Be Careful What You Ask For (Closed to Peter)

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Liz walked numbly through the Inn after having spoken with Emma. It was as if her body were on autopilot as her mind couldn't really focus or process anything directly. What it all meant, how she felt, if she was around to see it happen - these questions were like vague fog in her mind that she couldn't quite grasp.

She thought, ever so briefly, that she might find herself in front of Kitty or Piotr's door, but it was Peter's door she came to a stop at. Liz swayed a little as she stood there, staring blankly at the door. She did that for a good five minutes before she was able to will herself to lift her hand and knock. It was a quiet two rap knock.

When the door opened, when she lay eyes on Peter, the numbness seemed to ebb a little. She stared at him silently, then slowly her face began to twist and contort as anguish spread through her features. She didn't move an inch except for her face. Everything suddenly felt intense and Liz stood there, stiff, and started to cry unabashedly. Cried with every fiber of her being.

Comments

[st_hotflashes]

It was hard not to be a little jealous of her the way that Peter spoke of other-Liz. She sounded really nice though and Liz wondered if maybe she and other-Liz would be friends. They were slightly closer in age, so maybe. Then again, they might have been rivals if they went to the same school and Peter was involved.

She couldn't help but wonder who Peter would have liked right off the bat if they had both been in the same room at the same time. Probably other-Liz since it sounded like she was more active in school life, like Isabel.

"She sounds really nice." Liz smiled a little. "I'm glad someone was able to see you for who you are." He deserved that.

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"Yeah, but I just screwed it all up," Peter says, more wistful than sad. "You saw it, though. The last time I saw other-Liz."

Peter returns to drawing little circles on Liz's knee. "I used to stammer around her all the time 'cause I was just that nervous. I don't really have that problem with you."

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She remembered how Peter felt the last time he saw Other-Liz. It had not been a good feeling.

"You did at the beginning." Liz smiled, remembering. "At the New Year Party? I thought it was cute." Liz felt herself blushing again.

"I... might have looked for you when the count down started, but I couldn't find you."

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"Yeah, I was pretty nervous then, too." He had never entertained the notion that Liz might have liked him, let alone wanted to kiss him at midnight.

"The suit I wore was really uncomfortable, so I ended up leaving early. I never thought someone would notice I was gone."

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"What would you have done... if I had kissed you that night?" Liz might not have liked him, liked him then, but she had thought him cute. A kiss probably wouldn't have been out of the question.

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"I was kinda crushing on you then," he says. "I'd seen you around, but I don't think I would have --"

Peter pauses, then rephrases.

"I think I wouldn't have been able to talk to you if you hadn't approached me first." Peter stops there, but then suddenly remembers that he hadn't actually answered the question.

"So yeah, I probably would have been embarrassed, but happy."

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Liz had never been good at picking up when someone liked her unless it was pretty blatant. She probably wouldn't have realized it with Peter for a long time either.

She shifts on the bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugs her knees with her arms.

"I guess I'm glad then that you and Sora made those fireworks." And he had been dressed up as Spider-Man at the time.

Liz paused, then a little quieter. "I'm sorry about Sora." That he was gone, she meant. Liz had liked him.

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"Yeah, I just."

Peter takes a breath there.

"I hope he's back home, doing the things he needs to do."

That was the best way to look at things.

"I'm glad we made the fireworks, too."

[st_hotflashes]

She rested her chin on her knees, looking at him. "If you ever want to try building things like that again, I'd be happy to help." Liz might not be able to make something fly up into the air with magic, but she thought she could figure a way around it that was more science-based, probably.

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"Yeah," he says, looking back at her. "I'll let you know. Maybe we'll do something like that for the 4th of July. The magic's not the most important part, so I'm sure we can science it up if we'd like to."

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That was coming up, wasn't it?

"Do you think Caroline is going to make a big thing about it?" She thought about home. "Everyone does a lot of outdoor parties back home. The diner's always super busy so I usually end up working, but Maria and everyone else comes over anyways, so it's not too bad."

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"I can't really imagine she wouldn't," Peter says. "I think she likes any excuse she has for a celebration."

Caroline kind of had that reputation.

"May and I used to go to the roof of our apartment on the 4th and watch the fireworks from there. They're not as extravagant as the New Year's fireworks, but it's still nice."

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Liz had forgotten that Peter would have had a great firework show compared to hers. Sure, the town had some, but they didn't exactly have the same budget as a city like New York.

She watched him for a minute, taking him in. "What's your favourite holiday?"

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"Probably Halloween," Peter says. "I liked dressing up ever since I was a kid. Now I get to do it all the time. What about you?"

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Liz couldn't help the smile when he said Halloween. She should have known and expected that. It was perfectly Peter.

"Christmas, I think. I mean... sometimes it's overwhelming because of Isabel - everyone calls her the Christmas Nazi - but she just is really into the holiday." She thought about last Christmas, her eyes going just a little sad, dulling a little. She tried to push it away as she continued, though it seemed to linger a little. "I like giving to people and I usually get suckered into being an elf for Santa so I get to see a bunch of kids get really excited, which is fun."

[st_arkintern]

"You wanna do something like that this year?" he asks. "We have plenty of time to get stuff together in time for Christmas if the portal opens again."

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"You mean like... dress up like Santa's elves?" That was the firs thing that came to Liz's mind and then suddenly she was picturing Peter dressed like that and she thought he'd be awkward, but adorable and she smiled widely at the thought.

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"Yeah," Peter says, smiling. "There's probably no one here that still believes in Santa, but it'd make everyone happy, don't you think? And it'd be fun."

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Her first instinct was to say no because it would probably be embarrassing, but Peter had this smile on his face and she thought back to how he had helped organize the beach party and helped to build the microscope - Liz liked doing things like that with him.

She nodded. "Yeah, okay. And, you know, I bet Pike could figure out how to make candy canes and we could hand them out to everyone."

Liz paused, straightened where she sat "You have to promise to wear and outfit though."

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"I wouldn't suggest if I wasn't willing. Besides, I said that I liked wearing costumes. If you could see some of the ones I used to wear at Halloween, you would know why I don't have any objections."

Some of the costumes were genuinely awful. He thought they looked amazing at the time, though.

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"I'd wear any sort of costume for you."

The words came out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

It hit her, the words, and she blushed and put her hands to her face in embarrassment and fell to her side on the bed, mumbling against her palms. "That's embarrassing."

[st_arkintern]

Peter's face heats up the second he realizes the connotation.

Liz saw his fantasy. Saw how it involved the waitress uniform, which was as close enough to a costume as anything they had here. And maybe she didn't mean it like that, but he wouldn't mind if she wore it when --

"Uh," Peter says, letting the word hang in between them for a second. "Yeah, we'd make great elves."

[st_hotflashes]

It took her a second to have enough will to pull her hands from her face. She looked at Peter and saw he was blushing. His blushing made her feel butterflies in her chest and she still wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because it meant he felt the same way.

She slowly moved back up to sitting, moving her hair out of her face by running her hand through the top. Liz looked at him unsure of what to say for a moment, but nodded. She liked the idea of trying to brighten people's day. The holidays could be sad when you were away from home and from family.

Liz stared at him for another moment, silent awkwardly hanging in between them. "... can you close your eyes?"

[st_arkintern]

Peter gives her a questioning look, but complies with Liz's request.

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This was so silly. It wasn't even technically done and she didn't have her own with her because she had only started it, but now seemed... it seemed like a good time, right? She knew he wouldn't say he hated it because Peter wasn't like that. Liz was more worried it would freak him out or something.

Liz reached in her pocket and produced something. She reached out and took Peter's hand, wrapping something around his wrist and tying it off.

"...okay."