Spidey pre-slash, spun off a discussion on scans daily. IF Peter Parker was going to ask a man for a date, just who would he ask out first?
Peter Parker, loving nephew, science teacher, superhero, and all-around Nice Guy, had a problem every Nice Guy runs into from time to time. He was chronically single. Ever since his relationship with MJ had imploded for what looked to be the last time, he had spent most of his non-Spidey nights sitting at home grading papers, or watching more Cinemax than he cared to admit. After awhile the ache in his heart had dulled, and Peter began yearning for an actual date. A dinner date, a movie date, a holding-hands-under-the-table-while-gazing-into-one-another's-eyes date. Then he thought:
Maybe another civilian isn't what I need.
Maybe another woman isn't what I need.
The thought instantly made him sweat beneath his collar and he squirmed a little, in a good way. He hadn't ever been...like that, and he thought of MJ and Gwen and Betty, but he had found himself fascinated by some of the, ah, steamier late-night movies on Cinemax. And that had gotten him thinking about himself, and his relationships with, heck, practically every superhero he'd met. Peter had heard a lot of armchair psychology about how attaching himself to older, more experienced males meant he was looking for a father-figure. But now that he thought about it more deeply, there was nothing in the least bit paternal in his relationships with Matt Murdock and Nate Grey and Johnny Storm and...well, he'd just stop there.
He thought regretfully of Nate Grey, and wished for the millionth time he hadn't died. But this time the wish was for selfish reasons, though, since Peter had a feeling Nate would totally have been up for some of what he was going for. Hell, that time Nate ripped his clothes off should have been an obvious clue, if only he hadn't been too obtuse (and too married) to notice.
Peter then thought of Tony Stark, and blushed bright red. Tony was pretty...aggressively heterosexual. He didn't want to make things weird between them. Besides, he wasn't nearly good enough for Tony Stark. The guy had gorgeous women flinging themselves at him all the time. What did Peter have to offer, anyway?
Try as he might, Peter couldn't really think of any other guys in the biz who might be like him. There was Northstar, who'd literally wrote the book on being gay, but that guy's ego was so big it should have a moon orbiting it. Then there were those two kids in the Young Avengers, but weren't they about fifteen? Gross. He'd always sorta wondered about Moon Knight, but then, who hadn't wondered about Moon Knight?
There was always Johnny. Johnny Storm... beautiful blue-eyed Johnny... and he was single right now, too. Peter imagined web-slinging right into Four Freedoms Plaza carrying a bouquet of roses and saying, "Say, Johnny, old pal, how 'bout a movie?" The only thing stopping him was the terrible feeling that Johnny might laugh in his face. His imaginary roses wilted at the thought. He just didn't think he could deal with that sort of rejection right now. They'd always been such jokers, playing pranks on one another, Johnny probably wouldn't even take him seriously.
Or Daredevil... but how did one go about wooing the horn-headed protector of Hell's Kitchen? Matt Murdock was formidable and so very Catholic. Not a man to take lightly. Peter was also reasonably sure that Matt was about one brick short of a full load. Still, Matt was very, very sexy... Peter's pulse raced and then he was drenched in cold sweat. His pulse! Daredevil had those amazing sensory powers, he could smell fear, tell if you were lying from your heartbeat -- could Matt have known all along what Peter had just recently realized? Peter wanted to hide under his bed and never come out. The thought of Matt knowing how Peter felt all these years and never saying a word was just too embarrassing.
There was only one way to find out.
The few steps to the telephone were the longest in his life. As he dialed the numbers, his fingers felt like they weighed twenty pounds. When Matt answered, Peter's mouth went dry and for a few moments he couldn't say anything. At last:
"Hey, uh, this is Peter. I was just wondering if you would... like to go out sometime."
Deep breath, Peter, deep breath.
"Really? Wow. Friday night it is. The usual place, yeah. See you there."
His hand shook as he lowered the phone. His face cracked into a smile so big his cheeks hurt.
Peter Parker had a date.
Peter Parker, loving nephew, science teacher, superhero, and all-around Nice Guy, had a problem every Nice Guy runs into from time to time. He was chronically single. Ever since his relationship with MJ had imploded for what looked to be the last time, he had spent most of his non-Spidey nights sitting at home grading papers, or watching more Cinemax than he cared to admit. After awhile the ache in his heart had dulled, and Peter began yearning for an actual date. A dinner date, a movie date, a holding-hands-under-the-table-while-gazing-into-one-another's-eyes date. Then he thought:
Maybe another civilian isn't what I need.
Maybe another woman isn't what I need.
The thought instantly made him sweat beneath his collar and he squirmed a little, in a good way. He hadn't ever been...like that, and he thought of MJ and Gwen and Betty, but he had found himself fascinated by some of the, ah, steamier late-night movies on Cinemax. And that had gotten him thinking about himself, and his relationships with, heck, practically every superhero he'd met. Peter had heard a lot of armchair psychology about how attaching himself to older, more experienced males meant he was looking for a father-figure. But now that he thought about it more deeply, there was nothing in the least bit paternal in his relationships with Matt Murdock and Nate Grey and Johnny Storm and...well, he'd just stop there.
He thought regretfully of Nate Grey, and wished for the millionth time he hadn't died. But this time the wish was for selfish reasons, though, since Peter had a feeling Nate would totally have been up for some of what he was going for. Hell, that time Nate ripped his clothes off should have been an obvious clue, if only he hadn't been too obtuse (and too married) to notice.
Peter then thought of Tony Stark, and blushed bright red. Tony was pretty...aggressively heterosexual. He didn't want to make things weird between them. Besides, he wasn't nearly good enough for Tony Stark. The guy had gorgeous women flinging themselves at him all the time. What did Peter have to offer, anyway?
Try as he might, Peter couldn't really think of any other guys in the biz who might be like him. There was Northstar, who'd literally wrote the book on being gay, but that guy's ego was so big it should have a moon orbiting it. Then there were those two kids in the Young Avengers, but weren't they about fifteen? Gross. He'd always sorta wondered about Moon Knight, but then, who hadn't wondered about Moon Knight?
There was always Johnny. Johnny Storm... beautiful blue-eyed Johnny... and he was single right now, too. Peter imagined web-slinging right into Four Freedoms Plaza carrying a bouquet of roses and saying, "Say, Johnny, old pal, how 'bout a movie?" The only thing stopping him was the terrible feeling that Johnny might laugh in his face. His imaginary roses wilted at the thought. He just didn't think he could deal with that sort of rejection right now. They'd always been such jokers, playing pranks on one another, Johnny probably wouldn't even take him seriously.
Or Daredevil... but how did one go about wooing the horn-headed protector of Hell's Kitchen? Matt Murdock was formidable and so very Catholic. Not a man to take lightly. Peter was also reasonably sure that Matt was about one brick short of a full load. Still, Matt was very, very sexy... Peter's pulse raced and then he was drenched in cold sweat. His pulse! Daredevil had those amazing sensory powers, he could smell fear, tell if you were lying from your heartbeat -- could Matt have known all along what Peter had just recently realized? Peter wanted to hide under his bed and never come out. The thought of Matt knowing how Peter felt all these years and never saying a word was just too embarrassing.
There was only one way to find out.
The few steps to the telephone were the longest in his life. As he dialed the numbers, his fingers felt like they weighed twenty pounds. When Matt answered, Peter's mouth went dry and for a few moments he couldn't say anything. At last:
"Hey, uh, this is Peter. I was just wondering if you would... like to go out sometime."
Deep breath, Peter, deep breath.
"Really? Wow. Friday night it is. The usual place, yeah. See you there."
His hand shook as he lowered the phone. His face cracked into a smile so big his cheeks hurt.
Peter Parker had a date.
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Date: 2006-07-19 07:34 am (UTC)NO WAY!
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Date: 2006-07-19 07:43 am (UTC)So yeah, basically it's Zemo pimping out Andreas to Kilgrave.
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Date: 2006-07-19 08:00 am (UTC)Also, I never knew Kilgrave's first name was Zebediah.