Peter slowly woke up as Liam moved him to the side and jumped to his feet. "I said, don't touch him!" the boy barked, causing Peter to stir. " What you're gonna do about it, faggot?" a gruff voice asked provocatively. "Oh, believe me, you don't want to find out," Liam growled. A moment passed by, and Peter was almost fast asleep again, as something wet dripped onto his face, making him jump out of his slumber.
His eyes shot open, but instead of looking up at the scene, he was looking down. Peter Parker was glued to the ceiling. And to him, the gazes of his friend and the man he had been fighting off. "What the hell?" the man exclaimed precisely what was echoing through Peter's mind like an alarm. What the hell was happening? Panic rose in his chest as he looked at Liam for any help. But the other boy was too baffled to do anything. His green eyes were huge in shock, and he had forgotten entirely the swing he was taking to hit the other man. That made Peter hyperventilate even more, and it was like his hands slowly lost their grip. So as fast as he had gotten up there, he dropped to the floor again.
Shocked, the boy looked at his palms, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Liam finally stepped out of his freeze, hurrying over to check on Peter. " You're alright?" he asked, and Peter jumped back to his feet. "I have no idea what just happened.", Peter told him, grabbing the other boy's arm and pressing his side against him for comfort. He was afraid. Something was happening to his body, and he couldn't explain what and why. The total lack of control made his heart beat faster, and his breath hitch. " It's ok. Everything will be alright.", Liam whispered in his ear.
"He's a monster!" the man from before spat out. Lian rolled his eyes, pulling Peter even closer. " Get lost already!" he growled over his head. "Are you fucking kidding me? Nobody talks to me like that, especially not a filthy little ass fucker like you!"
That was enough for Liam to lose his temper again. Rage-filled he leaped forward, not even noticing how Peter's hands kept stuck to his blazer. It ripped apart loudly, distracting Liam long enough for his opponent to strike the first hit right in his face. Crimson red blood dripped out of his lip, making him fume. With a growl, he took a swing himself, the hard impact sending the other man across the wagon. Liam shook his hand; Peter eyed in shook. That was going to bruise. He didn't dare to touch the other boy as he had no idea if he would stick to him. So he remained in his spot.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, gaze wondering up to the lip that was already swelling. " It's alright.", Liam huffed, his gaze becoming softer as he made eye contact. Their tender moment was interrupted as the disturbed reappeared, throwing himself onto Liam, punching him over and over again. Something in Peter snapped, and his body moved on autopilot. With both hands, he held on tight to a handrail as his legs swung through the air, kicking the man away from Liam. As his feet met the ground again, he grabbed the boy's hand.
"Let's go.", he called out, dragging his crush out of the wagon through the opening doors. He only slowed down as they reached the staircase of the station. He then turned around to Liam, who was using his other hand to hold his eye that had taken a hit as well. Much to Peter's surprise, he was grinning widely. " You're ok?" Peter smiled, the adrenalin still pumping through his body, making him all tingly. "Yeah, I'm good. That was...fun.", Liam chuckled. "Yeah.", Peter agreed. "But we missed the right stop. We're all the way at Coney Island." "Of course, we did.", Liam laughed out loud. " And we're sticking together.", Peter added with an apologizing grin, holding up their joined hands. "Well, I suppose I have to stick around for a while. On the bright side, I don't have to keep you upright anymore."
So the two of them started their walk back to Queens. The city was quieter at night, and the two of them just enjoyed the dead after their eventful day.
"Hey, did I say something stupid while high?" Peter asked as they entered his street. His brain was still mushy and not working at his total capacity, and he was afraid he might have spoken out a few of the things he had been thinking Liam lately. That would be awkward. "As if you could ever say something stupid.", Liam replied, stroking Peter's thumb with his. The butterflies in the other boy's stomach were thriving. And the movement always made Peter feel that they weren't stuck together anymore. " Well, Peter, I think you're Aunt and Uncle are waiting" ,Liam let go of his hand. They had stopped in front of the Parkers' house, and light was shining through the curtains.
" You could stay the night.", Peter suggested, his heart beating faster at the idea of cuddling all night. "Nah, I have to fix this." Liam shook his head, gesturing to his blue eye and the swollen lip. " Oh yeah. It really does look bad." To be honest, Peter had forgotten entirely about the injuries; he had been enjoying himself that much. Also, to his foggy brain, Liam was still as marvelous as before. No bruise could change that. "We'll see each other at school tomorrow. Also, you still got Jarvis if something happened with your...whatever this is with your hands. Maybe it will be gone when you wake up anyway.", the blonde said, giving Peter another fond smile. " Ok. See you tomorrow." Peter nodded. He stood there watching Liam go until he was out of his view. What a strange day.
His stomach began to protest, now no longer content with only butterflies. So Peter entered the house. "Hey," he called out as he passed the dining room where Ben had been waiting for him. "Sorry, I'm late. I got..." But his aunt interrupted him immediately, standing behind her husband. "We've been so worried." She was frowning at his appearance. Maybe it was for the best Liam hadn't stayed, or she would have a heart attack. "I know, I'm sorry.", he wholeheartedly apologized. " Watch out!" His fingers had shot into the air, grasping the wings of a fly that had flown towards May. That made May's frown lines even more profound." That a fly, Peter.", she started eyeing him as he let the creature go. Weird, it had felt like an attack. He shook his head to clear his mind. This was ridiculous. His stomach growled again, and he looked at his aunt sternly. "I'm sorry I kept you guys up. I'm insensitive, I'm irresponsible, and I'm hungry." He kissed her on the cheek, then left for the kitchen, Ben, and May looking after him with a mix of confusion and worry. Peter was thrilled to find that the fridge contained a plate of leftover meatloaf and immediately stuffed one slice in his mouth. It was delicious. He just had to press his forehead to the cold metal to celebrate the flavor.
" Drinking?" May quietly asked Ben, but the man shook his head. "I don't think so" "This is your meatloaf. This beats all other meat loads!" Peter praised his meal with an unbelieving chuckle. May was still concerned. " Something is very wrong." And this time, Ben agreed. "Yeah. Nobody likes your meatloaf.", he admitted. May wanted to look at him in shock but was distracted by Peter, who was now balancing a tower of frozen foods and leftovers in his arms, holding it in place with his chin. He was so hungry; he could eat two horses. Carefully, he maneuvered around May, which caused the tower to fall apart, but he caught every item and put it back." I got it," he assured as his aunt tried to help, way slower than Peter's reflexes were working. It was almost comical how he crept up the stairs like that to have a proper meal in his room that would finally satisfy his stomach.