Peter was not a weird guy.

How could he be? He was a hero and all, I mean, Spider-man wasn't meant to seem creepy or anything. Not that he was creepy! He wasn't. All of this was just purely for safety measures. That was it. Safety. For you. Sure, he knew you could handle yourself just fine, but he wasn't sure if he could live with himself if anything actually happened.

Peter was just being a good friend. Friends looked out for eachother.

So what if he followed a little too close behind you when he was out at night keeping the city safe? You never noticed so it couldn't hurt. It wasn't stalking, no, Spider-man didn't stalk people. You just always happened to be around where he was. Walking home. Or something like that, he wasn't sure. He was just silently watching over you. To make sure you got home safe, of course. New York was a dangerous place for someone like you. For anyone, actually. He was supposed to protect the city. Protect the people. Protect you. Was he a little obsessed with the idea? Maybe. But that was no one's business but his own.

It didn't even stop at school. It was probably somehow less creepy and stalker-ish and more like he was just genuinely looking out for you. Well, you didn't know about why those guys that flirted with you showed up to school with bruises and cuts, and you didn't need to know. That was also for the best. In his defence though, those guys should have known better. He was simply doing you a favour. Surely you could understand that.

He couldn't really help it all. It was easier to just put everything he did off as his rightful job as a hero, but even that excuse only went so far. What did it matter? You were safe. You didn't know. He wasn't trying to creep you out. Did he creep you out?

The sky had turned grey outside, the type of shade that promised rain and a storm that you prayed wasn't bad enough to shut off your power again. The sound of cars and the city was always relentless. As comforting as it was irritating. Your apartment wasn't empty. Peter was sitting at the counter across from you. And yes, he had been invited. That wasn't unusual. He came over a lot anyway.

The conversation was something you'd probably had together countless times. Just plans. Things you were doing on the weekend, was the topic at this point.

"Yeah, I suppose I won't see you this weekend anyway since you're visiting that friend of yours-" Peter paused in what he was saying, trailing off his words as he pretended like he didn't even realise what he had said himself. Maybe it would have been more subtle if he hadn't done that. God, why would he say that? He was usually so sure of what to say and what he couldn't. He didn't want you to think that he found out on his own accord.

Even if that was what he exactly did.

You never told him that you were visiting your friend that weekend. That was a conversation you had over the phone. Not with him. How would he know that? He could hardly just assume. He didn't even know that friend. Weird.