Surprise - Peter and Liz

[st_hotflashes]

Liz wasn't sure if Peter was going to actually like the surprise she had in mind for him, but she had finished it a few days ago and she was proud of it. Liz was pretty sure he'd like it, but there was always a chance. She hoped now, after a couple of weeks the awkwardness that had been the 'therapy session' with Annie and Mr. Stark, Peter might be in the right sort of mood for it.

She sat on her bed, going over some chemistry homework idly as she waited for Peter to show up.

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[st_hotflashes]

While she might have been worried about something like that in the past, she found that letting Peter in on her life, no matter what part now, would be fine.

And now she was determined to see if Loki could really help with that. Or, someone, at least.

She paused as she thought, trying to figure out how that might look. "If you could only pick one thing to see, what would you pick?"

[st_arkintern]

"If I could just see one thing it'd be a normal school day."

It probably sounds pretty lame and Peter knows it, but it's true. He wants to see what normal life is like for Liz because it's not something he gets to hear about because there's probably not much to talk about. He wants to see what her school is like, what her classmates are like, what her classes are like.

He wants to know what a normal day was like for Liz Parker before she wound up here.

[st_hotflashes]

Somehow, that admission causes Liz to blush. She definitely didn't think an average day of Liz Parker was interesting in the least, but the fact that was what Peter wanted to see, seemed to speak volumes to her.

"You'd probably find a lot of it really weird. I mean, just because you probably don't do that sort of thing anymore. Like... I noticed when we were in Europe that Yahoo wasn't really a big thing anymore?" She had discovered something called Google had taken over. "But like, it was a big thing back home."

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, but that's why I want to see it," Peter says. "It's probably going to be different in little ways neither one of us would bother asking about because our normal is so normal to us that we can't imagine it being different."

Like Yahoo! and Google.

[st_hotflashes]

She drew her feet up onto the bed, smiling. She still had no way of explaining how she thought that sounded really sweet of him, but she did.

"Do you know what I'd pick if I could actually choose what to see of you?" Her smile widened and turned sheepish, but it was too late now. She was committed to this line of thinking. "You as a little kid... I think you'd be very cute."

[st_arkintern]

"You did get to see me that one time," he says. As brief as it was. "Maybe you'll get to see more of me as a kid eventually." It seemed likely; if they stuck together, there'd be plenty more flashes.

[st_hotflashes]

"I guess I could always as your Aunt May for some naked baby photos if I don't want to wait, huh?" She sent him a playful, teasing smile that held laughter in her eyes. Something about the idea of little Peter's naked butt seemed entirely adorable.

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, I guess so," he says, smiling lightly. "She kept almost everything after my parents died." Not the furniture, but all the important things.

[st_hotflashes]

"You wouldn't be embarrassed?" She thought about the photo album she knew her parents had back home and there were definitely some embarrassing photos in there.

[st_arkintern]

"When we first started dating, I might have been," he says. But after all the things Liz's seen so far... there wasn't many things he'd find embarrassing to share.

[st_hotflashes]

She smiled at that and then leaned in to kiss him softly. It seemed like they had been dating for forever - in a good way - though Liz was equally aware that their anniversary was fast approaching.

She looked at him quietly with a fond smile, letting silence float over them for a moment. She felt lucky and she wanted to express it again, but she was sure he already knew that.

"Hey, um -" There was slight hesitation only because she didn't want to 'ruin' things, but since he brought up them dating it also meant she thought of Annie and how things were complicated. "About Christmas coming up. I was thinking... Annie's probably the only one here who believes in Santa still, right?"

Assuming the little girl still believed in him, of course.

"I think, well, I think there should be a present from Santa for her this year." Since she was pretty sure Peter wasn't going to want to be the one to break it to Annie that Santa was fictional. "And I think it's really important you spend the morning with her."

[st_arkintern]

Peter appreciates how understanding Liz is despite everything; there's so much she's had to go through after the appearance of Annie. He's grateful for it, and he's not sure she knows how much. Or that he appreciates it at all.

"What should Santa bring her? She has those Avengers plush toys. Do you think we could make some of the others before Christmas?"

[st_hotflashes]

"I think that would be a good idea. Maybe complete her set? Or maybe there's one she really misses?" Liz, of course, did not know a whole lot about Annie since Annie wasn't exactly the most forthcoming with her.

[st_arkintern]

"I'll find out which one she's missing," Peter says. He can't quite remember right now, either. "Then we work on it together?"

[st_hotflashes]

She paused. "Do you think that would be okay?" Though, Liz supposed Annie wasn't going to know who really made it. She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, of course. I'd like to make sure it's a good Christmas for her."

[st_arkintern]

"I mean, yeah, it's from Santa, right?" Peter smiles.

[st_hotflashes]

Her smile warmed and she leaned over to kiss him softly. "I'm happy to help be one of our elves."

[st_arkintern]

Peter runs his hand along the back of her head and gives her one quick chaste kiss before pulling away. Not entirely, but just enough that her breath isn't running hot on his face.

"Maybe we should dress up, too."

[st_hotflashes]

"As elves?" She smiled a little, flushing, and couldn't quite help but to picture Peter in such an outfit. "Would it surprise you if I said I've dressed up like one before?"

[st_arkintern]

"Not if you say that Maria made you do it," he says with a smile. Liz didn't seem like the sort of person to openly volunteer for something that would put her anywhere near the spotlight -- at least when they first met. That changed a little since they first started dating, though.

[st_hotflashes]

She laughed softly, smile wide as she shook her head. "No, actually. Isabel." Max's sister. "She gets really intense around Christmas. She wants it to be perfect. We call her the Christmas Nazi. Last year Maria and I dressed up as elves and Michael was Santa for the local children."

[st_arkintern]

"That's really nice, Liz." It really is. Peter hasn't done anything like that. Sure, he's volunteered a few times, but not like that. And probably not as often as he should.

"How do you feel about Christmas?"

[st_hotflashes]

"Christmas?" She smiled just thinking about it. "It's my favourite holiday I think. I mean, I like Halloween because you can escape who you are for a little bit, but Christmas... It's where magic exists, you know? It feels like anything can happen."

[st_arkintern]

"Halloween is my favorite, but Christmas is probably my second-favorite. Then New Years." Peter's loved costumes ever since he was a kid. It shouldn't surprise anyone that Halloween is his favorite holiday.

"Did you want to do anything for New Year?" he asks. "It's our first New Year together."

[st_hotflashes]

She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. They had first officially met on New Year's Eve last year. It felt like a big deal somehow.

"Maybe this year I'll be able to get a kiss at midnight."

Of course, Liz was also aware of Annie too.

"Or, um." She paused. "Well what would you like to do?"