Spider-Man debuted to the public.
He could thank one of the many local papers for that, because the day after he entered the burning building and saved Allison he was on the very first page of The Daily Bugle, sporting his wrestler suit.
The rude headline read "Freak Helps In A Fire?" with a photography that was honestly quite mediocre. Peter could tell the photo was taken with an old cell phone while he was mid jump, so it came out all blurry.
He thinks he may even remember the moment the shot was taken, but honestly everything since he saw the state of the mother up to the moment when he saw May is somewhat blurry to him. Probably due to the shock of it all.
Still, Peter freaked out a little when he saw it, but figured he would eventually be known to the public, given how he plans to swing through the city mid-daylight.
So he bought a copy for himself and placed it on a box together with his old mask and another paper. This one is the most recent one about him that read "Spider-Man, Hero or Menace?" Peter hid the box under his bed for safekeeping.
The most recent photo had actually been taken by him. After all, if someone was going to be paid by that ugly mustache for taking photos of him, who better than himself?
So Peter has officially been Spider-Man's photographer since then; getting paid by essentially getting selfies and earning enough money to help somewhat with the bills of the house, which aunt May doesn't want him to do, but he will be damned if he doesn't help her.
And it didn't hurt at all to have extra pocket money for himself.
Life was honestly looking pretty good for Peter, he has great grades, even better friends and his confidence has been slowly rising to a comfortable level.
After Peter had that talk with his aunt where he got out of his gloomy state, Peter has been trying to make progress in his personal life. He tries to be a better friend, better nephew and overall a better person who helps anyone he sees in need, especially whenever he has the mask on.
One of the only real problems Peter is just now finding out is how to balance both lives. He's been getting late to class, home, hangouts and what's worse, he's had to lie about why a lot.
But he's a smart kid, he'll figure out what to do so that one life doesn't mess with the other in any meaningful or harmful ways.
Right?
Anyways… Another problem he's been having lately is with Harry, since apparently he doesn't seem to like Peter's new found self confidence.
Ever since Peter returned to school and started hanging out with his friends again, he could see how Harry was starting to leave him behind in favor of hanging out with Flash and the other popular kids.
He's been inviting all of them to hang out at his penthouse, to eat at expensive restaurants and just flaunt his money for all of them to enjoy without Peter.
And Peter is honestly hurt by this.
He doesn't know if it is because he ignored Harry after the funeral or if something happened that warrants this from his best friend; but the weirdest thing is that whenever they do end up together while hanging out with MJ and Gwen, he still acts as he normally would around him.
Like if he's somehow used to pretending to be his friend.
That attitude didn't sit well with MJ or Gwen, but at the end of the day they would still take Harry's invites at hanging out without him.
And that honestly would've hurt Peter if both girls didn't try every time to sneak him to whatever they were going next, or try to hang out with him every chance they get as if to make up for that. They started to feel kinda clingy to him actually.
Could it be because they feel pity about his uncle? He doesn't really know, but he wouldn't let that kind of thought bring down his mood when hanging out with his best friends.
Gwen was never shy, she's a very strong willed person actually, but she was also not overly social or touchy. At least not until she felt Peter was drifting off from their group because of Harry's petty jealousy of him that everyone could see. Everyone but Peter himself. So the young drummer would spend classes or days off at Peter's side if she could help it.
Similarly to her, MJ also became even more touchy with him; teasing his new found musculature that she kept a secret to herself, calling him 'Tiger' more often and with a more flirtatious tone than ever before, almost to a point where Peter jokingly thought she had forgotten his name.
Chat was the only one that really took real advantage of the situation, since Peter also looked slightly uncomfortable each time Harry was near him while being with the others, he naturally gravitated to her.
Not only that, she also knew something no one else knew.
Peter is Spider-Man!
She looked at him with dreamy eyes in class as he was lost in his thoughts looking towards the window, as she recalled how she found out.
Flashback
Around 5 weeks ago
Chat was with her friend Emma Frost, a beautiful blonde with a fascination for the color white in clothing and the even more fascinating ability to read people's minds. Like Chat herself, Emma is a mutant.
They first met by accident in the park many, many months ago when Chat was playing and talking with some squirrels in a park as Emma was walking by; angry at her father and wanting to clear her head.
After a rather uncomfortable interaction where Chat tried to lie herself out of the truth and then scolded Emma for reading her mind, they became friends quickly due to their mutant nature.
They both have been hanging outside school hours with one another, seeing as how neither had really much of a social life outside the other.
Chat did have Peter, but he spent too much time between his job as a photographer and still hanging out with MJ and Gwen, much to her disdain.
She doesn't dislike the girls and she even can honestly call them the closest friends she has after Peter in school, but she still didn't like how they act when they're around him.
Anyway, after some weeks of both girls hanging out together, Emma had promised not to look inside Chat's mind without consent. This because Chat had become genuinely upset when Emma started to tease her a little too hard on her thoughts and how cute most of them are, forcing Chat to threaten their friendship.
Emma knows, mainly because she read her mind, that the threat was just to scare her. But weirdly enough, it worked all the same because Emma had found in Chat a real friend, like she never had before.
So it honestly did scare her the idea of losing Chat with something so childish as this.
And so like many other days, both girls were outside shopping, waiting for the cab driver Emma mind controlled to work as a delivery man to get her new clothes back to her home, while Chat was scolding her about how that was wrong.
After that they were once again on their way down the street, with Chat telling Emma what animals talk about while treating themselves to some chocolate.
Until Chat changed subjects just when they reached an Italian restaurant that was putting up a new sign with the help of a crane.
"Y'know, I've been really happy in school" said Chat as she grabbed another chocolate from her box.
"I know" said Emma with a roll of her eyes. She had heard her friend say that many times by now.
But she wasn't interested in going to school ever again, not after what happened with her teacher and former crush Ian Kendall in her middle school 'Snow Valley School for Girls' that doubled as a high school.
"You should really consider entering high school with me! Imagine what fun we'd had!" Said Chat as she looked Emma's way with sparkling eyes.
"That's not really me anymore. If I-" Emma said much to Chat's slightly annoyed face, only to be interrupted by a boy around their age that tackled both of them, making them drop their food.
"Look out!" Yelled the boy as he grabbed them both by the waist; but instead of throwing them all to the ground, he carried them over his shoulders and with an impressive speed until he could place them down far from harm's way.
*KTTCHAAASH* The boy released his hold on both girls as he looked where the crane and sign fell, noticing he succeeded at webbing the construction worker to the building to prevent him from falling.
"Peter?!" Asked Chat with her face red in embarrassment from being saved by the waist thanks to what she very easily identified as her crush.
Her yell caused Peter to finally look at her as well, prompting him to match her face's color. He however was worried about being discovered by his friend.
"Chat! Are-Are you and your friend okay?" Asked Peter, setting aside his own worries in favor of both girls' well-being.
"Y-yes but…the sign just fell? We were just under it." Chat replied still not believing what was happening.
In the same mood Emma asked "H-how did you move so fast?"
Only to be one upped by Chat who yelled "Is that worker webbed to the wall?!" While pointing at said worker.
"Uhm yeah… Spider-Man was here, didn't you see him?" Peter asked nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"No…" Emma denied seeing the hero, still not understanding how the boy did what he did, and worst of all, why she couldn't access his mind with little effort.
Emma normally had no problem using her powers, but this guy seemed to have a natural ability to guard himself against her.
'Maybe I was bound to find people resistant to me' thought Emma to herself with a sigh, listening to how Chat was getting a little creeped out by the mention of Spider-Man.
"Spider-Man? That creepy guy?" Chat said with an uneasy expression on her face.
"Don't mind my friend, she doesn't really like spiders; vile things they say. I'm Emma, Emma Frost." Once Emma got her bearings back she introduced herself.
"Oh right. Peter Parker" The boy replied nervously while avoiding looking directly at Emma. He was looking around all over the place, like he was looking for someone or something in particular.
"Oh, Chat's friend from Midtown" Emma connected the dots, seeing as how the two of them very obviously know each other. And of course she also knew about the boy, he was the other contestant to Chat's best friend spot against her.
Emma has heard various things about this Peter Parker from her friend, but they usually kept their conversations around themselves and the way mutants are being treated by the world. That, and Chat's plea for the telepath to stay out of her mind are reasons why the blonde doesn't know of the crush of her friend.
Yet she could tell he was a genuinely nice guy, helping them both in this incident and all.
It also helped that he was easy on the eyes and clearly quite strong. Maybe she could also make a friend out of the boy if he proved to be worthy enough.
He already got on Chat's good side, so there was hope for him.
She is also very curious as to why and how he is able to keep her off his mind, but she felt that if she really wanted to, she could breach into his mind… maybe later.
Peter on the other hand looked at Emma and was instantly smitten, she was perhaps the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.
He mentally apologized to every girl he knew, especially the ones he's close with, but there was honestly no comparison between one and the others.
Her soft smile, her perfect skin, her piercing blue eyes and even her all white outfit are all breathtaking.
But Peter now had a job to do, and he couldn't be distracted when lives are on the line.
"Y-yeah that's right. Hey, listen girls, I'd love to talk more, but I have something to do very quickly" Peter said with an apologetic smile as he finally saw an empty alleyway in which he could suit up.
He let go of Emma's hand before she could say anything else and sprinted with a surprising speed to his destination before the blond could say anything else.
Emma felt a little shocked by this. Never had anyone outright ignored her the way Peter Parker had done "Well, that was rude" she muttered, gaining Chat's attention.
"What? No, Peter is not rude. He actually told me that he's more or less the official photographer for Spider-Man. It's his job" Chat explained, trying not to make Peter look bad in Emma's mind.
"Really? Why would he have a job like that?" The blond questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"He says that he's too busy to get an actual clocked job, and this way he can get enough money to help his aunt with their bills" Chat says, not really wanting to say much about Peter's life.
Which Emma did not get or cared "Why would he help his aunt with her bills?" The telepath asked with genuine curiosity.
"Well…" Chat debated with herself whether to tell Emma or not "he lost his parents when he was young, so his aunt and uncle took him in. He lost his uncle recently, so…" she ultimately decided to tell her the truth.
She trusts Emma and it's not like Peter's life is a secret.
"Oh… that's…" Emma, in one of the few times where she didn't know what to say, struggled with her words.
What could she say to that? Something that would pity the boy? Express how sorry she is to hear that to Chat? Stay silent?
She didn't know how to react.
What she does know however is that she could feel sympathy for the boy, as well as admiration in some measure. Not everyone would be willing to do much after such an unusual and tragic life. Much less someone around her age.
Luckily for Emma, whatever words she was planning on saying were drowned by Chat herself when the costumed hero made his appearance, crawling down the building where the worker is still stuck to.
"Look! It's Spider-Man! Peter was right!" Exclaimed Chat in awe in the midst of cheers from some people. Prompting Emma to also look amazed at the first hero she's seen in person.
Although the sentiment was not shared by everyone.
"Get outta here!" "Menace!" "This is your fault" "That guy almost died, shame on you!" Were some of the light scoldings that could be heard among the curses thrown the hero's way.
""Ugh"" Emma and Chat exclaimed in disgust and annoyance respectively at the same time at the clear bias these people hold for the hero.
It's obvious to anyone with two eyes that the only thing Spider-Man did was save the worker from a grave injury or worse, but it seems that the news regarding him are enough to impair people from thinking for themselves.
Which reminded both girls of the general public's unjustified hate and fear towards mutants. Which is the reason why mutants like the both of them have to hide their true selves from the world.
Between all the different shouts from everyone, Spider-Man, as quickly as he came to help, he left.
Some people clapped and cheered until he was out of sight, while others, including some cops, cursed at the man for interfering in their lives and putting them all at risk.
"I think this was enough excitement for a day, let's leave" Emma said, annoyed at all the physical and mental noise around her.
Chat was about to agree, but was called by some birds about something important they wanted to tell her "Sorry, seems like these little guys want to tell me something, and it sounds important. I won't take long, kay?"
Emma rolled her eyes "Fine, go on. I'll be here" she's sometimes annoyed by the powers of her friend and her need to hide herself from using them in front of everyone else, as well as the fact that her kind needs to hide in the first place.
Chat neared a different alleyway from the one Peter entered and listened intently to whatever the small birds had to tell her.
Chat gasped hard as she placed her hand over her mouth. This was unreal! The birds told her how it was Peter the one that used some metal bracelets to web the guy to the wall!
Then after saving and talking to her and Emma, Peter quickly ran to an alley to change into his Spider-Man costume!
Chat was in disbelief, his crush was a real superhero! Of course he only dealt with robberies and small time criminals, but still Spider-Man has been huge for the past several weeks he's been active.
And it turns out that Peter, Midtown's resident nerd who couldn't hurt a fly, was a vigilante who fought criminals and saved civilians!
Chat started to breathe heavily at the shock of the information, much to the worried look Emma was giving her from afar.
Chat panicked slightly at seeing her friend's worried face, because that meant that Emma could read her mind any minute now to see if everything was okay.
Making up her mind, Chat thanked the kind birds and approached the blond telepath.
"Everything okay?" Asked Emma with a raised eyebrow, trying and failing to mask her concern with her usual cold demeanor. Something they both know Chat can see through.
"Uh, y-yeah. It's just…" Chat second guessed herself on whether or not she was comfortable with lying to Emma, but the sight of Peter now approaching in his civilian clothes was too much for her "… Flapper tried to enter my room, but the window was closed".
Emma winced slightly; knowing how harmful that might've been for the pet owl and how worried Chat must be "Is he okay?" She asked with genuine worry.
"I'm sure he's fine, but I should still go see him. I'm sorry Emma, I'll text you to let you know how he is!" Yelled Chat as she started backing up from her friend and the approaching boy, to then turn her back to them and run away.
Chat felt bad for lying, but at the same time she felt giddy about knowing this secret. She however really needed some time to assimilate the news fully.
Emma simply nodded in understanding while her friend quickly disappeared from view.
"Oh uhm, is everything all right with Chat?" Peter asked Emma once he reached her, originally planning to ask again if the both of them were really okay.
He did grab them very roughly to get them out of harm's way after all.
"She is, just something about her pet" Emma explained as she turned to see the boy fully.
"Well… it's good that she's fine, but it's still too bad that her pet is not. I'll text her later" Peter said that more to himself, but still said it out loud for Emma to hear "what about you?"
"What about me?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrow once again.
"A-Are you okay? I mean, I grabbed you pretty hard back there" Peter explained himself nervously as the piercing blue eyes of Emma watched him intently.
"Oh, that. Yeah I'm okay. Thank you for that by the way" Emma genuinely felt thankful for that. Who knows where Chat and herself would be if it wasn't for the boy and his surprisingly strong arms.
"Happy to help" answered Peter with a toothy grin that moved Emma.
The answer surprised the blond slightly since she could tell he was indeed happy with just helping. She was starting to get why Chat is friends with this guy.
"There you are!" Suddenly a man's voice with a heavy Italian American accent boomed in their direction while the crowd finally started to disperse "you are one of the girls that my sign nearly crushed, are you not?"
"I am" agreed Emma with an annoyed face "and I am sure that any court would agree to shut down your establishment after that little stunt".
The big guy's chubby face got pale at the threat "W-well yes I'm sure they would, but-but I-".
Seeing the man in distress, Peter butted in "Hey come on, no one got hurt, right? Can't we pass this off as an accident?".
Emma stared at her savior, not knowing if she should feel offended at his interruption or whether to agree with him and let this incident go.
She knows that this guy, who thanks to her powers found out is the owner, had no fault in whatever happened for the sign to fall and yet he still came to make sure she was alright.
He did so to know if he was in some kind of legal problem which is why Emma said that about suing him, but still, that's gotta count for something.
Seeing her hesitation, the owner tried to appeal more to Emma "Of course, if you agree to let this slide I'll give you a year's worth of free meals in my restaurant starting today!" He offered with a nervous smile on his face.
Peter looked at her with his deep brown eyes, filled with expectation. Like he was truly hoping for her to let it go and be a nice person, which for some reason made Emma want to prove him right.
"…*Sigh* fine, it's not like I need to get my father more money at my expense anyways" Emma agreed haughtily, seeing how both men were really hoping for her to not choose to do the harmful thing.
It was weird for Emma to see any type of genuine expectation from her without having any real reason to. If she sued the man or didn't, Peter wouldn't get anything either way at the end of the day.
And they don't know each other either, so he couldn't be surprised whether Emma chose differently or not.
He was truly just helping a man he clearly doesn't know just for the sake of helping him.
Just like he helped her before.
He was weird, and the fact that he had some type of mental barrier just added to her curiosity of the boy, so maybe she could use this opportunity to get to know him a little better. See what is it about him that landed him a friend like Chat.
Both men sweat dropped at what Emma said, but were relieved to hear her say that nonetheless.
"Plus, I'm somewhat hungry. I'll be judging your performance before I make up my mind fully" Emma finished her conditions with her arms crossed. She did drop her chocolate earlier as well, so this came in handy.
"Y-yes ma'am, you'll have the best I have to offer!" The man exclaimed as he ran towards his restaurant, ready to meet the clearly high demands of the girl.
"Well, I'm glad that's settled. Maybe I'll be seeing you anoth-" Peter started saying as he stepped backwards from Emma, ready to leave the girl to her business.
But he was stopped from doing so when the girl talked again "And where do you think you're going?" Questioned the girl with a menacing glare.
"Oh, I uh, have these pictures I have to deliver to-" Peter tried to explain himself, but was once again interrupted by the girl.
"You are not seriously planning on leaving me to eat on my own, are you?" She asked again, still with the glare on her face.
"I-I don't want to impose or anything" he stuttered nervously.
"You already did, and that got me a year worth of fattening meals. You're coming with" Emma decided as she grabbed Peter by his wrist and started walking towards the restaurant "plus I want to know about how Chat is while on school"
"I… you…*Sigh* Okay" Peter conceded and blushed slightly at the bright and winning smirk Emma shot his way once they entered the establishment.
They were quickly seated and brought the best food personally by the chef, while they started talking, getting to know each other via Chat, with questions like, how do you know her? How's school with her? And small talk like that.
Emma was genuinely entertained by the guy, finding cute how he excitedly talked about their mutual friend in those little funny anecdotes he has.
But perhaps she was not entertained enough, so she decided to test this barrier Peter had on his mind. It was like a buzz that prevented her from prying, but she was powerful and so she forced her way in anyway.
Though not wanting to know everything about the boy, she just looked at what he was thinking at the moment.
And Emma was surprised to say the least.
Up until now, every single mind she had ever read was petty and disappointing; always thinking about her or someone in a lewd situation, themselves winning an argument, a fight or something down right terrible.
But Peter here was asking himself if Chat's pet was really alright, he wondered what his aunt was doing right now, hoping she was doing fine and most surprisingly, he was having fun talking to her.
Nothing more than that.
Peter was enjoying her presence as Emma Frost, not the beautiful girl he was thinking of screwing or how he could get her to give him money because of her last name.
Thoughts she had been met with every single time she's been in the presence of anyone else.
He was looking at her for her, actually enjoying knowing her.
Emma had never seen someone with a mind so pure and honestly beautiful. She felt her cheeks grow red as she read Peter's thoughts wondering if he was bothering her somehow or if she felt ill because of the sudden redness in her cheeks.
He is actually caring for her person in the microscopic amount of time they've spent together more than someone like her father had ever done.
And to add more qualities to Peter, he's smart, incredibly so.
It's the first time Emma had ever read someone's mind that she could only compare to a bonfire of information. It was overwhelming the amount of things Peter was thinking about just as a back thought that Emma considered this to be his so-called mental barrier.
She could read his mind for hours and just stay there admiring it, like someone admiring a piece of art they like but not quite understand.
"You okay, Emma?" asked Peter worried about her sudden silence and flushing.
"Yeah! I mean… this is really good y'know?" Answered Emma embarrassed at being caught daydreaming about the boy in front of her with a half eaten panini on her hands.
"Oh yeah, but this has nothing on Delmar's sandwiches. They have been my favorites since forever. The owner actually has this one cat that usually likes me, but just the other week I entered the store and his cat jumped at me suddenly…" Peter started telling a funny story, to which by his delight Emma was enjoying.
She surprised herself when she realized that she started laughing at the boy's corny jokes and how invested in whatever silly story he was telling her about Chat or even himself.
But not as suprised as she was when she caught herself talking sincerely about her personal life.
Her family members, the school she is going to (supposedly), when she became friends with the animal enthusiast and much more.
Never has she been so comfortable around someone, and it was weird to think that it was someone naturally resistant to her powers.
Could it be that this is what's so appealing to Emma from Peter? The fact it was so quiet when she is around him?
Emma is a powerful telepath, she knows that, and she's proud of that. But it sometimes turns into a problem if the person she is with 'thinks' too loudly.
It's suddenly a chore not to read that person's mind and immediately became disappointed in what she sees in that wretched place. It's worse when she is in a crowded place with a little too many people there and her powers slip.
Suddenly being invaded by the thoughts of hundreds of people at the same time is no fun.
But Peter is different.
It's mentally quiet with him, she can focus on the conversation they are having without needing to hold herself together. Plus she already saw his mind, and she liked what she saw.
Emma made up her mind. He's definitely going to be her friend and they are both going to be seeing each other frequently.
After thanking the owner, and him thanking them both back profusely, the pair ended up walking towards a park near Peter's home where they spent a few hours talking and laughing until Emma's phone rang.
"Ugh, sorry Peter, it's my dad" said Emma, annoyed at the interruption.
"No worries, take your time" Peter said with a strained smile at the apology, which luckily Emma didn't saw.
She walked a few steps away and after barely two minutes she walked back.
"I'm sorry Peter, I have a curfew and it's nearing" Emma said… that word again… apologetically, explaining how her father is a bit strict and had a car sent for her.
"O-oh it's okay! I have to go too anyhow" Peter stammered a bit, thinking he should be starting patrol right about now, standing up from the bench at the park they chose to sit in.
"But…I would like to hang out again sometime" said Emma, fluttering her eyelashes at Peter slightly.
She was used to 'flirting' with some of the men she saw were the most perverted ones, after all they were the most easy prey for her to mind control into doing whatever she wanted, as disgusting as that sounded due to her age and all.
Even if she 'developed' somewhat early it's disgusting.
But she honestly wanted to get closer to Peter, maybe not in a romantic sense, but it wouldn't hurt if he thought of her as pretty.
Peter blushed at the implication and dumbfounded asked "Really?"
The blond giggled at that, finding cute his disbelief "yeah really… unless you don't want to?" Asked Emma in a fake shyness.
"N-no! I mean, I would love to hang out sometime again!" Peter said, fearing he had somehow made her think otherwise. He also had an unexpected great time with the girl after all.
"Great! Phone" She said, returning to her previous grinning face as she made her demand and held out her hand.
"S-sure" Peter stuttered at the sudden request and gave her his phone, in which she quickly tapped in her contact information.
"I will expect a call Mr. Parker or I will get mad" said Emma with a stern face as she gave Peter back his phone and began turning around, walking towards a fancy car already waiting for her.
"Wouldn't dream of not doing so Ms. Frost" playing along Peter waved goodbye, making her giggle as she returned the wave.
Finally, she made a short sprint to her car where her chauffeur only raised an unimpressed eye at Peter, who didn't care as he was still busy waving an excited Emma who was waving back until the car drove away.
'Well…that was certainly something, Peter' said the boy as he mentally patted himself on the back.
It's not everyday he meets the prettiest girl he's seen only to find her company great and finish their little hang out with her phone number and a demand for a call.
'Seriously wow' said Peter finally as he ran to an alley and changed into his suit. Swinging off to patrol his beloved city.
Flashback end
Chat now frowned thinking of Emma and Peter.
They both claimed it wasn't a date when confronted about it separately, but their flushed faces and nervous attitudes made Chat worry.
Worry that grew even larger when she found out that Peter and Emma exchanged numbers and constantly texted one another.
But leaving her worrying behind, Chat was also delighted that now Peter came in and made their duo a trio of young teens having innocent fun.
Emma became more careful with her powers as did Chat, not wanting Peter to know of their mutation. They didn't know if Peter was against or pro mutants, but they definitely didn't want to risk it.
Emma more so than Chat, still feeling her heart ache slightly after reading the mind of her teacher/crush and finding out he thought of the mutants as disgusting freaks.
She would be very disappointed if Peter thought similarly, and she was afraid of losing a friend like Peter so she doesn't read his mind at all.
Or at least tries her hardest not to.
And so Peter and Chat would spend most of their time together at school, and Emma joined them when it was over.
Peter normally claimed he had a curfew, and he many times left them to run off to do his hero work, but thankfully Chat was there to cover for him happily, always coming up for excuses so that Emma and the others, when present, wouldn't question him.
Unfortunately for Chat, it was time for her to leave for California. School has officially ended and she would spend her whole summer on the other side of the country.
So Peter and Emma threw her a small party after class, which was more like a gathering of friends in the Italian place where Peter and Emma met before Chat had to leave for the airport.
Here, Emma finally met MJ, Gwen and Harry. Chat's, and mostly Peter's, other friends.
And she immediately disliked them.
Harry Osborn is a creep who loved flaunting his daddy's money to get attention, making a whole deal of how he was going to invite everyone their meals and anything they liked, especially Gwen. Emma convinced Peter to let the guy pay even if the food was originally going to be free, passing it off as a joke so that Peter agreed.
He tried talking to Emma as well, but one look at his disgusting and messed up mind was enough for Emma to even question how much she liked being in the same building as this guy.
Emma was used to men from all ages looking at her lecherously, even from when she was younger, but Harry's mind was so petty and needy it was on a whole different level from your normal creep.
Not only did Harry seem to fancy the idea of using everyone around him, even those he knew, as objects just like daddy would; he also seemed to hate Peter to an extent behind a facade of friendship even he believed in.
It was honestly messed up.
The other two however were your regular middle school girls, like the ones Emma watched on the TV. Loud and slightly obnoxious in their mannerisms and behaviors towards Chat and Emma.
Apparently they both liked Peter romantically, and even though they preferred to spend time with the 'popular kids' and Harry over Peter most of the time, they still liked and cared for him.
And now they were acting as if Emma or Chat were going to rob 'their man'.
Which was ridiculous because neither Chat nor herself liked Peter. (According to Emma)
Just imagining herself holding hands with Peter, walking and talking throughout the city with their hands being held together as they go on their date; spending a fantastic time where he would ask her for her interests and her opinion trivial things as he had done so many times before, genuine in his attention of her and only her.
Only to finish the date with a deep and passionate kiss that showed just how much he cares for her was just so…
'…Oh my' thought Emma to herself as she found she really enjoyed picturing that.
The idea of Peter and herself dating? Definitely something she could entertain herself with. But the idea of these girls doing the same with Peter really made her uncomfortable.
She fell for the boy and didn't even realize it.
So their attitudes, toward Peter, Chat and herself were not welcome by Emma. Not at all.
Yet Peter, to the eyes of all girls, was blissfully unaware of this. He was simply having a fun time with all his friends and it was something he really needed.
Lately, because of Harry hanging out with the popular kids with MJ and Gwen without him, he suddenly found himself with a little too much free time.
And sure, he would still hang out with them, and more recently with Chat and Emma, but he still had more free time than ever.
And with his need of money being met with Spider-Man's pictures and his new resolve to be a hero, Peter found himself spending more time wearing the mask than being without it.
And he was slightly scared that he liked it.
It just felt right, too right.
To be soaring the sky in a free fall, the excitement of catching himself at the last second, and the adrenaline he felt pumping into his body any time he tried to help anyone and someone pulled a knife or a gun on him was all just so… natural to him.
Like he was meant to do this.
That's why he treasures times like these so much, because they remind him that he still has a life as Peter Parker.
One worth living.
There was only one thing gnawing at Peter's mind right now, and that is the fact that it is now June, the last Friday before prom, which is exactly a week from today and he has some doubts about his date for prom.
You see, Peter has been very distracted lately even without his mask on because he finally had his first 'case' of a villain targeting him as Spider-Man.
Dmitri Smerdyakov AKA 'The Chameleon' is a master of disguise that used his abilities to dress up as Spider-Man and frame him for all the robberies he committed for the span of two weeks.
That sent his basically nonexistent reputation as a hero to the ground, making everyone believe in the Daily Bugle's claims that he is a menace.
Luckily with the help of Captain George Stacy, Peter was able to stop the villain and unmask him.
Peter remembers giddily when Jameson had to publicly admit he made a mistake regarding Spider-Man being the one who robbed the banks. He of course stood firm in his belief of him being a menace, together with the majority of the people dumb enough to listen to him.
And now more and more criminals are using the same tech that The Chameleon used to power his futuristic laser gun. It was honestly badass to fight someone with that kind of equipment at first, but then all of a sudden there was a whole market of those things going around his city.
Peter's investigation led him to ditch a party that was being hosted by Liz in her step-dad's house, chasing after a van that dragged him through an entire neighborhood, only to be picked up to the sky by a man with a green and honestly silly looking suit.
What was not so silly about the man was his razor sharp talons, his sword-like feathers covering the entirety of the massive wings that he almost got stabbed by and his unnatural strength.
The man felt stronger than any other criminal he had ever fought, which was surprising considering that he didn't seem all that strong. So based on the way he floated when still in the air and the strength he displayed, Peter could only guess he was either a powered individual such as himself or his suit was the one that held all the power.
Peter inclined more towards the latter, giving how his suit looked like a harness underneath everything, and his helmet made him realize he wasn't 'made' for high altitude or speed flights.
The fight didn't last long.
'The Vulture', as his most recent investigation had told him was the name of the man in the green flying suit, picked Peter up from the ban after piercing his arm with his talons and flew him up at an incredible speed.
Peter howled in pain, but quickly got his bearings back and snapped the mechanical foot off with his hand, only to start a fight mid air while swinging around the guy while each one kicked, punched and The Vulture tried stabbing the other, all while in mid air.
Until the man grew tired of Spider-Man, so he flew away after cutting all the webs that Spider-Man was using to cling himself to the flying man, causing the hero to fall.
Peter thanked whoever it was that was looking out for him when he fell on a pond instead of the concrete sidewalk of the street or someone's house.
What he wasn't saved from was the scoldings from his friends that he left at the party that day. And it was weird for Peter when not two days after he ditched Liz's party, she asked him to prom!
It was honestly pretty wild to Peter how someone from Flash's clique and the best friend of Sally Avril, the girl who apparently dislikes him the most, asked him shyly to go to prom with her!
He was unsure of accepting her offer, because he honestly never thought of Liz beyond a good friend but in the end he did so.
Only for MJ and Gwen to scold him for accepting her offer after ditching her party that day. Their scolding caused his insecurity and doubt about agreeing to be with her that night.
Only Chat defended him that day.
And speaking of Chat…
"You call me when you land, alright?" Said Emma seriously as she locked arms with Chat in a tight hug outside the Italian place. The realization that not being able to spend the summer with her best friend was hitting Emma harder than she thought.
'At least Peter is still here…' thought Emma looking at the bright side.
"You got it!" Replied Chat happily at her friend's concern, although equally sad at spending her summer far away.
"Be safe, okay?" said Peter, now his turn at hugging Chat.
"Always… I'll miss you" Chat said, muffled by Peter's chest where she hid her face.
Though everyone was able to hear her and two girls frowned at that, the goodbyes for Chat were rather friendly and everyone spent a good time.
Once it was time for everyone to head back home, Peter ended up walking with Emma and MJ back to his home in Queens.
MJ didn't like that.
"Oh Emma, I didn't know you also lived this way" said MJ when an uncomfortable silence formed between the three with an obviously fake smile, clearly bothered by her presence.
She too didn't like the other girl.
*Scoff* "I wouldn't be caught dead living around these parts, Watson… Oh! uhm, no offence Peter" Emma replied with greeted teeth, imagining someone as refined as herself living amongst these 'plebeians'.
Emma is someone of class and lineage, sometimes bordering being an elitist.
That has changed of course, hanging out with Chat and Peter who are both beneath her social class, but she still loves her upper class lifestyle.
That does not mean however that she wanted to be looked at badly by her friends, and the idea of Peter being bothered by what she just told the annoying redhead did make her heart sink a little, so she apologized quickly.
Peter merely winced at the subtle apology from his friend, but quickly regained posture. Fast enough for either girl to not notice any change in his face.
He doesn't like apologies.
*Chuckle* "No harm done Emma, I'm used to Harry saying stuff like that. Guess it must be some kind of fancy, rich people comedy I'm too 'humble' to understand" trying to ease himself and Emma, who now sports a worried expression, Peter recalled times when Harry also made those snarky comments
MJ frowned at that, remembering the times Harry made indirect fun of her and her aunt Anna by being mean to Peter.
'Rich assholes' thought MJ with a scowl on her face.
Emma meanwhile felt her mind freeze 'I-I'm acting like someone with such a disgusting mind!?' She thought disgusted a little bit with herself at being compared with someone like that creep.
And worried at how Peter seemed to also think that and at the fact that he was used to such comments.
Emma was trying to piss off Mary Jane, not hurt Peter.
And now she dislikes Harry more than she did before.
"T-that's… well, maybe you can show me the charms of places like this?" Emma tried to muster an excuse, but when nothing came to mind she tried to gain some more time with Peter.
Peter was about to answer, with clear excitement in his eyes that made Emma smile softly, only to be interrupted once again by Watson.
"So then, what are you doing here?" Asked the redhead with a frown of her own, gaining a similar one on Emma.
"… I want to talk with Peter. Alone" Emma considered saying something rude, not liking the tone. But not wanting to fight one of Peter's friends for nothing, she simply revealed her intentions to both.
Peter bashfully agreed, not wanting to get any funny ideas of whatever it was Emma wanted to tell him, while MJ tried to pry as to what she could possibly talk with Peter.
After a while of Emma and MJ arguing slightly they finally reached their houses, with MJ entering first, not really looking like she was okay leaving them both alone.
Unfortunately for her, she didn't have much choice on the matter "Well, this is me… see you later?" MJ asked Peter as she totally ignored Emma.
Peter just smiled at the redhead, not sensing the tension between the two "Definitely. Good night, red!" He said as he always does and left the girl at her doorstep.
Watching Peter walk away from her with that girl filled MJ with some kind of unnatural dread, but she calmed herself down once she saw them disappear.
'Maybe I ate too much?' The redhead blamed her uneasy feeling on that, trying to get her mind off the blond entering her crush's place.
Meanwhile Peter and Emma entered Peter's house, with him being a nervous wreck, especially since May was busy that day with her work at FEAST.
"Hey~, who is this cute little guy?" Meanwhile Emma zeroed on Peter's family photos, immediately recognizing Peter in most of the pictures.
"C-cute?! I'm- I was not cute!" An embarrassed Peter exclaimed with a deep blush coloring his face.
*Giggle* "What? Just look at those glasses, they're bigger than your head!" Emma giggled as she picked up an especially nice picture of just Peter posing with a science fair trophy.
Both the trophy and his glasses are way too big for the small and frail looking boy wearing a science pun t-shirt that looked a size too big for him.
But nothing seems to be able to stop him from smiling with three missing teeth, showcasing how young he is with all his toothless might.
"That's a fashion statement right there" Peter said, sounding proud of his outfit. He can remember that that was the first time he ever wore a pun T-shirt to show his love for science and his life was never the same.
Emma, hearing him say that and not being able to control herself by reading his mind and how his life changed thanks to that ugly shirt, guffawed a loud and boisterous laugh like she's never let out before.
"HA!! *SNORT* HAHAHAH!" It wasn't like one of those haughty laughs she lets out whenever she humiliates someone with her powers, nor the practiced ones she is required to show at her family's events or even the soft but genuine ones she gives Chat.
This laugh, right here, right now, with this boy, is the genuine Emma Grace Frost. Girl that has been hiding herself behind a mask of callousness and coldness to everyone around her so that she can't be hurt like she was at her previous school again.
It doesn't take long for Peter to join in laughter with her while thinking how beautiful her real laugh is.
Unbeknownst to the fact that the girl was reading his mind just then, fearing the possibility of appearing 'unladylike' as her father would regard a sound like what she just let out.
Needless to say that Peter's thoughts embarrassed Emma, but in a good way.
She's used to flattery and compliments that are typically used to mask lecherous thoughts; she wasn't used however to see someone appreciate her in a way that was so personal and deep to her heart.
Sounds silly, but for Emma to hear Peter's thoughts and see what he's thinking about, is like a treat that Emma doesn't get tired of.
That's one of the many reasons she has to actually stay out of his thoughts, fearing that she might become addicted to seeing them as if she was watching a beautiful film.
But she can't let Peter know she's a mutant. Not now and perhaps not ever.
The sudden grim thought caused Emma to stop laughing, replacing it with coughing.
"You alright there?" Peter asked as he also stopped laughing with the girl that was holding his picture to her chest.
*Cough* "Y-yeah. Could I just get some water?" Emma asked, slightly embarrassed by the whole interaction.
Too many emotions in a short span of time for her liking. She isn't used to that.
"Sure, just give me a moment. You can get comfortable wherever" Peter said as he quickly headed for the kitchen, pointing around the living room for any space that Emma may want to sit in.
But as soon as Peter was out of sight, Emma, very boldly, took out her cell phone and snapped a picture of Peter's own that she still had in her hands.
She snickered and looked lovingly at the picture she now has in her possession, to then leave the frame of the picture where it originally belonged.
She went ahead and took a seat on the large couch just in time for Peter to come back with a bottle of water for each as he sat beside her, leaving some space in between them.
"So hey, what did you think of my friends?" Peter asked, initiating himself the conversation with something he was genuinely curious about.
He likes spending time with the beautiful girl, so it would be awesome for him if she could also hang out with the others.
"Oh uhm, I guess I didn't talk with them a lot to have a proper understanding or opinion on each of them, you know?" She actually has an opinion on the three, but she doesn't want to tell Peter that she outright disliked them all.
"Yeah, I guess that's fair" Peter muttered, slightly disappointed that his hopes for everyone to be friends that fast weren't realized.
"But I am curious though, where did you meet that Osborn kid? He doesn't seem to be the type to hang out in places like that one" Emma questioned, not knowing why Peter would hang out with someone like him.
A little hypocritical of Emma, since she's also not the type to hang out at those kinds of places. Originally at least.
"Harry and I go way back, since we were around six each. I remember first meeting him in elementary school, where we both had the same class…" Peter started his story down memory lane, with Emma listening intently.
Thus initiating a conversation between the two that spanned for a long time.
It was weird for both teens how easily they found to talk to one another, as if they've been friends for years. More so because neither of them are the overly social type.
But they found that talking about nothing in particular was comforting in some way. And even though they both come from very different 'worlds', they felt like they could relate somehow to the one sitting next to them.
It was like this until a comfortable silence was formed between the two. Silence that was broken by Peter.
"S-so Emma, you said you wanted to tell me something? That that's why you're here? N-not that I don't want you here or anything! It's just…" Peter asked the question that's been plaguing his mind, but stammered in worry at the possibility of offending Emma.
Hit she merely giggled at his nervous display, finding it cute.
"I do actually want to talk to you. Now that Chat is gone to her dad's, we have no real reason to hang out since we're basically friends of a friend…" Emma had spent some days now dreading this conversation, fearing that Peter would not want to see her anymore without Chat being between them.
Sure they texted frequently each other, sending funny images to each other and whatnot. But every time they had hung out was with Chat present, making them somewhat distant from each other.
More than Emma would like to be anyway.
Peter felt his heart sink at that, but Emma quickly carried on.
"B-but I would really like it if we could still see each other even without her… would you be okay with that?" Feeling unnaturally shy, Emma asked Peter with a deep blush in her face, not really making eye contact in fear of rejection.
"O-of course! I love spending time with you!" Peter felt a wave of relief washing over him. This was also a concern for him, but seeing her be the one that made the effort for their friendship made him realize how much he really appreciates Emma.
Emma's face grew a deeper red if possible at what Peter just said.
She was nervous for nothing. She knows that Peter likes being around her and in hindsight it was pretty silly of her to think that he wouldn't want to spend time with her when he's never shown any signs of not liking her.
Which is something most people do.
Whether it is because she's beautiful, rich or her pompous attitude; Emma knows she's not easy to get along with.
But Peter does like to be with her. Most probably, just like her, he must have a crush on her.
Mutual feelings for one another, what a dream.
With that in mind, Emma smiled brightly and hugged him tightly without a word.
Peter stood still for a moment as Emma closed the distance between them on the couch to hug him, but returned the hug happily all the same.
'Wow she smells nice' thought Peter for a moment before scolding himself for being such a creep.
Emma however read Peter's thoughts in another moment of weakness, wondering how Peter would react to everything. And seeing him worry about the same thing as her, how he genuinely appreciates her, and his not so innocent opinion of her made her heart skip as she realized something.
'I really like him… I really do' thought Emma as she melted in his surprisingly strong arms.
'It was only a matter of time really' Emma figured 'a cute guy with the most beautiful mind I've seen; someone that doesn't immediately strip me is rare, but now you make him a brave, strong, funny and genius… well' Emma questioned herself how she didn't fall head over heels for him the moment he saved her from the falling sign.
When Emma realized she was way too comfortable in his arms for a little too long, she let go of him, making them both miss the warmth caused by the other.
Interestingly enough for Emma, Peter was not as warm as she expected him to be. He is more room temperature, but the coolness was also welcomed by her.
*Ehem* "Very well Peter, I do believe that the time for me to go home is nearing, so I will see myself out" Seeing a clock on the wall, Emma said. She didn't really want to leave, but she already knew she would arrive past her curfew.
"Oh sure, let me walk you" replied Peter as he stood up from the couch together with Emma, walking with her up to his porch.
"It's quite alright Peter, my chauffeur has been following us since we exited the restaurant" said Emma as they both exited the house and she motioned to the fancy car that stuck out in his neighborhood like a sore thumb.
'Huh, so that's who's been following us…' Peter had noticed the car following the three teens with his enhanced senses ever since they got out of the Italian place, but since his spider-sense did not buzz he didn't act on it.
"I'll expect a text for our next hangout Peter, until then" Emma once again closed the distance between the two of them, giving him a light peck on his cheek.
Peter was left in shock with his face flushed at the action, while Emma quickly fled towards the fancy car that was awaiting her with a similar color painting her cheeks.
'What if he didn't like that?' Asked Emma multiple times to herself as she politely greeted her driver, masking her embarrassment and worry under her usual cool demeanor.
So after wiping the driver's mind of any memory of her and Peter being 'intimate', she chose to read Peter's mind one last time.
She didn't like to breach Peter's privacy like this, and if he ever found out she was a mind reading mutant that more than one time read his and he ended up hating her she would literally die.
But she also knows that if she didn't get Peter's opinion on her 'kissing' him she won't be able to sleep for the next several days.
'-nm it! I should've asked Emma to prom before Liz asked me! God I'm such a coward, I bet she would have agreed to come with me and we-' Emma read Peter's thoughts half way through, and stopped when she had enough.
Emma froze at the thought, before she let out a not so subtle squeal of happiness that Peter, luckily, didn't hear through the car.
All day she had been plagued with jealousy since she was told that Peter was attending prom with another girl. Even though Emma had not realized her feelings yet, she doesn't fancy the idea of Peter dancing with another girl.
But well, Peter just lacked the courage to invite her and she understood it, she knows how cold and distant she might seem.
And knowing Peter, he probably just didn't want to make things awkward with her.
As the car drove away Emma thought to herself 'Don't worry about that Pete, we'll have many memories together, everything in due time.'
Emma is a brat and she knows it, when she wants something, or in this case someone, she'll get it.
And what she'll get is Peter's affection. She knows Peter already thinks of her as a good friend, attractive and even wanted to invite her to prom, so it's really just a matter of time before he is her's.
And with that thought Emma smirked all the way to her home.
Meanwhile Peter was still waving goodbye to an already out of view car with a dumb smile on his face.
Seeing himself act stupid Peter slapped himself with both hands 'snap out of it man, probably meant nothing… *sigh* I should get ready for patrol'
Later Peter was thinking about his life.
Sure, Harry suddenly became popular and now he basically ignores Peter, which hurts him terribly, but between all his 'girl friends' Peter feels very liked.
Summer is going to start with prom and everything seems to be going great for Peter.