𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 } 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 / 𝘖𝘊

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈 | Warning

— — —

⭒

      Heartbeats are strange. They're
supposed to continuously pump blood around our bodies. If they stop for just a second, we die. In two instances, our hearts are said to stop beating. When we are in love, or in awe, or are just completely smitten by a silly action from that one person, our hearts stop. Peter had experienced this many times with Willow. The second, when we are scared, or have jumped out of our wits. Peter experienced this too, only a few seconds ago. It went like this...

"Peter. We need to talk."

This what it.

"Yes sir," Peter croaked, a thick ball in the back on his throat. Eugene closed the door and stepped into the hallway. It suddenly got hotter, darker and thinner than before. And empty. So empty that Peter felt like he and Eugene were the last people on earth.

"I'm gonna give you a chance, and one chance only, to tell me," he said, his hands in his hips.

"I don't understand," Peter said quietly. He knew. Of course he did. He didn't want to believe it.

"I know who you are. I know what you've done," Eugene said. Peter glanced at his hand as it sat firmly on his police belt, a taser only inches away. "I know you're Spider-Man."

Peter looked around. Still, it was empty. No one would come and save him. Though he was the superhero, he usually saved people.

"Who knows?" Eugene asked.

"My Aunt," Peter admitted. There was no point. He couldn't deny it, and lying to a police was a felony.

"Anyone else?"

Peter considered saying Ned, but didn't think he'd appreciate the hard stares from Eugene that he got. "No."

"Does Willow?"

"No."

There was a moment of silence. Maybe for Peter's future behind bars. Maybe for the heart he would break first thing, Monday morning.

"You're a good kid Peter. I respect you. You treat my daughter well, you're polite, kind," Eugene said. "Maybe too kind."

"Sir, I know-"

"Family means everything to me, Pete. I would do anything for my daughter, you understand?" He asked, a flame of anger in his voice, and a hint of his hidden Boston accent.

"Yes sir."

"And you saved my daughter, that day at the Washington Monument. For that, I owe you the world," for a second, Peter couldn't understand how Eugene felt about him. "So I'm gonna let you off."

He continued. "You're young, and Willow tells me you're smart. I don't want to take that away from you." Peter stared at the ground. "I won't turn you in if you do this for me. You leave Willow alone."

"I can't," Peter's head shot up, and for the first time, he had a taste of bravery.

Eugene ignored him. "I can't have her getting hurt because of you. We both protect this city, Peter. But I can't rely on you to protect my family as well."

Peter couldn't argue. Firstly, his throat had closed up and he was suppressing tears. Secondly, Eugene was right. He'd nearly gotten Ned into trouble when the criminals selling alien tech showed up at the high school. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Where there was Willow there was Peter. Where there was Peter there was Spider-Man, Spider-Man brings trouble. He couldn't escape that.

"I need you to break her heart. If you just break up with her she won't get over you. You need to upset her. I don't care how, just do it," Eugene said.

"What kind of Father wants his daughter's heart broken?" Peter asked. He looked Eugene in the eyes for the first time. He saw a policeman, and a dad.

"One that loves his daughter. If she doesn't come crying to me over you in a week, I will arrest you, and you will spend decades behind bars," Eugene warned. "Do you understand?"

"You want me to break your daughters heart, for some sick reason that helping people is against the law... yeah, I understand."

"This is a warning Peter. You ever come near my family again, I'll hunt you down."

Warnings sound like threats.

— — —

Peter went home. He didn't say a word to his Aunt. Just a mumble 'hello' then dispersed into his room. He sat there the whole weekend. He suddenly hated Sunday, because it was the closest thing to Monday. In a matter of hours, he'd break up with his girlfriend.

What choice did he have? When it came down to it, saving people was more important than Willow. No matter how amorous he felt towards her, his job was too essential to just drop. And if he didn't decide to dump her, Eugene would have him arrested. He'd be no use to Willow in prison. She deserves to be happy, to find someone else and move on. The only way to do that-

Break her heart.

⭒

{𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘥𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺.}

{𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦.}

- ꪀ. ᥊᥊