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08. EIGHT : this one magic moment
With the amount that Ella had fidgeted in the same spot for twenty plus minutes straight you would think she was hopped up on caffeine. But really it was the exact opposite. The news of finding out that one do your best friends was a masked vigilante and then having him kiss you would definitely keep a girl up. Just because she was up, didn't mean she was awake.
Ella felt like a walking zombie after getting basically no sleep the night before and then worrying about Peter the next. Anxiously, she brought her thumb up to her mouth. Sue her, it was a nervous habit that she was trying to break. Now, it was just probably going to get worse. She wondered how Gwen was dealing with the news because that girl was about as subtle as an elephant. Ella knew she was keeping a secret with Peter, and Ella was ninety nine percent sure this was it.
It was a wonder Gwen still had hair from all the stress. She could be bald by the time she was eighteen just worrying about Peter. Peter Parker would inevitably be the death of her. Ella wobbled a bit as she stood up quickly, staring at the window as a figure crawled through it.
"Oh my god, Peter. Are you okay?" Ella rushed over to the figure, grabbing the mask from his hand and throwing it onto the floor. Overall he seemed okay, but Peter's face glistened with sweat and dirt.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. There's one less dead kid, now. Just give me a minute." Peter grasped his knees, breathing heavily.
"That was terrifying, is it always like that? I'm going to have hair fall out in clumps the next time you run off like that." She folded her hands, locking her fingers together. Peter reached up and grabbed her hands, gently pulling them apart as he righted himself.
"There's nothing to worry about." He gave her a small smile before stripping the tight suit. Ella watched as Peter jumped around his room trying to get it off.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll hear about it on the new tomorrow morning." He said, successfully taking the suit off and throwing it in his closet. Peter quickly grabbed a pair of pants when he realized he was basically naked. A blush covered his features in embarrassment.
"Oh," her voice sounded so small. Ella turned away from him and sat down on Peter's bed as he rushed throughout the room. There was a silent moment of shuffling before Ella spoke again, the smugness easily identifiable in her voice.
"You know, that whole hero thing totally ruined the moment we were having." She nodded lightly, a little laugh breaking through the worry on her face.
"We were having a moment? That was a moment." Peter grabbed one of the shirts he found lying on the floor. Ella tried not to stare so she looked at the framed pictures he had on his desk.
"Of course it was. I wouldn't let you kiss me unless I was sure it was a moment." She mumbled, her eyes never leaving one particular picture.
"But what if it wasn't a moment and I just kissed you?" Peter walked over to her, covering her view of the picture so she was forced to look directly at him.
"What are you insinuating, Parker?" Ella hummed, looking at Peter who had bent to her eye level, trapping her between his arms.
"Maybe something for another day, Carson. I'll attack when you least expect it." His eyes travelled from hers to her lips. "But who knows when that's going to happen." He pushed off from his spot and walked over to his desk chair, spinning a few times.
"Yeah, good luck with that, Parker." Ella said with a hint of amusement.
_____
"I heard you have an arrest warrant out for the infamous vigilante." Ella walked up to Gwen and Peter who were sitting on the bleachers. In Gwen's hand, Ella could see a little vile with a little spider in it. Normally, Ella would run the other direction if she ever saw a spider, which was ironic considering Peter was called Spider-Man, but that spider was obviously dead.
"It's so beautiful." She spoke up, spooking the two who were too lost in their own worlds to notice Ella walking up.
"Also had a bite, though." Peter said as he looked up with a smile.
"Who else knows about this?" Ella asked, sitting across from Peter. She grabbed the little vile and stared, fascinated with its colors. She had never seen a spider like, well, she had never seen a spider that up close before but this one was unique. It had to be the one that bit Peter allowing him to become what he was today.
"Just you and Gwen." Peter nodded to the girl sitting to her left. Ella looked at Gwen who only gave her a little shrug that said what can you do?
"You don't care what the police are saying, do you?" He asked, a hint of worry tinging his voice.
"Does this scare you? Who are you gonna tell?" Ella asked.
Peter shook his head. "No, no."
"What did that thing on the bridge look like?" Ella asked curiously. He never told her anything last night about what had happened but she did see the news this morning. The police chief and everything bullshit he had to say about Peter, no offense to Gwen.
"Real big, too big to be human." Ella shared a small look with Gwen.
"You got to lay low." Gwen spoke up.
"No, I can't do that."
"You've got to. I mean why..." Ella said, her voice lowering. She didn't want him getting more hurt then he already did in a day, like the first day she met him. He did run her over with his skateboard.
"Because of last night. Those people on the bridge, whatever was attacking them, would have killed them. So, I gotta go after it." His voice hard, ever unwavering as he looked between the two girls.
"That's not your job." She whispered, eyes filled with concern.
"Maybe it is." He hesitated, leaning in closer to Ella. Brown met green and for a split second his eyes fluttered down to her lips and then back to her face. "I really liked kissing you. And you're an amazing kisser."
"Well, you know, it was good for me too." She whispered.
"Yeah?" He leaned in closer, closing his eyes in anticipation.
"Okay, guys, I get that you kissed last night but please not in front of me." Gwen commented from the side. Ella quickly pulled away from Peter, turning her head to glare at the blonde.
"What? It's true, you guys can do it later and not in the middle of the bleachers."
"Thanks for ruining a moment, Gwen." Ella rolled her eyes, not bothering to cover the sarcasm leaking through.
"It's just my job," Gwen said the same time Peter asked, "that was a moment?"
