Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Previously:

The eye contact lasted fractions of a second; the moment ended quickly as the next song picked up and Gwen leaned close and whispered in his ear. Before he could register what was happening a soft warmth covered his mouth.

Gwen leaned back and smiled. "I'm going to head to the bathroom, nice dancing with you. Maybe we can do it again."

She winked and Peter watched as she headed in the opposite from where he had seen Sam. His lips tingled and he stared after her for a few moments. That had been his first real kiss.

Recently he always pictured it being with Sam.

SAM! He turned back around, searching for Sam's gaze. But the dark haired teen had walked away from the spot. Had he only imagined seeing the shorter teen? No, he was certain he had seen him.

He needed to find Sam. He now had visual confirmation he was still at the party. From the brief look he got of Sam, he was wearing close to his normal clothes, just minus the shirt under his sweater.

Peter checked his phone, hoping for a reply. But there were no new messages. He trudged back to where he left Harry and was glad his friend was still there. He was engaged in an animated conversation with Luke. They both looked up when he appeared in their bubble of space.

"Have fun Parker?" Harry grinned. "Looked like you were."

"Yea man, who was that? She's pretty hot." Luke clasp him on the shoulder and grinned.

Peter was still dazed, and tired, and failed to process the question. He blinked up at Luke, opening and closing his mouth.

Harry spoke for him, "MJ's friend, Gwen. She seems to have taken a liking to our little nerd here."

Peter laughed, breaking out of his stupor. "Well, there is a first time for everything. I'm going to blame the outfit." He enjoyed Gwen's company, he knew that much. But if the time on the dance floor gave him any insight at all, it was that he was hopelessly infatuated with Sam.

He imagined it was Sam who had gently pressed their lips together. Like the dancing, it wasn't hard to replace Gwen with who he had really wanted with him. Gwen was attractive, but he wasn't attracted to her. No, he wished desperately that it had been Sam out there with him.

Peter continued to scan for Sam, he couldn't have just disappeared. He pulled out his phone and checked for a reply, finding none.

[10:32pm] Peter: Are you getting my texts?

He put his phone back in his pocket and tried to participate in the conversation Luke and Harry were having.

"So, then she tells him 'No, it's a mango!'" Luke and Harry were doubled over laughing, but Peter, who had not been paying attention, did not get the punchline.

He resumed searching.

[10:40pm] Peter: I'm sorry.

He waited several more minutes for a reply, listening politely to Luke and Harry, but not registering a word they said.

[10:45pm] Peter: Sam, I want to apologize to your face.

He sighed. Luke and Peter were telling another story, but he couldn't make himself focus on their words.

Luke nudged Peter with his shoulder. "So, does our resident science nerd have any suggestions?"

"Huh?" He had tuned them out completely.

"Damn, Parker, that eager to find your dance partner again? You're barely listening aren't you?" Luke crossed his arms in mock anger, smirking down at Peter.

"Sorry..."

"Yea...so, anyway. Senior Prank. What's your number one?"

Peter smirked, allowing himself to be pulled away from his obsessive searching. "I have a few. Danny and I talked a few weeks ago about some possibilities."

Harry laughed, "What, is Danny going to do? Prank everyone into a meditation circle?"

"No," Peter grinned, "He suggested we sneak in and bolt everything in Coulson's office to his ceiling...and make the entrance into a Zen garden."

"Hmm, good start. But how will we do it without being caught?" Harry frowned, "Anything we do will be caught on the school's security cameras." He had no idea just how many cameras there really were. S.H.I.E.L.D had the place rigged.

Luke chucked, "Sam is a good hacker. He's shorted out the system before, he'll have no problem doing it again."

Sam. Right. Peter glanced around, hoping that he had materialized when Luke said his name.

Harry was giving Luke a disbelieving look, "Riiiight. Sam has, like, the worst GPA out of the entire senior class, you're telling me he's a tech genius?"

Peter glared over at Harry, "He is smarter than people give him credit for...he just..." Peter trailed off, unsure just what Sam was.

"Doesn't apply himself." Luke finished for him.

"Yeah."

"Right. And why did he hack the system before?"

Luke started to tell Harry the story. Peter already knew that story, he hadn't been there, but he'd heard it plenty of times secondhand. One day, Sam was rushing to get out of school, to go where Peter never did learn, but he left his backpack in his locker. Along with his helmet. Sam didn't want his blunder getting back to Fury, so, yadda yadda, he disabled the security feed, got his helmet, and left. No one would have known if he hadn't have made the mistake of enlisting Ava's help.

While Luke told Harry the long version, minus the helmet detail, Peter went back to scanning the party. He pulled out his phone and frowned at the lack of messages.

"So, yea, Sam can do it. I don't think it will take much arm twisting to get him on board."

Harry nodded, "Alright then. What if we do the senior prank early? Like, at Prom? The school wouldn't be expecting it then."

Luke frowned, "That's only in, like, a month...speaking of, I need to find a date." He trailed off.

Peter shrugged, "It's a good idea Harry, but it also leaves us with nearly two months of school in which Coulson can extract his revenge on us...Plus, I wasn't planning on going to Prom."

Harry sighed and looked at his feet, "Your're right." He snapped his head back up, a grin plastered over his face. "Or, we can do a weak prank at Prom, just enough to make everyone think that's the real deal. Something that won't get us into too much trouble, but then their guard would be down for the real prank."

Peter and Luke burst out laughing. "That's great."

"We need to set up a planning meeting…" Everyone nodded, and silently agreed to talk more about it later, away from potential eavesdroppers.

Suddenly Luke slapped his back. "Well, I'm going back into the mix, you losers have fun. We'll talk more on Monday about our prank!"

After Luke was gone, Harry gave Peter a knowing look. "So, what about Sam? A cute blonde changed your mind that fast?"

"No...not at all. If anything, I..." He shook his head. "I'm looking for Sam. I have been since I got here. He thinks I'm still mad at him, and I've been a huge jerk this week...and he saw me dancing with Gwen. He moved before I could make my way over...and what if he thinks I'm into her?"

Harry nudged him. "You always worry over nothing. Follow me, lets go to the kitchen and grab some fresh sodas. It's quieter in there too, you can give me all the sordid details about what's been going on with you. Plus, there is some wine chilling, and you look like you could use a drink."

Peter still wasn't sure if drinking would be the best decision. He may have been 18, but the legal age in New York was still 21. The last thing he needed was an underage drinking bust, because, goodbye scholarship. But, a few sips would do wonders for his nerves.

Peter knew the house well enough, but with the furniture rearranged and the masses of bodies, he was glad Harry was there to lead turned a corner and were in the short hall that led to the kitchen. It was instantly quieter.

Harry stopped in front of him and Peter almost walked into his back.

"Hey, girls…"

Peter looked around Harry's shoulder. MJ and Carrie were standing at the door to the kitchen whispering to each other. MJ jumped at Harry's greeting and zeroed in on Peter. Carrie shot him a look that made no sense; she looked apologetic.

"Um, " MJ started. "The kitchen is off limits?" She bit down on her lip and sent Harry a look Peter couldn't decipher.

Carrie shook her head. "You don't want to go in there."

Peter rolled his eyes at the two girls. He stepped around Harry and pushed the door open before MJ could stop him. He looked around the room and froze. Harry walked up beside him and did the same.

Harry and MJ grabbed Peter's arm to pull him back out of the kitchen, but he wasn't even registering their actions.

On the left side of the kitchen, between the refrigerator and the microwave was Sam; and he must not have heard the door open over the sound of the music because he didn't look up. Sam's sweater was a low V, and dipped just below his collarbone. He was sitting on the counter, and in front of him, standing between his knees was Casper.

The tall blonde had his mouth on Sam's neck and Sam had his eyes closed as he leaned into the contact. His lips parted and Peter could not hear if he was making a sound over the music and pounding in his ears. The glow stick was around Sam's ear now, Casper must have given it to him; it swayed slightly with each minute movement Sam made, mocking Peter with every slight movement.

Casper had one hand on Sam's back, under his shirt, and was holding him close. His other hand was resting on Sam's upper thigh. By Sam's disheveled look, they had been at it for some time.

Peter was mesmerized by the image before him, seeing Sam in such a state, all of his guards down, trusting someone so...intimately. Would Sam ever make such a face for him? Would he ever be able to put Sam in such a state of abandon?

Peter stood there for what seemed like hours, taking in the scene before him. In reality it was less than 10 seconds before he regained control over his body and took a step back into the hallway.

As Peter stepped back Casper moved one hand from Sam's thigh to his belt buckle. Sam pulled his neck away from Casper and shook his head. But Casper leaned further in and captured Sam's lips, and continued working on his belt buckle.

Peter froze, watching as Sam put his hands on Casper's shoulders and pushed him back. It sounded like he said "Not there", but Peter wasn't sure. Despite Sam's protest, Casper continued his advancement.

Peter didn't think. Before he registered that his feet were moving, he was behind Casper, grabbing his shoulder, and pulling him off of Sam. He had enough sense left to not use his spider strength, but he still jerked the tall blonde back hard.

Both teens looked at him, neither having heard his approach. Casper was the first to recover and shrugged Peter's hands off. He took a step backwards towards Sam, and Peter leveled him with a glare.

Sam climbed down from the counter and stepped around Casper, the glow stick swinging as if to mock him. His face was red; from embarrassment or anger, Peter didn't know, but supposed it was both. Sam's breath was ragged and his shoulders rose and fell as he tried to regain his composure.

"What. The. Fuck." Sam ground the words out. He took another step and was in Peter's personal space. "Just...what the fuck Parker?"

Peter couldn't stop his imagination from producing images of just why his voice was so hoarse; Sam gasping, begging, moaning someone else's name.

His nostrils flared as Sam's breath hit him; was that alcohol? Had Sam been drinking?

"I, I thought he was-" Peter cut himself off, unwilling to finish.

Casper gasp. "I would never!" He put a hand on his hip.

Sam frowned, "I can take care of myself."

"I know, I-" Peter huffed. What had he been thinking? Sam was a hero, he was more than capable of defending himself.

Sam glared up at him and growled. His fists clenched at his sides, his teeth grinding together. The alcohol reeked, and Peter wondered how much Sam had ingested. He seemed to have control over all of his faculties, so he either hadn't had much, or had ingested it rather recently.

Casper put a hand on Sam's shoulder, "Come on, let's go find another spot." He tugged him a little and Sam relented, taking a half step back.

"Sam, I..." What could he possibly say? Should he just confess that he was jealous, and angry, and confused? He now knew Sam was into guys, he had a shot at least; a few minutes ago he would have been ecstatic to learn that, but the knowledge came with a heavy price. A million things swam through his head, each clamoring to be heard. He strained to pick something to say, but his mind wouldn't focus on just one.

"So glad you think I'm just a weakling who can't defend myself! I wasn't being forced to do anything!"

"But you-you were pushing him off...I thought you, and he...And you-"

"I didn't want to have sex in the kitchen!"

Peter winced. Sam glared up at him, daring Peter to press him further.

Peter's brain was unable to keep up with the rush of new information, emotions, and possible responses. It felt like he was thinking with jello. Sam was not only into guys, but was willing to have sex with a guy he just met? Peter, who had never really even kissed anyone -did Gwen count?- couldn't comprehend this new revelation about Sam.

He looked down at Sam, who was trying to place his emotionless mask over his face, but he could still see the swirl of emotions in his eyes.

Peter opened his mouth, he needed to say something before Sam left.

Before he left with another guy.

"Sam," he intended to say that he liked him, that he was sorry, that he thought he was being forced, that he was confused, sorry, and could he please just kiss him already? But his brain was still having problems processing, and what came out was: "You're gay?"

Peter knew it was wrong as soon as the words left his mouth. After all of the stress he put himself through while figuring out if he, himself, was gay, he knew what that question would sound like to Sam. A breathless, thoughtless, question, that he knew Sam would take it to mean 'You don't look gay, it is a phase, you're totally really straight' or 'Gross, I spent so much time with you, and now you tell me you're gay?'. He knew, because that was his fear, that his friends and family would hate him. And Sam clearly had tried to keep it a secret.

The effect on Sam was immediate. The mask was gone, and in a blink his face contorted. Sam's eyebrows came together, his lips were a thin line, and the tears pooling in his eyes broke Peter's heart. Peter tried to open his mouth, to apologize, to explain, but he was rooted to the spot.

Peter saw Sam clench his fists tighter and bring his arm up. He closed his eyes; he wouldn't dodge something he deserved.

But the blow never came and he opened his eyes. Casper was gripping Sam's raised fist. Sam was seething, his breath ragged, but didn't try to move the hand on his fist.

Peter couldn't move, didn't know where he should move; he just stared, wide eyed, into the stormy eyes in front of him.

Casper moved first and gently pushed Sam's arm down. He huffed, "So much for getting laid for my birthday..." His quip did nothing to lighten the tension in the room. He clapped a hand on Sam's shoulder, "Well, it was nice meeting you, I -"

Sam turned around, "I'm coming with you."

Casper gave him a sad smile then leaned down, capturing Sam's lips against his own. He pulled away just as quickly and looked straight at Peter's ridged form. "I think you two need to talk..." He turned his attention back to Sam and pouted, "But, call me tomorrow, if you want." He pulled a pen out of his pocket and wrote on Sam's palm with a flourish.

Peter blinked, slowly regaining control. He took a shaky breath as Casper leaned down to whisper in Sam's ear. Then, like he had every time Peter had seen him, Casper turned around and sauntered away like he had somewhere better to be.

Without the crowds he wasn't able to disappear as quickly. With a jolt, Peter remembered his friends who had been at the kitchen door with him moments before. But the door was now closed, and Casper flung it open and waltzed out into the hall. The door stayed open, and Peter saw no sign of Harry, MJ, or Carrie. He was glad for that, he and Sam were going to need the privacy.

He turned his focus back to Sam, who had stepped away from him and was leaning against the counter he and Casper had been making out on moments before. He had his arms crossed, fully facing Peter. He could see the marks Casper had left on his neck, and he knew the hickeys would be there for a few days. He swallowed his breath, he would have to see Sam with another's mark on him. Over. And over. For days.

Something primal surged inside of Peter, an urge to mark Sam as his, to put his own marks over the ones already there, and to add new ones that were just his.

But Sam was glaring at him, and looked like he would throw another punch if Peter came within striking distance. And he still needed to apologize. Peter could see his friend needed someone to help him, whatever was going on in his life was starting to take a toll, if the alcohol was any indication.

They faced each other, neither wanting to speak first.

Sam closed his eyes and sighed. He reached to the counter behind him and retrieved a small flask Peter had not seen. He unscrewed the top and downed the remaining liquid. It was then that Peter saw Sam's hand, and where he expected to see a bold star was a number 34. Sam wasn't 18 yet...and suddenly Peter was snapped out of his stupor.

S.H.I.E.L.D had been very clear about what they could and could not do as minors, while still considered wards of S.H.I.E.L.D. Peter had been given the same lecture, even though he didn't live on the tricarrier. They looked the other way on some things, but alcohol, drugs, sex...Fury had been very clear what he thought about such subjects; add the effect they could have on a developing hero...and disaster. Stark was a shining example, but he was out of S.H.I.E.L.D's control.

Sam was drinking so casually, was going to have sex so casually, and Peter wondered how often he had done so in the past, and how often he let them interfere with a mission. Had he ever jeopardized the team?

But those thoughts were pushed to the back of the line. He could yell at Sam later, after he apologized for the last time. He needed to get Sam out of the party before he was seen, or the rumors would make it back to Coulson by lunch on Monday. He wanted to pull Sam to him, to cradle him in his arms and push away whatever demons led Sam to turn to drinking as a solution.

Sam wiped his lips on the sleeve of his sweater and tucked the flask into his pants pocket. He leveled another glare at Peter and pointed at him. "You're such a cock block!"

If he wasn't so tense Peter would have laughed. The alcohol must have given Sam the push he needed to continue.

"Seriously, Parker. We're not even friends."

Peter sighed and took a step towards him. "Yes, we are." Sam opened his mouth to argue, but Peter cut him off. "You can't convince me otherwise."

"Get away. I'm going home."

Peter took another step so he was standing right in front of Sam. His heart urged him to just lean down and kiss him, to not let words ruin the opportunity. Then, Sam huffed indignantly, and Peter could smell the alcohol again.

"Shit, Sam, How much did you drink?" There was no way he was letting Sam just leave alone in his current state.

"Not enough to make you go away." The alcohol was starting to affect him, and Sam's words were slower.

Peter took a step back. He was going to gamble. "Then prove to me you're not drunk. If you can walk out without tripping or stumbling, I'll leave you."

Sam huffed, "Of course I'm fine to walk. Geez!" But he remained leaning against the counter. He glared at Peter, then at the still open door.

Finally he pushed off the counter and tried to take a step. Except, the sudden movement sent his brain swimming in circles and he quickly reached back to the counter for support.

"Okay, then...lets get you to bed."

Sam shook his head, "No, damn. I wasn't planning on, uh, going back tonight. Fury will kill me..." He gave Peter a pleading look.

"You can crash at my place...if you want. Fury doesn't have to know you were drinking."

Peter offered his arm for support and gently lead Sam to the door. Once Sam was standing he had almost no problem walking, the initial rush to his head had passed, but Peter still gripped his arm.

Sam turned his head to face Peter, which wasn't the smartest thing to do when you're drunk and having trouble walking when you are looking. He tripped, but Peter was anticipating it and caught him mid stumble.

"Why do you even care?" It was said with such disgust that Peter flinched.

"Sam..." Peter sighed. "We can talk when you're sober, I don't need you forgetting..."

"Forgetting what?"

Peter paused, deciding how to best answer Sam's question. He settled on: "How much you mean to me." He hoped he sounded sincere, because Sam did mean a lot to him.

Sam rolled his eyes and frowned, but didn't press further.

Sam's inebriated state made their walk out of the kitchen a slow ordeal. The alcohol was still kicking in, and Peter wanted to get him home before it all was absorbed into his bloodstream. What started as an easy walk became more drawn out as Sam tried to push Peter away, insisting he was fine. But Peter didn't trust Sam to not try to run away from him, so he held firmly to his arm.

Peter peered into the hallway, expecting to find his friends eve's dropping, but he only saw Harry. He was leaning against the wall further down the hall, and Peter was relieved to know his conversation with Sam so far had not been overheard.

"Pete, Sam..." Harry pushed off the wall and walked towards them. "MJ and Carrie are waiting in the foyer, by the elevator. Casper gave us heads up that Sam may have had too much to drink..." he trailed off as Sam tried to push Peter's hand off. "And, just where did you get the alcohol?"

Sam stopped trying to push Peter away and shrugged. "I brought it with me."

Peter frowned, where had he acquired it? He added it to the growing list of things he needed to talk to Sam about. But those would have to wait until Sam was sober, and they were away from their nosey friends.

He didn't miss the worried look Harry sent his way. "Get him home safely, Pete."

"No, I'm staying." Sam resumed trying to wiggle out of Peter's grip, but he used his full strength and held firm.

"No, you're going to bed."

Sam gasp and looked at Peter wide eyed, "No, I can't go with you. Aunt May can't see me like this!" He swayed a little, emphasizing his current state.

"Don't worry, she's out of town again." Peter smiled endearingly, even at his worst Sam cared for Aunt May and didn't want to tarnish her opinion of him.

Sam relaxed at the news and let Peter lead him through the party, and to the door. Harry helped him navigate, and they were able to make it to the door without incident.

But Flash was leaning on the wall next to the door and smirked when he saw Sam leaning on Peter. He leveled a glare at the jock, daring him to say something. Harry opened the door and pushed them both through before Flash could cause a scene. He didn't join them, he needed to stay at the Party, but promised to call Peter later that night.

As Harry said, MJ and Carrie were waiting in the hall. Thankfully, Casper was nowhere in sight, and Peter hoped he was still somewhere inside the party, and not lurking outside for Sam.

Carrie moved first and flicked Sam in the ear. "You dolt! You promised me you had stopped!"

Sam looked at his feet sheepishly, "I- Sorry, Carrie..."

She crossed her arms, ready to continue scolding him.

MJ cut in, "Carrie, can you and Peter get him home? This isn't the place...people are going to overhear..."

Carrie uncrossed her arms, "Yea, that's for the best. Are you coming, MJ?"

"I need to stay and help Harry. But, you better text me with an update."

She gave Peter a hug and returned to the party.

Carrie huffed, "Well, Sam, congratulations on ruining our night." She grabbed Sam's other arm and helped Peter push him into the elevator. "MJ and I were having so much fun! And after this, well, I'm going to tell Peter and MJ embarrassing stories about you."

Sam grunted in response.

They both let go of Sam once the doors closed and he could no longer escape. She let Peter hit the button for the lobby. "Shit, where are we going? His, uh, uncle Nick will kill him if he finds out he was drinking. He can't stay at my hotel, there's no way my mom would allow it..."

Peter blinked at her calling Fury 'Uncle Nick', was that what Sam had told her? "No, it's okay. I already figured on letting him crash at my place. He's done it before, and my Aunt is out of town..."

Carrie gave him a relieved smile, "Good...okay, I'm going to stop and change, then I'm coming over too. I need to yell at him."

"I'm riiiight here, guys. I'm not even drunk, just a little buzzed." Sam leaned against the wall of the elevator, pouting indignantly.

"We can split a cab, we can wait while you go change."

"That's okay, I may be a while if my mom's still awake...I'll need to explain stuff to her..and...I think you two should talk...about, you know."

Peter didn't know, exactly. There were several scenarios; the drinking, the making out, Sam's recent behavior...or had MJ spilled the beans about his crush on Sam?

"Guys, still right here."

Peter and Carrie ignored him and exchanged phone numbers. Peter text her his address, and they walked out of the elevator.

"My hotel isn't far, I'll grab a cab and meet you at your Aunt's. Call me if he gives you any trouble."

She flicked Sam in the ear again, "And if you don't behave I'm telling your Mom!"

Sam stood a little straighter at her threat.

Carrie hailed a cab first and left Sam and Peter waiting for the next one. They stood silently on the curb, Peter still gripping Sam's arm to prevent him from trying to run off.

After a few moments another cab drove past and he was able to hail it. He was so going to make Sam pay him back for the cab fare.

They settled into the back seat for what was going to be, possibly, the most awkward cab ride of Peter's life.