Chapter 11

Dinner was a blast. Peter was right, you didn't think May could ever hate anybody. She was so welcoming, so lovely, so accommodating, that you wished she could be your Aunt. You told her this a few times. She kept piling more food onto your plates, chatting about the vacation with this Happy fellow (you still hadn't figured out whether this was his actual name), and when her and Peter started talking about his job, you got the feeling that they were talking in some kind of weird code. But you were too food-high to really care.

Peter had been right - it was a good distraction for you right now. You'd catch yourself every so often realising you hadn't thought about the whole thing with Adam for a while, then shook the thought out of your head and struck up another conversation with the lovely woman. It was nice.

And it was nice to see how Peter lit up whenever he talked to his Aunt.

You washed up the plates after you'd eaten, with Peter helping you not so helpfully. Over the course of the dinner, he'd gotten more relaxed with you, and you with him, and now you were both at the point where you were acting like complete children with each other.

He was just poking you in the side, every so often in between drying the dishes, making your body jerk, and at one point, making you splash water over yourself.

"Peter you absolute IDIOT!" You squealed as he just kept poking you just under the ribs. He was laughing loudly as he jumped around you, avoiding you as you tried to slap the wet sponge on his face. He was so quick on his feet, darting around you, that when you spun around and tried to outsmart him, you ended up slipping on the water you'd spilled.

You almost crashed to the floor, when you were grabbed by Peter's strong arms, your eyes squeezed shut as you for sure felt like you were going to smash into the tiles.

You opened your eyes one by one, finding that you were crushed up against his chest as he stared down at you with wide eyes.

"Thanks." You breathed.

"Thought you were going to faceplant the floor for a second." He replied in an equally soft tone.

"Well, that's because someone spilled water everywhere." You smirked.

"Yeah, you're really clumsy." He teased back. You wiggled in his grasp, releasing your hands so that you could tickle him. "Hey!" He said as he flinched, and you kept tickling wherever you could reach until he released you. Then, you started chasing him round the kitchen, you laughing your head off, and Peter yelling out for his Aunt to save him. When she came into the room, he ducked behind her, using her as a shield from you.

"You coward! Come and face me!" You said menacingly as you wiggled your fingers at him.

"May, defend me!" He yelled, crouching out of sight as you raced around the woman.

"How are you still acting like a child?" Aunt May groaned at her nephew as she watched you chase him, cornering him by the fridge and tickling him until he fell to the ground in uncontrollable laughter, you falling on top of him, not giving him any mercy.

"Okay, I concede, I CONCEDE!" He said, almost crying with laughter, and you finally stopped, putting your hands on the floor. He'd ended up underneath you, half on his back and half on his side, you leaning over him.

"Do I win?" You smiled. He rolled fully onto his back, closing his eyes as he breathed.

"You win."

"What's my prize?" You asked, your smile faltering slightly as you looked down at him, his eyes fluttering open, his chest heaving slightly, your body half pressed on his. It made you feel like you wanted to lean down to him and -

"A lift back home." He chuckled as you awkwardly climbed off him and helped him up. "Speaking of, we should probably get going, May It's getting late." He said to his Aunt, who immediately gasped when she looked at her watch and rushed to the fridge.

"Yes of course! Take this cheesecake with you." She said, pushing the tupperware into your hands.

"Oh, Ms Parker I ca-"

"Please, call me May sweetie." She said comfortingly. "It was lovely meeting you." She turned to Peter. "You get her home safe now?"

"Yeah May." Peter sighed with a roll of his eyes, grabbing your hand and pulling you to the door.

"I mean it. And bring her next week and I'll make Tacos!" She called as you both made your way out. You realised that you had one hand clutching the tub full of cheesecake, and your other hand holding Peter's, so you smiled at her and shouted 'See you soon!' back at her. You were still smiling as you followed Peter, who opened the car door for you before running to the other side.

As soon as you got your seatbelts on, carefully positioning the cheesecake on your lap, Peter started driving off.

"Your Aunt is nice." You mused, and he smiled instantly as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Yeah, she's probably the nicest person ever." He agreed. He glanced at you. "She loves you."

"I think I love her as well." You chuckled. "Can we go back next week for tacos? Please?!" You begged.

"If I keep taking you over she's going to think we're engaged or something." He laughed.

"Well if we are engaged, then I demand a giant ring please." You grinned, waving your left hand at him. "The most giant-est ring that your Stark Tech salary can buy."

"I'll get you the biggest, sparkliest ring I can find, Sugar." He said with a smile as he kept his left hand on the wheel and his eyes on the road, but he took your hand in his right, and gently pressed a kiss to the knuckle on your ring finger. Your smile wavered as his lips sent tingles through your hand, up your arm. He let your hand go as he turned a corner, oblivious to you still staring at him.

Another thing.

How many more of these things were you going to have with him? Where the air shifted? Where you felt your face go warm? Where you realised that you didn't have these things with Adam anymore?

You looked back ahead at the road as Peter drove, clutching the cheesecake tightly as it rested in your lap. Adam was still your boyfriend. He was a lying little shit but he was still your boyfriend. While Ruby was right, and you couldn't see yourself staying with him after all this asshole-ness, for the moment, you were still with him.

So why did you keep having the urge to kiss Peter?

You arrived back at Peter's flat, with the idea that you would pick up your car and drive back home, but by the time you got out of the car and looked at yours, you just pouted.

"Have you forgotten what cars do?" Peter chuckled as he walked round to you.

"No!" You retorted. "I just don't think I have the energy to drive back home." You groaned.

"You can always stay over. Head home just before work in the morning." He shrugged as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, as long as you don't suggest we make out again." He laughed, but you were sure that it came out a bit awkwardly for him. Like he didn't really mean it.

Part of you wanted him not to mean it.

"I...that would be good. Thank you. I'll take the couch."

He shook his head as you both headed to his door. "No chance."

"It's your bed."

"And you are the guest." He smiled innocently as you walked up the stairs to his apartment. You decided not to respond to that, instead creating a plan of action in your mind as he unlocked his door.

You put the cheesecake down on the kitchen counter, then ran over to the couch and jumped onto it, laying down completely.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm sleeping here. Goodnight." You piped up, rolling onto your side and closing your eyes as if you would fall asleep instantly. You didn't hear a response, and you didn't hear any movement. But when you cautiouslyopened one eye, you jumped when you saw that he was crouched down in front of you.

"Get up." He said, with a little bit of a smirk on his lips.

"Nope, I'm sleeping." You squeezed your eyes shut again. Before you could register what was happening, you felt his hands on your waist, and you were being pulled off the couch. "Hey!" You squealed, as Peter somehow flung you over his shoulder, his hands gripping the back of your thighs as he held you in place, and walked through his apartment. "Peter what the hell, put me down!"

"Okay." He said, as he walked into his bedroom and put you down on his bed. He smiled casually. "Night."

You scrambled to stand, running past him to the door he was heading to, pulling it open, but he put his hand on it and slammed it shut again. You looked up at him, standing very close to you, his arm stretched out as he held the door shut.

"You're sleeping in here." He said.

"Nope."

"Yes."

"Nope."

"Luka," He groaned as he closed his eyes and his head rolled back. "Get in the damn bed."

"It's your bed."

"Which I am trying to be a gentleman and offer to you." He laughed as he looked back at you.

You just shook your head, and rattled the doorknob again, knowing it wouldn't budge under his hand. You huffed.

"Get in the bed." He repeated. You glared at him. He stepped closer. "I will make you."