." He sighed. "I ran into Harry outside."

The blonde visibly tensed up but she fought the influence of the tears that would normally form whenever she thought of her ex-best friend. "Did he start anything...?" she mumbled almost darkly. "Did he hurt you?"

Peter, instantly noticing that she was clearly upset from this information, moved his left hand to grasp hers. "No, everything's okay," he assured her, squeezing her hand delicately. "He didn't do anything." He then leaned down and placed a kiss on her right temple. "I'm okay, sweet girl..." he whispered in her ear to provide comfort. "I promise..."

Christina quickly relaxed and leaned into his touch as her shoulders slumped with relief. She merely nodded her head before smiling at M.J. to silently tell her that she was perfectly alright.

"He just doesn't quit, does he?" their friend spoke up, a deadpan expression etched into her features. "He needs to leave you two alone."

"I'm used to it," Christina merely said, her shoulders shrugging with indifference. She remembered the several occurrences where she and Harry would run into each other and he would attempt to apologize. She went from emphasizing that she wouldn't be forgiving him to just ignoring him completely and pretending that he didn't exist. She would walk right by him as if he were never there, no matter how much it hurt him in the process. "It doesn't bother me as much anymore."

Mary Jane's head bobbed up and down as she reached out to touch Christina's arm for a moment. "That's good," she said. "Don't let him get to you. He's just an asshole. He can't ruin y'all's night, don't forget that."

The couple smiled back at M.J, only grateful that she was able to offer solace to them. But, before either of them could speak up, the redhead's cell phone went off since she had received a text message.

M.J. grabbed her phone and checked the screen before frowning apologetically at her friends. "John just texted me," she said. "He's waiting outside, so I need to hurry. I'll see you guys later, alright?"

"No problem," Christina said with a small smile. "You have a good night, okay?"

"Y'all, too," she said before pulling them both into a tight group hug. It only lasted a few seconds before she shut the door to her dressing room after they walked out.

_____

Forty-Five Minutes Later
10:15 P.M.

The web hanging between a few trees in Central Park was surprisingly comfortable to lay in and it almost reminded Christina of a hammock, save for the detail of being a good fifty feet up from the ground below. Unlike certain other scenarios where she was high up in the air, she wasn't frightened at all this time; she felt completely safe, especially due to Peter laying right next to her as they stared up at the starry sky. She knew that, if she fell (which she wouldn't), he would catch her immediately.

Feeling assured by this, she just admired the sight above her with a soft and peaceful smile; the night was just warm enough to not be suffocated but to not freeze to death either and it was the perfect temperature. They had been here for thirty minutes, long after the two of them had arrived on Peter's motorbike; he had created the web in less than a minute, which really impressed Christina.

The blonde was so relaxed, in fact, that she was tempted to go to sleep but a shower of shooting stars zooming through the sky caught her attention.

"Oh, look at that," she pointed out, causing Peter to chuckle in response.

"That's awesome..." he replied with a huge grin.

He did not know that his girlfriend had closed her eyes for a few seconds and that she missed the next shower.

"Did you see that one?" he asked, but her silence implied that she likely didn't, and that was okay.

Christina quietly cleared her throat as her eyes opened back up, and she pried her lips apart to speak. "How was your day?" she asked out of nowhere, glancing over at him.

Peter turned his head to face her in response, shrugging his shoulders lightly. "It was alright, I guess," he answered. "I didn't really do all that much. What about you?"

"I went to work," Christina said. "Mainly desk work this morning, then went to the courtroom. Connor got adopted by the Nelsons and I'm getting a promotion...."

Peter's eyes widened in utter shock as he raised up on the web slightly, staring at Christina. "You're getting promoted?" he mumbled. "That's terrific, Chris!"

Christina giggled shyly, shaking her head lightly. "The promotion is nothing compared to Connor being adopted," she admitted. "I'm just happy that the kid is with a loving family and is safe now. He'll never have to worry about his shitty biological mother ever again."

Peter nodded as he placed a hand over hers that was lying on her stomach. He knew all about Connor from things Christina had told him, always remembering the night of their first date when she had sent the young boy off with his foster parents. He recalled how sweet and protective she was over him and how he had instantly trusted her thanks to her caring nature. He had found the sight quite adorable, if he was being perfectly honest.

"Was Connor happy?" he questioned, tilting his head a little bit.

"Oh, the kid was overjoyed," Christina said, laughing quietly. "I don't think I've ever seen a bigger smile on his face. It made my day, honestly."

Peter couldn't help but grin at those words, his heart melting from how genuine Christina was when she said that. He was sure that she would go on to do incredible things in the future, and he would be with her and be proud of her every step of the way. He was already immensely supportive of everything she did, even if it didn't have anything to do with work, and this moment added to that support.

"You have such a pure heart," he whispered, moving a bit so that he hovered over her. "You've always been so caring and kind to everyone... and it's so adorable."

Christina's face was swarmed with the pink blush but she refused to shy away from Peter's endearing gaze. "It's nothing compared to yours..." she replied with a smile of her own.

Peter nodded a little. "You're right," he said. "It isn't... because yours is more substantial than mine."

Christina closed her eyes and burst out laughing, playfully smacking Peter's shoulder. "You smooth bastard..." When she heard Peter trying his best to stifle his own chuckles, her eyes opened back up as she stared at him. "You were holding that in all night, weren't you?"

"Maybe," Peter replied in a flirtatious manner, smirking at his girlfriend when she started giggling again. He then leaned forward to kiss her cheek for a moment, intentionally lingering for a few extra seconds. His heart skipped a beat when he heard her let out a shaky breath before pulling back. "I mean it, though..." he murmured, reaching out to play with her hair a little bit. "You've always had the purest heart, and that's the part of you that I love the most."

Christina just smiled in response, completely awestruck at the way he had said those words. "Really?" she whispered so quietly he almost couldn't hear her.

"Yeah," he said. "And I love you. I love you so much, more than you'll ever know... more than anything. I always have...."

The blonde grinned in response. "I love you more... sweet boy...." she murmured.

"Not possible," Peter replied before pecking her lips, blushing insanely at the nickname.

When he pulled away, Christina had an expression of amusement in her eyes. "Mary Jane told me something about you earlier, and I'm realizing that she may be right," she said in a joking manner.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"She said that you were the 'biggest nerd.' And she's right," she mumbled, trying not to laugh hysterically. "You're the biggest dork I've ever known..."

Peter started to laugh at those words, knowing Christina meant no harm with what she said. "Oh, I am, huh?" he said playfully, moving to where he hovered over her more.

Christina blushed at the close proximity but she was able to hold the laughter back as she gazed back at her love. "Yeah, you are..." she replied. "But it's cute. I think so, at least."

Peter pulled her closer as he rested his forehead against hers, the utter adoration in his eyes never fading. "You're cuter," he whispered faintly, caressing her cheekbone delicately.

The look she gave him in return made Peter want to give everything up for her; it was an expression she had never used around him in their whole relationship. He almost thought she seemed... seductive... but he pushed the idea out of his head out of fear of sounding like a prick. She may not even want to do that, asshole, he told himself in his head. So he just pulled her into a kiss, always wanting to respect her wishes and not go further than she wanted to despite wanting all of her for a few months now.

Little did Peter know, Christina did want something more with him but not here, of course. She only kissed back but with a lot more fervor than normal, slipping her right arm under his suit jacket and resting her hand against his back. She could feel his heart racing extremely quickly in his chest and that made her smile against his lips, pulling him so close to the point that she was pressed against him. Just what she wanted.

Peter responded by placing a hand on her hip, making her quiver from his touch. He then pulled back to press another gentle kiss to Christina's cheek, before trailing down to her jaw and eventually her neck. He made sure to be as affectionate and sweet as possible, never wanting to hurt her and only wanting her to be happy in the moment.

When he felt her trembling, he stopped for a moment and looked down at her, concern laced in his eyes. "Are you okay?" he whispered, frowning a little bit.

Christina nodded her head a little bit, smiling at him to assure him that she was perfectly fine. "Yeah, I'm okay," she replied. "You... You can keep going... if you want."

"You sure?" Peter asked to be certain.

"Yeah..." she said before leaning closer to him, blushing furiously. "I like what you're doing a lot."

"You do?" Peter muttered, sounding almost too eager and it made Christina laugh softly.

"Hey, easy, Bug Boy..." Christina murmured slyly, narrowing her eyes at him and trying not to grin.

"What did you call me?" Peter started laughing hysterically, making Christina giggle in return as she kissed his cheek.

"You heard me," she whispered in an alluring tone, biting her bottom lip purposefully. "Kiss me. Keep kissing me... It's okay with me."

Peter instantly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, gently deepening the kiss and welcoming the motion of Christina moving them to where he was on his back. He moved his hands to her shoulder blades, hoping that she didn't feel uncomfortable in regards to her metal arm. It didn't seem as though she was, though, as she became very confident with this kiss rather quickly.

Christina made the daring move of biting his bottom lip and, when their tongues touched, she sighed into the kiss. This was especially when Peter moved to where he was sitting up and holding her close to him in his lap.

The blonde, after a little while, instinctively moved her hips. The movement was so subtle it was almost unnoticeable, but both of them gasped quietly at how amazing it felt. Christina even let out a soft whine at the feeling. However, while Peter wanted nothing more than to keep going, he put his hands on her hips to stop her, causing her to end the kiss abruptly.

"What is it?" she asked him, worried about him. "I-I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize," Peter whispered, tracing his thumb over her cheek. "It's just..." He took a deep breath and tried his best to ignore the sudden pleasure he was feeling. "Where do you want this to go? Are you just wanting to make out or... more than that...?"

"Um... more than that...." Christina admitted without hesitation. "I've wanted to for a while now... I just didn't want to tell you in case you weren't ready."

Peter just pecked her on the forehead at those words. "I... I am ready, actually..." he said. "I've been ready for a while, too. But listen to me, Chris... We don't have to if you don't want to. I only want to if you're absolutely sure and comfortable."

Christina gave him a brief but fervorous kiss before pulling back. "I want to," she assured him. "I really want to... so bad." She then moved off of Peter and slightly away from him. "But not here, of course."

"Where do you want to go?" Peter asked her, chuckling out of pure shock. This was really going to happen; he thought he was dreaming, for sure.

"My place, perhaps..." Christina suggested, smirking in his direction.

As the two of them got onto Peter's motorbike after he had carefully lowered themselves from the web and began going to Christina's apartment, the two were entirely unaware of an alien-like black goo attaching itself to the bike after it had crashed into the ground from the sky.

_____

Fifteen Minutes Later
10:40 P.M.

The entire trip to Christina's apartment was full of complete silence save for the rumbling of Peter's bike and the passing traffic next to them. She had her head resting against his back and her heart was about to burst out of her chest from anticipation and pure nervousness; but the nervousness wasn't bad and she welcomed it, knowing the emotion was natural with this next step of the relationship.

The two of them had started with wholesome dates where they would just go to fast food places and movie nights at each other's apartments from time to time. That had slowly progressed to more intense and meaningful kisses other than shy pecks, to heated makeout sessions, to their hands wandering from time to time. But they had rarely discussed the topic of sex, always being timid and awkward about it. Whenever one of them would bring it up, the conversation would end minutes later since they became sheepish.

But, now that the act was really about to happen, she knew that they needed to take it slow. In the few discussions they had in the past, Peter had agreed that their first time would be slow and careful, especially since he had super-strength and was afraid of accidentally hurting her.

Christina, however, was scared that she wouldn't be satisfactory enough for his sake. She hated admitting that she was still a virgin sometimes, but she knew she eventually had to say the embarrassing truth. The only experience she had in her life with anyone was a boy she had been forced to kiss Freshman year, a few mild makeout sessions with her ex-girlfriend, Alyssa, and (of course) everything she had been through with Peter. So she was afraid that she wouldn't be good enough for him at this moment.

She was also frightened that he wouldn't like how she looked under the dress, despite him assuring her that she was and always would be perfect in his eyes. She wasn't sure why insecurity was suddenly hitting her full force, but it was maybe the realization that they were taking their next step that made her feel self-conscious all of a sudden.

Christina glanced up and spotted her apartment coming into view as Peter steered into the parking lot, so she began taking deep breaths in order to stay as calm as possible.

Unbeknownst to her, however, Peter could feel her heart beating erratically against his back and his concern for her began to rise.

When the bike was parked, the two of them climbed off and their feet hit the pavement. Before Christina could walk forward, though, Peter tenderly grasped her right hand and tugged her back. She couldn't ignore the worried expression in his bright eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a soft voice, frowning at her. "Your heart was beating really fast."

Christina nodded shyly, her face completely and utterly red as she glanced downward.

"We can back out if you want to," he assured her, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "We can do it another time, I won't mind..."

"No, I don't want to back out," Christina said. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all. Excited, really."

After successfully convincing him that she really was okay, the two of them jogged towards the front doors of the building. They were holding hands and giggling energetically, especially when they got into the elevator and Peter impatiently tapped the button to the fourth floor repeatedly until the doors shut.

As the elevator ascended, Christina was lovingly pulled closer to Peter as their lips met. Her fingers grabbed his hair and tugged on it, making his breath hitch in his throat as he tenderly pushed her against the sleek metal wall.

Less than a minute later, they had made it to Christina's apartment after literally running towards it. After fumbling with the key, she barely got into the entry hall before the front door was quietly kicked shut behind her. She was suddenly turned around and lifted into Peter's arms, making her squeal and giggle hysterically as she was spun in circles. "This is fucking silly, Pete!" she yelled at him, jokingly smacking his arm and making him laugh in response. She didn't mind the sudden movement, however, locking her legs around his waist.

She was then pressed against the doorway to the kitchen, still being held upward, and she felt his soft lips graze her neck. She melted into the touch immediately, her eyes falling shut as her head tilted back to give him further access. "I love you..." she faintly whispered.

"I love you..." Peter replied almost inaudibly. "You're so damn beautiful, angel..."

That made tears prick the corners of Christina's eyes, and they were the happiest tears that could have possibly formed. She frantically tugged at Peter's jacket and slipped it off of his shoulders, her eyes opening briefly to help guide her.

Eventually, it was Peter that had begun to move his hips and, luckily, it was right where Christina wanted him to be. Their soft sighs quickly became moans of building ecstasy and bliss, and Peter was nearly brought to tears when he heard his love murmuring his name over and over again. He could feel her real hand and prosthetic hand grasping at his shoulders, a clear sign that she truly wanted him, which made his heartbeat become ecstatic.

The blonde suddenly hopped down onto the floor, separating herself from Peter. But she grabbed his hands and led him to her bedroom, a shy little smile gracing her features. And he followed with a shaky smile of his own, his hands trembling badly in hers.

Christina noticed and, when she shut the door to her bedroom, she squeezed his hands affectionately as she stared up at him. "Hey, it's okay..." she mumbled soothingly. "Are you nervous?"

Peter timidly nodded, gulping almost audibly as he sighed to himself. "Yeah, I am," he admitted. "I... I've never... uh... I've never done this before."

"Neither have I..." Christina replied with an assuring smile. "But... we can figure all of it out together."

Her boyfriend grinned bashfully, his face turning crimson. "Yeah..." he whispered. He then noticed how her face had fallen slightly as she moved her arms to cross them tightly while looking down. He reached out to cup her face in his hands, staring deeply into her eyes. "Hey... You're beautiful..." he added. "Don't think you're not. You're perfect, I promise. You always have been..."

Christina's lips curved upward as her head bobbed up and down a little bit. "Thank you," she responded.

Peter then glanced down at her dress for a moment, his heart in his throat and he could hardly breathe at all. "Can... Can I...?" he asked quietly, gesturing to the zipper on the back of the dress.

"You can," Christina said, guiding his hands to the zipper. "You could never hurt me."

And, as she soon felt his hands on her bare back, she fully relaxed in his arms as they explored each other.

Christina Johnson felt entirely safe with Peter Parker at this moment. And he felt entirely safe with her as well....

A/N: heheheheheheheh... that became spicy real fast, didn't it?😏

ANYWAYS, thoughts on this chapter?

did you like the part at the beginning where mary jane was being a great friend to peter and chris? THIS IS WHY I MUCH PREFER HER AND PETER AS BEST FRIENDS!

did you like the sweet moment during the web scene when peter assured christina that she had a good heart and he loved her for that? they're too fucking cute, i swear!🥹

and we HAVE GOT to love the moment when he pretty much asks for her consent when he says, "we don't have to do this if you don't want to!" he respects her so damn much! can i have a man or woman like this please?!

what about the buildup to... that? that was quite... um... intense.... in fact, this was my first time writing anything like that.🤭

i loved writing the moment where they were both comforting each other right before the act. they're so precious!!!! 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

i bet they're both getting it real good, if you know what i mean🤣

i did make sure to "face to black" before anything too graphic took place just in case some readers were uncomfortable reading that stuff. i always have y'all's best interests in mind!❤️

predictions for the next chapter?

be looking forward to the next chapter!

p.s. if you caught the amazing spider-man reference, i love you to bits!❤️

-denbroughswife