newyorknative | Yes I want you, and that’s the way it is

[ ooc: continued from here. ]

If anyone were to get Peter to believe in fate, it would be Fiyero. His impossible prince, stepping out of thin air, right into his life. All Peter can hope for is to keep Fiyero safe, happy - and if that eventually means sending him on his way, Peter will just be grateful he got the time that he did. In the meantime, they'll have to figure out a balance - and that starts with making sure Fiyero can walk free. Peter's only too happy to encourage Fiyero with the things he's interested in - but how can he make a life for himself, looking over his shoulder for danger at every turn?

It's this endless cycle that gets Peter to snap out of the deliriously sweet talk - talk that's given him the beginnings of a chub, which is terribly embarrassing. It's not even the proximity, which is nice, of course, don't get him wrong - but Fiyero's kindness, his softhearted affection? Oh, that could rev Peter's engines real quick.

Maybe if he's lucky, Fiyero will attribute his excitement to being pinned and manhandled?

Peter pinkens (and just when he was starting to come back down to a normal complexion too, bah), and his dick even gives a lazy twitch when Fiyero looks down at him, which just makes Peter even more red. Oh, lord have mercy. He shakes his head, coiling a lock of Fiyero's hair around his finger, trying very hard to project confidence. It's kind of cute, and definitely hilarious, given how totally confident Peter was earlier, albeit in a vastly different scenario.

"Tonight. You said you like it when I... keep getting hard." Peter chews on his lower lip, eyeing Fiyero contemplatively. He really did seem to mean it when he said it; it's progress that Peter's anticipation of a problem has morphed into dubiously believing there isn't a problem, because Fiyero keeps telling him it's not a problem. For now, Peter will believe him ~~until it comes time to actually penetrate, ho boy.~~ "Save it for later."

He leans in, pressing a kiss to Fiyero's cheek, then letting his lips drag up to Fiyero's ear. "Gives us something to look forward to..."

Peter pulls back with a shy smile, tilting his head at Fiyero. "I'm almost done. Just a few more, and we can print the lot. Gotta get top dollar for your work."

Edited 2025-11-12 12:20 (UTC)

Peter might be embarrassed, but Fiyero's just pleased. How could he possibly wish Peter to be embarrassed for being excited at their connection? Well, beyond how cute Peter gets when he's blushing and bashful. Maybe he does occasionally want to fluster Peter - he just doesn't want him to feel bad, like guilty or ashamed. But luckily, Fiyero's efforts to vocally approve seem to be doing some good.

"Well, partly because I get to do something about it," Fiyero teases about liking it when Peter easily gets erections. "But I enjoy your interest either way, and I can be patient. Occasionally," he quips warmly, sneaking a quick kiss.

He does however loosen his grip on Peter, when he's being a responsible adult and everything. Money, and date night, and the slight tease that comes with putting it off, yeah, Fiyero can manage to wait. The tease would be more fun if he actually got Peter a bit more excited than this, but honestly, he doesn't trust himself to stop.

So he shifts back off the bed, letting Peter slide off his lap, still smiling happily. Clearly not a hint of rejection or annoyance in his demeanour, just... happy to be here.

"Come use me as a pillow while you work, then," Fiyero says, moving over to build up the pillows behind himself, before he settles against them fairly upright - pancakes and orange juice within easy reach as well. He spreads his legs and reaches out his arms, gesturing for Peter to come snuggle up in his arms with the laptop. Peter seemed to like Fiyero holding him while working, and Fiyero isn't quite ready to let go either.

It helps that Fiyero always seems happy about it, like getting him to blush is one of Fiyero's goals, always. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't; Peter wouldn't fault him for it if it was. So long as Fiyero is happy and keeps aiming that handsome smile in his direction, Peter's totally fine being a bit of a goof sometimes.

"Very, very occasionally," Peter laughs, sliding off Fiyero's lap so they can rearrange. He subtly adjusts himself in his boxers, collecting the laptop and another pancake to stuff in his mouth as he folds himself into Fiyero's personal space when beckoned. He situates himself, cross-legged between Fiyero's spread thighs, and settles back against Fiyero's chest with a soft hum of appreciation.

"Mm, I could get used to this." Peter opens the laptop, tipping his head back against Fiyero's shoulder. He spares him a grin and a quick kiss to Fiyero's jaw before Peter dutifully focuses on the pictures, continuing to mess with the colors. "You're going to spoil me if you're not careful."

If it's a honeymoon phase, nobody tell him. Peter's not exactly subtle about his case of touch-starvation, and Fiyero seems to have noticed - but doesn't mind, evidently, if he's inviting Peter to invade his space like this while he's trying to eat. Peter reaches out a hand to squeeze Fiyero's knee and he reviews the pictures, just comforted by his presence.

"I like this one," Peter pauses on a unique image to show Fiyero - red and blue, artfully smeared across the night sky. It's blurry, but it looks like an intentional blur, even though it isn't. It is a great photo - though Jonah hardly wants good photos and he definitely doesn't want artsy.

Sometimes it's a goal, sometimes it's an added bonus. The difference really is in the reason for the blush. A couple times, Peter hasn't just felt embarrassed, but also got defensive like he was ridiculed or judged - and that, Fiyero isn't alright with. It always has to come from a kind place, so they can both continue to feel good together.

It's a lot easier to feel good alongside Peter. Fiyero wraps an arm around Peter's chest, keeping him there somewhere between possessive and making sure Peter feels welcome in his space. Adjusting his own legs to relax against Peter, the other arm reaching for a pancake to slowly munch on. He's getting pretty full, but as long as he has one, Peter might feel more comfortable taking more for himself as well.

"You deserve to be spoiled," Fiyero answers softly, pressing a kiss against the side of Peter's head, nuzzling into his hair that's growing fluffier by the minute.

He closes his eyes for a bit, just comfortably relaxing. Not quite sleepy enough to doze, but feeling settled by having Peter leaning against him. Fiyero can easily get restless or bored, but there's something calming about having Peter working next to him. Like any bad thoughts are kept at bay by Peter's company.

Fiyero opens his eyes as Peter speaks again, looking over at the photo. It is cool, visually, though Peter's probably more of an artist than Fiyero is. "Yes, I'm very talented," Fiyero quips softly, mouth right at Peter's ear, leaning their heads together.

Fiyero’s been doing a lot to ensure Peter feels good about himself, sniffing out pieces of his self-esteem and going out of his way to reinforce them. Mostly, Peter’s defensiveness has arisen from anticipation of a poor reaction - like if he heads it off at the pass, it won’t sting as badly. But Fiyero never means it that way, even with things Peter just thought were universal opinions… his prince is challenging his thinking on a lot of fronts.

“You’re ridiculous,” Peter laughs, cozying up as Fiyero settles, cuddling him thoroughly. He can’t stop smiling, skin tingling as Fiyero takes up residence in his hair, cheek scraping lightly against his neck. That feels nice, undeniably masculine, and a texture that raises pleasant goosebumps on Peter’s skin. Clearly he doesn’t mind the spoiling. Fiyero’s arms wrap around him, chest warm against Peter’s back, and he feels himself relaxing further, tilting his hips to allow the laptop to continue accommodating the position.

Peter makes a soft noise at the sensation of Fiyero’s voice, low and rich, direct in his ear. He can feel everything so specifically - Fiyero’s arms, flexing around him, his lips, grazing Peter’s ear, the soft puff of breath washing over his skin - and it’s very hard to convince himself not to melt. Peter manages, tilting his head to press his cheek fully against Fiyero, shivering pleasantly at the teasing scrape of his facial hair, the contrasting softness of Fiyero’s lips against his skin. “Oh, that was never in doubt.”

Peter spends a few more minutes sifting through the photos, applying the LUT he’s built and tweaking the colors. They wind up with a good baker’s dozen - a very productive photoshoot. Way easier than taking them on his own, that’s for sure.

Fiyero just relaxes against Peter, enjoying the moment of peace. Peter woke him fairly early, which then led to rather vigorous activity, so it's nice to save up some energy for going out. Fiyero watches without much focus, his fingertips idly stroking against Peter's chest. Thankfully that's the only bit of active affection he's doing. He could start kissing Peter's neck, but that probably counts as distracting.

He does feed Peter more pancakes while he works though. Eating a bit himself, and then shoving more at Peter. He needs his strength for later tonight, what with Fiyero's plans for him. At one point he playfully gets Peter to lick the grease and blueberries off his fingertips.

Soon enough they've worked their way through the entire stack by the time Peter seems to be wrapping up. Fiyero feels pleasantly full and extremely comfortable and warm.

"I suppose this means we'll have to get up and do thing," Fiyero observes quietly, before burying his face in the crook of Peter's neck. His grip around Peter's chest tightens just a little, like he's objecting to this fact. He'll perk right up once he actually gets up, of course, but before then, he'll get some extra last minute snuggles in.

It’s still decently early, which bodes well - even with the very pleasant diversion, they have plenty of time. And Fiyero is behaving, which makes it easier to get through the photos - though being fed pancakes and touched so tenderly is not helping Peter’s half a chub. And licking Fiyero’s fingers - it brings heat to his face, even as Peter delicately curls his tongue around Fiyero’s digits, licking syrup and blueberry juice from Fiyero’s skin. Just because they’re behaving doesn’t mean they can’t still flirt and tease. Fiyero knows exactly what he’s doing, too. Giving them both… something to look forward to.

“The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back.” Peter reminds him, reaching up a hand to clasp Fiyero’s reassuringly. He can’t help but smile at the way Fiyero hugs him closer, turning his head to let his lips press against Fiyero’s temple. “With some stuff for later, if all goes well… some new clothes for me to take off of you…”

"Mmmm... You make some good points," Fiyero concedes playfully, pressing a couple kisses against Peter's neck anyway. He's only mostly behaving. Though it's not very easy when Peter licks his fingers like that. Definitely more on the sensual side...

"Alright. I just have to do one more thing first," he decides with a sigh. He unwraps his arms from around Peter, leaning to the side, as he gently but decisively grabs Peter's arm, lifting it so Fiyero can sneak under it. Peter seemed to rather enjoy being manhandled, so Fiyero's still pretty confident as he guides Peter to twist towards him, similarly to what Fiyero had done in the bathtub.

All so he can take a minute or two (or three) to kiss Peter. Well, make out with him, is probably a more accurate term. His hands aren't wandering, but it's still passionate and more than a little breath-taking for them both. Really taking the 'giving them something to look forward to' thing to heart.

“Yes, well,” Peter hums playfully, wriggling in Fiyero’s grip - not to get away, but just because it feels nice, having Fiyero’s lips on him like that. “Mm, I’ve been known to have one or two…”

Peter doesn’t resist the manhandling, twisting at the waist towards Fiyero, then even further when Fiyero pulls him in, mimicking the tub. It might even be a good barometer for later, the way Peter’s legs haven’t moved, still criss-cross, and showing no issue with the new position, even with the way he’s pretzeled. He smiles and kisses Fiyero back, hands abandoning the laptop to run wild through Fiyero’s hair, curling into it firmly. Fiyero is a very good kisser, and Peter will happily take any opportunity afforded to him to makeout with his boyfriend.

It’s really not helping his chub though, or the little flips his stomach seems to be doing when Fiyero’s hands settle on him. He’s not groping, not wandering - but they’re warm, possessive, tender in their possessiveness… and really, nothing sets Peter off more.

“Photos. Cash.” Peter reminds them both, once he’s sufficiently breathless. Trying to think through the dizzying attraction he feels for Fiyero, body and soul. “Making out on the subway on the way back.”

The last part is a quip, though they’re both no doubt aware that Fiyero could get Peter to agree to quite a lot if he turned on the full force of his charm.

Peter really is remarkably flexible, possibly in ways humans really shouldn't be - or at least almost. Not to the point of being off-putting, but like a gymnast. Not what you'd expect upon seeing him. It does provide a lot of options to explore, that's for sure.

At least Fiyero has some kissing experience that he can put to good use. It's an activity he enjoys even disconnected from sex. And they're getting better and better at it, as they adjust to each other, learning each other. Peter tastes sweet and faintly like blueberries, and Fiyero hums happily into the kiss.

Fiyero smiles as Peter manages to pull back, possibly due to their need for air. Fiyero feels a little flush too, though coming twice this morning means it probably would take a bit more for him to get a chub. At this point, he definitely could, if they wanted to. And, well, they might want to, but there is also other things that needs to be done, as Peter points out.

"Sounds like a plan," Fiyero answers softly, reaching up to run his fingers through Peter's hair and his hand settles against Peter's jaw - leaning in for a soft little kiss. His fingertips slide down Peter's throat, his chest, his abs - just for a moment, before he breaks the kiss. It's both reluctant and a little pleased at the teasing. He unwraps himself from Peter, leaning back and giving him a gentle shoo. Peter's sort of got him trapped against the pillows, after all - well, not that Fiyero couldn't climb out, but it's better to chase Peter out first.

Peter is a lot of things people wouldn't expect just from looking at him, but as he's come to find out... so is Fiyero. Maybe that's part of why they get along so well, once they realized both of them were capable of looking beyond the facade to the reality beneath. As both of them come to realize that they won't be judged for what lies below, that they're worthy as they are...

It's a process, but when has anything worth fighting for been easy?

Peter feels like a teenager again, giddy, tingling all over from the kiss. Fiyero just makes him buzz, like he's activated every cell of Peter's body. Maybe he has. Or maybe Peter's endorphins are just that intense, even without the compounding nature of Fiyero's powers - and maybe his system just isn't fully equipped to handle the overload, after spending so long flooded with abject, lifeless misery.

Regardless, Peter makes a soft sound as Fiyero touches him, lingering just because he can. Peter bites his lip after the last kiss, resisting the urge to swoop in for one more. Just one more - they'll be here all day. Peter unfurls himself, turning around to face Fiyero as he backs up off the bed. He takes Fiyero's hands in his, threading their fingers and helping Fiyero to stand, providing a gentle but steady tug, leverage with which to rise. Not that he needs it, but... so what if Peter wants to linger, too?

The morning ablutions continue, an interwoven harmony making itself known. Now that they've connected on a deeper level, some of the awkwardness is just... gone. Maintaining a personal bubble when they're living in a shoebox apartment was contributing to that, but that's hardly a problem now - when Peter has to lean over Fiyero to grab a clean button-down, or when Fiyero's hands snake up behind him to steal one last pancake as Peter tosses the remainder in a ziplock bag for later, pressing the blueberry goodness up to his mouth, demanding Peter take a bite. They share it at Peter's insistence, of course, until Peter winds up pinning Fiyero against the counter, chasing the sweetness of blueberry from his lips.

They print the photos on Peter's printer, tucked away on a lower shelf at the desk, and tuck them away in a folder for Jonah. Peter unearths an old leather briefcase to slide the folder into, R.P. embroidered just above the closure. Peter takes his webshooters and the first aid kit as well, but leaves the rest - the one place he really never wants to bring the suit is the Bugle, if he can avoid it. Peter's possibly more dressed up than he was for May's dinner; but generally, he's found, putting on an air of professionalism with Jonah gets him an iota more respect. Like... barely, but still. Enough to make it worth the shot. His final touch is his glasses, polished on a corner of shirt and settled on the bridge of his nose, fully completing the nerd-chic look.

It's not far to the Bugle, though it does require a quick metro ride for a few stops. The morning is starting to shift into gear as the city gets busier, the sun crawling up towards her zenith. Peter claims Fiyero's hand, keeping them linked together as they move through the growing crowds, subtly scanning for danger. It seems their unwanted shadow is content to leave them well enough alone during the daytime (unless it was a ruse? Or they really didn't know where Fiyero went during the day?), but being careful never hurt.

"This shouldn't take long," Peter promises, rocking into Fiyero's chest as the metro car jolted and shuddered, squealing down the track towards 23rd street. It's not packed enough that it necessitates the proximity... but who are they kidding, they just like to be close to one another. "Jonah can be a bit... just ignore him. I'll leave you with Betty while I deal with him, she's great. Shit, we should bring her a coffee - "

They do stop to grab a coffee in the cafe across the street from the peculiarly wedge-shaped building the Bugle resides in, Peter ordering it to Betty's preferences, clearly a practiced trick. Well, if she minded the bribes, she hasn't said anything - and she keeps tossing Peter assignments, so it's working.

Speaking of which - the elevator door finally opens on the top floor of the building, to an open concept office, save the big glass room that was supposed to be a conference room, but had been repurposed into Jonah's office. Reporters with deadlines are scattered throughout the room at their desks, working on their materials - and Betty is stationed just in front of Jonah's door, phone cord twisted between her fingers as she finishes up a call. Her blunt bob is curled at the ends today, and her face lights up when she sees Peter - specifically the coffee he's carrying, hand deftly untwisting from the phone cord to make a grabby hands motion at the cup.

"No, he can do Tuesday. You know, the day that comes after Monday?" Betty takes a deep pull of the coffee, gaze flitting curiously to Fiyero, eyes sharp. "This isn't a negotiation, Tim, it's Tuesday or we're out. Uh huh. Uh huh. You do that. It'll still be Tuesday when you call me again in five minutes."

Fiyero might well be using his powers to make Peter feel good. He has no idea if it works that way, if he can influence emotions or simply encourage actions. They haven't had a lot of testing. But if it's motivated by Fiyero's strong emotions to impose his will - yeah, Fiyero being so delighted about being with Peter, maybe it's literally infectious.

Or maybe they're simply just so excited about each other naturally. That does seem likely. If Fiyero was imposing his will subconsciously, Peter would probably be easier seduce. But really, he's glad he isn't. Fiyero doesn't want to make Peter do anything he doesn't want to - at least not without both being aware it's happening. It's not like he's shy about weaponising the big begging eyes, after all. It's all about transparency, really. The sort of things that has Peter laugh and call him a menace.

By some miracle, they do manage to mostly focus. Fiyero shaves and does his hair, gets dressed in the same thing he wore last night - he wasn't wearing it very long, after all, and he has a limited wardrobe. Peter prints the photos, they navigate around each other as they get ready, stealing moments of intimacy here and there - like they just can't get enough.

Fiyero does keep an eye out while they're out and about... but he's starting to feel less stressed. So far he's only been attacked in broad daylight once. They've been coming at him sneaky, after that. And if Peter's there, now Fiyero knows more or less his full power, there's zero way they're grabbing him.

"I can come in along with you," Fiyero argues while they're on the train, one arm looped around Peter's waist. "I helped, after all."

He's curiously paying attention once they make it to the building, Fiyero always interested in how things work in this works. Betty gives him a look, and Fiyero simply gives her a grin and a flirty head nod, but doesn't introduce himself. (Would it be a bad idea to make himself known to a newspaper? Maybe.)

And then suddenly Peter is being yoinked into an office, and Fiyero simply... follows. Even if he can see through, he'd still prefer not to get separated, and, well, he did want to see this guy Peter works for and is unable to talk very well of.

It quickly becomes evident why even Peter doesn't have that many nice things to say about him. Fiyero finds himself rapidly getting angrier at how Peter is treated, barely stopping himself from stepping in front and shouting the guy down, mostly because that's probably not a good business strategy. However... Yeah, he's definitely willing Jonah to be nicer to Peter, and pay him fair and what he's actually worth. It's not entirely intentional - but he feels like he suddenly realises he's doing it. Partly just from the chance in Jonah's demeanor.

“If you want to…” Peter says, slightly dubious on whether or not it’s a good idea. With Jonah, it was hard to tell what could backfire; the man was mercurial and boisterous, often leaving Peter scrambling. But he always bought something, which was just about all Peter could ask for.

Betty hangs up the phone with relish, smirking as she takes a pull of the coffee - she seems to be pretty sure she’ll get what she wants out of ‘Tim’. She nods towards the door, where Jonah is pacing just behind the glass - which has some impressive noise cancellation, judging by how red his face is as he yells into his own phone. “He’s in a mood.”

“Do not pass Go, don’t collect $100 kind of mood, or lunatic spender mood?” Peter asks, watching as Betty turns her gaze to Fiyero, obviously assessing his charming smile.

“Can’t it be both?” And then, of course, Jonah spots Peter through the window and they’re off to the races. “Good luck!”

“PARKER!” The first impression of Jonah out the door is loud, snappish; the Editor-in-Chief barely gives them any time to react as he swings open the door to his office, grabs Peter’s arm, and drags him inside. He doesn’t seem to care as Fiyero floats in after them, solely focused on what he wants, which, as per usual: “Finally! Where the hell have you been? Where are my pictures of Spiderman?”

“Here, sir.” Peter quickly pulls out the folder, passing it to Jonah for inspection. The man flips through them, discarding the ones he doesn’t like by quite literally tossing them onto the floor. Peter scrambles to pick them up, collecting them in one hand and pushing up his glasses with the other.

“Crap, crap, crap - what are you bringing me, here? I can’t run these, I need a headline, Parker!” Despite the unimpressed way Jonah’s talking about the photos, he’s still kept a good ten out of twenty in the folder. “I’ll give you $400 for the lot.”

“That’s $40 a photo, that’s less than half of what they’re worth.” Peter argues, following him as Jonah returns to his desk. He’s used to this song and dance, the way Jonah lowballs and pretends he doesn’t care at all whether he gets the photos, to pressure a sale.

“Keep talking and I’ll make it $30. You take forever on the assignment and half of them are blurry.” Jonah tosses the folder down on his desk and leans back, eyeing Peter speculatively. He knows how badly Peter needs the money, too, which is never a good place to be when negotiating. “$500.”

Peter huffs, picking up the folder sticking the previously discarded photos back inside. “They’re one of a kind photos of Spiderman in action. A little motion blur is normal for a subject moving that fast. $900.”

“If you were a better photographer, he’d be in focus. $600, for the amateur garbage.”

“You’ve been paying me for years, I think this qualifies as professional. $800.”

And so on, and so forth. Peter doesn’t think he’ll get much better than $750, which is still great for a round with Jonah - he’s used to the careless insults, too, casual and unbothered from Jonah. Still, Peter thinks the photos are worth much more, especially when you consider that no one else can seem to get a clean angle on Spiderman.

It seems Jonah feels the same, because when Fiyero’s compulsion hits him -

“You know what, you are a professional, Parker. One of the best freelancers I’ve got in this office.” The change is so sudden all Peter can do is blink in surprise, staring as Jonah pulls the checkbook out of his desk to start scribbling on it. “I want all of them, market value. Plus a little extra, to keep you coming back.”

Utterly thrown, Peter accepts the check automatically, startling a little when he sees the number. Jonah’s even smiling, and not his snake oil smile but an actual, nice smile. Peter hardly knows what to do, speechless for a moment.

“Uh - thanks. Thank you, sir. Yes, I’ll - uh, I’ll let you know when I have more.” Holding the check like it might actually be a bomb, Peter quickly about faces and darts out of the room, pulling Fiyero with him. Betty is waiting, eyes widening when Peter hands her the check.

“What the hell did you say to him? Is this real?” She holds it up to the light as a joke, as if to check if it’s a counterfeit. $6,000, more than Peter’s ever made in one go. Easily $250 a photo at top rate, plus a little extra, as Jonah promised.

“Just write it down in the book before he changes his mind,” Peter says nervously, glancing back into Jonah’s office. His whole attitude has shifted, and he’s scattered Peter’s folder on the desk, sifting eagerly through the photos. What on earth…

Fiyero doesn't really understand money. Even when you get past the whole thing of currency being different here, and not knowing what cost differences would be in this world, Fiyero simply never really had to worry about money, nor is he particularly versed in math.

So he's mostly going off Peter's tone when it comes to arguing what the pictures are worth. Just by seeing Peter argue his case like this, it's clear he's absolutely not getting what he's worth.

And the insults, well, they just make Fiyero angry on basic sort of level, having his boyfriend disparaged like that. He also takes it personally to some extent - he helped with those! And Peter said they were great!

With emotions like that, it shouldn't be surprising that it activated his powers, but it's still startling. Even at least partially aware of what was happening - or at least suspecting it - he looks as surprised as Peter does. He doesn't quite know what to do with himself, but no one's paying him any attention until Peter drags him out of the office.

Fiyero can't help but feel a little queasy. He's honestly not sure if it's a physical reaction or the guilt, or trauma about the origin of these abilities, but-- alright, he's a little lightheaded too...

He lets Peter and Betty handle the paperwork or whatever they're doing, while Fiyero steps aside to just lean against a wall and close his eyes for a second. Taking some deep breaths and steadying himself.

It becomes evident to Peter what exactly happened a moment later, when Fiyero steps aside to the wall, looking a little peaky. Betty dutifully takes out the balance book to write his slip and organize the paperwork, glancing up between them while Peter frowns, mind turning over the encounter with Jonah and how exactly Fiyero could have influenced him. He's never experienced an ill effect before when using his powers, right? Or was he simply hiding it, before?

"Who's the hot piece of ass?" Betty whispers, drawing Peter's attention back to her before he can go over to Fiyero. He blushes immediately, spurring on a soft ooooh from Betty. She slides him across the contract to sign off on the rights to his photos, and Peter ducks his head, scribbling his messy signature on each of the indicated lines.

"His name is Fiyero. He's my - we're - " Peter fusses with his glasses, which just makes Betty's grin grow wider. "He's my um. Boyfriend. I think, I mean I haven't - haven't asked yet. But we're - I mean he's very - he's my boyfriend."

"Fiyero. He even has a hot name." Betty titters, hiding her mouth behind her hand and eyeing Fiyero even more openly, with his eyes closed. "So you do have some game somewhere, huh Pete? You must, pulling like that."

"You'd have to ask him," Peter mutters, flipping through the form to sign it even faster. Betty smiles and slides the check into an envelope for him, taking the form back and writing up a slip for him, as well. Peter takes it with grateful fingers, tucking it into his briefcase and glancing back at Fiyero with obvious concern. "Excuse me, one second."

Betty nods, watching curiously as Peter sidesteps over to Fiyero's place on the wall. He reaches out, gently taking Fiyero's hands to warn him of his presence, blinking up at him. Peter's voice is soft as he speaks to him, thumb rubbing a gentle circle into the back of Fiyero's hand. "'yero? Are you alright?"

Fiyero's head and stomach settles quickly, whatever the reason for his reaction at least temporary. Maybe he just had a bit of a mini panic attack?? He's really not sure.

But he stands there a bit longer than he needs anyway, grounding himself as he listens to the soft sound of Peter's voice, not quite able or trying to hear what he's saying, but reassured by his presence.

And then his presence is suddenly a lot closer, and Fiyero blinks his eyes open. He smiles reassuringly at the question, and it's not particularly forced - it's still very easy to smile at Peter. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answers, squeezing Peter's hands, and it's not really a lie - he thinks he's okay now. "We done here?" he asks, glancing in Betty's direction.

Whatever he wants to say about what just happened, they clearly shouldn't talk about it here, right? Better to save it at least until they're out the door.

Fiyero's smile is just as dazzling as ever, but Peter's concern isn't deterred. He squeezes Fiyero's hands back, a nonverbal reassurance. He knows Fiyero must have been responsible for Jonah's sudden fair-heartedness, but that... was not a normal reaction.

Even so, Peter's lips turn up in a gentle smile at the corners, and he nods, looking back towards Betty. She smiles and waves, looking almost gleeful - Peter has no doubt he'll be the hot subject of office gossip as soon as they depart. She doesn't mean it in a mean-spirited way, of course; Peter's been the recipient of many a hot dish sesh to know that for Betty, it's just in the job description.

"Come back real soon, okay?" Betty winks at the pair of them, turning back to her desk when the phone starts ringing. Peter relinquishes one of Fiyero's hands to collect his briefcase from the floor, beating a hasty retreat towards the elevator.

"Are you really okay?" Peter asks, as soon as the elevator doors shut. Muffled, and probably loud enough for Fiyero to hear too, Peter can hear Betty already starting in - Parker's got a HOT FOREIGN BOYFRIEND - but that's the least of their concerns. His hand comes up to Fiyero's cheek as the elevator begins the 22-floor descent. "That was you, wasn't it?"

It's either a good indication that Fiyero is alright now, or that he's really very good at smiling and flirting no matter what - probably a mix of both - that Fiyero manages to give Betty a bit of a wink in return on his way out.

Still, he's glad for the hasty exit. "Yeah, I'm okay," Fiyero answers softly, relaxing a little once they're temporarily in private. It's his instinct to cover up and not dig deep in his discomfort... but he's been fairly honest with Peter about his feelings, good or bad, and... Well, it's different when it's connected to his powers. Sort of feels like it's important to be more honest about it.

"Yeah, I think so," Fiyero answers quietly, a little anxious about it. But he's glad Peter picked up on it - or maybe not, if that means it was that obvious. But he was going to bring it up to Peter no matter what once they had a moment alone, so it's probably better that Peter actually noticed it happening, right?

Peter’s just glad he’s figured out by now to keep an eye out for how Fiyero’s really feeling. Fiyero really can hide most things behind his charm, but Peter is learning more and more how to read him - and is eminently grateful for the moments when Fiyero actively chooses to let Peter in on how he’s feeling. Like now, as Fiyero accepts his comfort, allowing himself to look perturbed.

It wasn’t terribly obvious - to anyone else (well, anyone who didn’t know Jonah), it would look like he’d just had a change of heart. To anyone who did know him, they’d probably assume he finally lost his marbles. Peter smiles softly, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to Fiyero’s cheek, chaste and light. “It was either you, or a sudden personality transplant. You didn’t have to do that, baby. But… thank you.”

“This is more than he’s ever given me,” Peter glances down at the briefcase, and the check that feels like it’s burning a hole through the bag. “At least now I know what he really thinks my photos are worth, wow.”

If Fiyero was still using his charm on Peter - the practiced charm, not the 'friendly teasing and sweetness' charm - then it might have been more difficult to tell the difference. Now, Fiyero is using that brand of charm, it could mean he's hiding something. Sometimes, of course, Peter already knows what Fiyero's hiding - he's in on the secret. Whether that be him being worried or annoyed about something, or simply his true personality being gilded with a bit of flair.

It's... a little scary, actually. That Peter knows him so well, so quick, that he's still learning more and more. It's why Fiyero ran the opposite direction for a while. Now, the joy and comfort of being with Peter far outweigh the worries and unfamiliar anxiety of having someone truly know him.

Fiyero returns the smile though, leaning into the soft kiss. It may not feel very deserved - well, if the kiss was a reward, rather what it probably actually is: a comfort and reassurance. But at least it led to Peter getting paid well, and from the sounds of it, that Jonah guy should've been doing it a long time ago, so it's only fair.

"...Technically those were my photos," Fiyero teases playfully Still talking quite softly, his hands settling at Peter's waist as the elevator zooms down the many, many floors.

Now that Peter knows the real Fiyero, he’s reasonably confident that the fake one would feel fake. That he’d be able to tell the difference… probably. There’s only one way to find out, but luckily their policy of honesty has been working out okay since they implemented it. Peter can’t deny it’s scary, sometimes - there’s so much they both still have yet to discover about each other - but it’s easier knowing there’s a hand to hold through it all.

“Hmm… so you’re saying you want a cut?” Peter’s smile brightens with playfulness, glad that Fiyero seems alright. He’s still eyeing him, and Peter will still be watching… but maybe Fiyero will tell him in his own time, what exactly he was feeling. Peter doesn’t want to push too hard, either. He pretends to contemplate their deal as the elevator stops to let a few people on. Peter shuffles them into the corner, hand sliding down to Fiyero’s neck instead, palm settling over his pulse. “You are capitalizing on my established professional brand so… how’s 20%?”

“He was very generous,” Peter beams, and he can’t help but be a little excited. So this is what it feels like to not be worried about next month’s rent! With the TA checks coming in and now this, they were set, at least for the next month. Rent, food, new clothes for Fiyero, webbing ingredients and the reinforced posts - they had to be a little economical, sure, but they wouldn’t have to pick and choose what was most important, and sacrifice the others.

"Well, you're still my faithful treasurer, so I'll leave the math to you," Fiyero answers, voice softening further as other people step on the elevator. At least Peter can hear him almost no matter what - Peter is the one who needs to speak a bit louder to be heard.

Fiyero really just trusts Peter to take care of money things. He's the one who knows what things cost. Perhaps he can just give Fiyero an allowance to spend however he wishes? Peter has explained percent to him, that hundred meant all, so fifty was half. Then going on about how the word came from cent meaning one hundredth, which is why the coins were called that, and Fiyero just let him talk. Anyway, he's pretty sure thay twenty hundredths of six thousand would be... a lot. But really, Fiyero didn't do much, in the scheme of things. He's not arguing for being given loads. Peter is already paying for room and board. It's just nice to actually help out.

"I didn't do it on purpose, by the way," he adds after a moment, very quietly. Peter thanking him, saying he didn't have to do that - well, no, of course he didn't. But try and stop him? Fiyero certainly couldn't. Though maybe the first step is realising it's happening in the first place.

Peter smiles at him, eyes crinkling in the corners; yes, of course he’ll take care of Fiyero. Even when he has very little, he’ll share it with Fiyero. He has, from the very moment they met. Sometimes that’s how Spiderman saved the day - buying a well-placed bagel.

Regardless, it’s well established that Fiyero is welcome to everything. Peter will make sure they don’t starve and have enough to function, budgeting, and whatever remains… he’s sure they’ll find a use for it. Frankly, Fiyero did a lot - he took the pictures and influenced Jonah, whether he meant to or not. Peter just had to swing by and say cheese.

But the quiet revelation that Fiyero didn’t mean to do it does stop Peter short, gaze cutting up to Fiyero’s. A few people get off at another floor, and they keep going down, down, down.

“It just… happened?” Peter ventures, squeezing Fiyero’s hand. The elevator finally makes it to the bottom, people filtering out, dispersing into the lobby. Peter shifts the briefcase in one hand and lets them spill out, off to the side of the elevator. “What were you thinking about?”

"Sort of," Fiyero answers, speaking quietly. Not that anyone would have any idea what they're actually talking about at this point, but some of it still might sound weird. That, and... well, it just feels private. It's obviously a pretty sensitive subject for him, for a wide variety of reasons.

"I guess it was sort of.. accidentally on purpose," Fiyero elaborates, with an amused huff. The more it happens, and he shares with Peter to help them both make sense of it, the more it does seem to make sense. "I was just getting really annoyed at him, and wanted him to treat you better. I wasn't trying to make it happen, I just... noticed when it did."

It wasn't just Jonah's reaction though. He did feel something, but he wasn't really paying attention to it at that point, so he's not sure he could describe it very well. Nor figure out how much was annoyance - probably his heart rate going up a little, and some tension - and how much was... just, the power working. Like a slight shiver or something, a tingly sensation - he doesn't quite remember, because then he also got lightheaded.

And, well, the queasiness he's not sure was because of it happening, or because he was upset it was happening. For however deserved it may have been, and how good it is for Peter, it didn't feel great. There's things happening to him that he can't control or anticipate, things that are a result of very bad people doing very bad things to him without his knowledge or consent. It makes sense he doesn't feel comfortable with it, but he also doesn't know if that's all there was to it...

Things are weird all the time in New York; it seems to be the natural order of things. Peter doesn’t seem worried about anyone eavesdropping, or what they’d get if they do - each person in this elevator is a stranger, with their own story they’re following. But it is a sensitive subject, and Peter listens with concern as Fiyero expounds once they’re not packed in the metal box any longer.

He’s glad they can talk about this now - it makes his next question easier, as Peter leans in, voice lowering to accommodate Fiyero’s hesitation. “And… the other night. At the club, when you… what were you thinking about then?”

It was the most Fiyero had wielded his power, and intentionally so, too. Well, sort of - maybe not at first, but definitely when they gave chase. Moments of heightened emotion seemed to activate it, but what about more subtle expressions of will?

“Maybe you need to practice,” Peter suggests sympathetically, running a soothing hand down Fiyero’s side. “When I first - when what happened happened, it took a while to get my senses under control.”

Learning to pull it back had been a process. Even now, he still sometimes had issues; fewer and further between, but he would never been fully free of it. That… might very well be the case here, too. Nothing indicated that what was done to Fiyero could be reversed… if it was power granted by what he’d been given, or innate potential tapped into. There was still so much they didn’t know.

CAN YOU BELIEVE?

IN LIFE AFTER LOVE?

;3

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