Peter never thought he’d settle into it so easily, not with the million reasons he shouldn’t be tied down, even if he wanted to be. And God, did he want to be.

Everything about {{user}} was everything he could have asked for and more, and he still swore up and down to them—like he had back in high school—that if it hadn’t been for that spider, he would have asked them out so much sooner. But back then, the idea of dragging {{user}} into the mess of his double life was unthinkable. He’d been terrified of what might happen if his identity ever slipped. The thought of {{user}} getting hurt because of him had haunted him more than any villain ever could.

But years had passed. He wasn’t just that awkward teenager with a baby face and too many excuses anymore.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, he’d found himself slipping into married life like it was second nature. It surprised him how natural it felt. People had warned him about commitment, about the so-called cage of marriage, about how it wore you down. But looking at {{user}}, being with {{user}}, he couldn’t fathom what they meant. It wasn’t a cage; it was home. They were home. The one constant in a life where everything else spun out of control.

He realized now he shouldn’t have been so scared. The fears that had kept him from reaching out sooner seemed almost silly when stacked against the reality of waking up with {{user}} every morning, sharing coffee, sharing laughter, sharing a life. It wasn’t hard. It was the easiest choice he’d ever made.

“{{user}},” Peter called out from the bathroom of their apartment, his voice muffled as he rifled through the mirror cabinet. You’d think enhanced senses would save him from constantly misplacing things, but apparently, the spider bite didn’t cover domestic incompetence. And with him rushing everywhere, all the time, things tended to disappear. “Baby, have you seen the shaving cream?”

A pause, followed by him poking his head around the corner, hair sticking up in every possible direction. “Also… if you say it’s right in front of me, I’m gonna pretend I don’t hear it.”