Work Text:
Sam loves Super Hero Conventions. He loves the atmosphere, the excitement, the sheer number of fans who come out in droves to celebrate his profession. But most of all he loves the Nova cosplayers.
“Look there’s some! Man that guy has great taste. Oh… and girl. Wow, look at that, I make a really cute girl,” he tugs excitedly at Ava’s sleeve pointing to where (pretty much the only) two Nova cosplayers are posing for a picture. She nods absentmindedly, face buried in a book, and Sam sighs.
Ava was the only person he could pester into coming with him, and she obviously didn’t want to be here. She seemed more concerned in studying for their test on Monday than in looking around, and he couldn’t even convince her to cosplay as White Tiger let alone any other hero.
“Why don’t you just go read your book in the corner?” he asks in exasperation after hearing her sigh for the fifteenth time and watching her nearly collide with entire groups of people because she won’t take her face out of her book.
“Finally,” she breathes, sounding far too relieved as she turns and wanders away into the crowd.
“Hey, cool costume,” a voice calls to him almost as soon as she’s gone, and Sam is excited to note that the cosplayer complimenting him is yet another fanboy dressed as Nova. His costume is amazing too. Almost every detail is perfect, even to Sam’s critical and knowledgeable eyes.
“Yours too. It looks really detailed, you really nailed it,” he says back with a wide smile. He wonders how the guy would react knowing he is talking to the real Nova. He’d probably fanboy so hard he’d faint, Sam thinks with a smug grin.
The Nova looks him over, smiling brightly. “Hah, talk about detailed, you even got the eyes right. Most Spideys I’ve seen today had this sort of weird crazed look going on,” the guy makes a face, and even covered by the helmet it’s adorably ridiculous. Sam likes him already.
Talking to him turns out to be surprisingly easy. He has a pretty great sense of humour (puns are funny okay?!) and they soon find themselves laughing loudly, garnering looks from all the other con-goers, but neither of them notice as they get caught up in the conversation. Sam starts to lose track of time, lost in the easy and somehow slightly familiar voice of his new friend.
One thing he doesn’t lose track of is every movement the Nova cosplayer makes. He’s thin, but looks fairly muscular under the costume, and every shifting movement he makes is sinuous and makes Sam’s mouth a little dry. He also keeps touching his arm. It’s meant no doubt to be a friendly gesture, but the contact sends warmth through Sam in a way that leaves him mildly uncomfortable, but craving more contact.
Soon he finds himself staring at the guy’s mouth as well, which is just weird. He really shouldn’t be checking out a guy who is dressed up as him. That’s just a little bit too narcissistic, even for Sam. He moistens his lips and Sam has to studiously ignore the little shiver that the tiny gesture causes.
“Hey, hellooo earth to S… Spidey. Anyone home?” not-Nova asks, wrapping his knuckles lightly on the side of his head.
“Sorry, just getting distracted by your costume. It’s pretty amazing, kinda like Nova himself,” Sam laughs. He really needs to pay attention to what the other guy is saying, not just his lips. “I’m Sam by the way,” he adds, tugging the mask off of his head.
“Ahh, finally, Spidey unmasked! Who knew the web-head was so dashing under that mask,” the Nova cosplayer leans against him in an affectionate way, pressing the entire length of their arms together with a crooked smile on his face. Sam leans into the contact, feeling a fluttery sensation in his stomach as not-Nova lingers just a few seconds too long into the contact before pulling away.
“Heh, yeah. He is pretty dashing… even with the mask on,” Sam replies, already regretting removing the mask as he feels his cheeks heat up at the compliment.
“Huh, and here I was wondering why you would choose Spider-Man,” the guy says, and Sam curses himself for not asking his name before, because at this point it would be way too awkward. “I thought maybe you thought he was heroic or something… but no, it’s been his dashing good looks this whole time.” He’s smirking a little, but Sam thinks nothing of it, immediately launching into a list of all the ways Spider-Man is awesome, partially to counteract the accusation. He can’t have people thinking he’s attracted to Spidey. Because he totally doesn’t have a raging crush on Peter despite finding him endlessly annoying.
“ Ha yeah I know, I sound like such a fanboy, but you have to admit he tries really hard, he’s got pretty cool powers and even when he fails he makes sure to do it in the most hilarious way possible.” Because okay, Peter isn’t exactly what he expected, and sure he can be a tool, and a jerk, and yes Sam totally hates him, but he also sort of, kind of thinks he’s amazing.
“And he’s attractive too you know, I mean uh he probably is under the mask… in a totally objective way of course! But he’s also super strong and he can be really funny when he isn’t trying too hard you know? He’s obviously nowhere near as amazing as Nova is, because that guy’s the best there is, let’s be honest. But Spidey is…. he’s just, cool I guess. I think he’s really cool.”
So much for hiding his crush.
Sam’s new friend looks a little shocked by the time he finishes his rant, and he’s wondering if maybe he might have overdone it on the enthusiasm when Ava makes her presence known from behind them, laughing hysterically.
“Are you two dorks serious? You actually dressed up as each other? I thought you guys couldn’t get any lamer,” she says, looking between them and wiping the tears from her eyes.
Sam blinks at her.
“What are you talk-” he says just as his new friend says “Oh. Hey Ava. Uh… this is awkward.”
Now that he thinks about it that voice has been sounding awfully familiar.
“Peter?!?” he shrieks, taking a step back as the other teen takes off his helmet and waves, looking sheepish. Yup, that’s unmistakably Peter, recognizable even despite the terrible case of helmet hair.
“Hey Sam,” he says cheerfully, casting a quick worried glance at Ava who is still wailing with laughter beside them. “How did you know it was me?” he asks her, sounding confused.
“Are you kidding me? The bottom half of your face is showing. Plus, I’d recognize that annoying voice anywhere. Seriously I don’t get how no one ever realizes it’s you under your mask. It’d take an idiot not to” she dissolves back into laughter, casting an amused glance at Sam’s startled face.
“But I just told you…” Sam blushes. Oh God he told Peter he thinks he’s amazing.
He told him he thinks he’s hot.
Sam wants to disappear.
“Oh, please tell me you just admitted your huge crush on Spider-Man to Spider-Man himself. That would just be too priceless,” Ava doubles over in laughter, and Peter’s cheeks are bright red, but he looks like he might start laughing too.
Crap.
Oh God, oh God. Ava is bad enough, but he doesn’t think he can take Peter mocking him too.
Sam tugs his mask down and flees, Ava’s laughter and Peter’s shout of “Sam wait!” echoing in his ears.
……….
Peter finds him a few minutes later sitting dejectedly in the dirt, his back against the side of the building. He looks like he’s trying to bore a hole in the ground with his eyes alone, probably wishing he had his helmet so that he could do some real damage. Peter however, is grateful that he doesn’t have his powers at the moment when the angry glare is turned on him.
“Uh, hey. So… can we talk? I mean we did just spend the last hour talking, so I know we can do it without killing each other now,” Peter runs a hand through his hair and laughs awkwardly, but Sam doesn’t seem to find it as funny.
“What come to tease me some more? Well save it web-head, I knew it was you the whole time. I didn’t mean a single word,” he spits. Peter has the audacity to actually laugh.
“Really… not even the part where you called me attractive? That stings Sam,” he replies, his wounded face ruined by the smile he can’t quite suppress. Sam jumps to his feet, his hands clenched into tight fists as he tries to keep himself from slugging Peter in the face.
“Go. Away. Now,” Sam growls. He’s angry and mortified, but mostly he’s just upset. He really likes Peter. He’d been a Spider-Man fan since before meeting him, and despite their differences he’s learned to respect him slightly, and want him and… and having Peter laugh at him is the worst thing he could possibly imagine.
“You did notice that I came here dressed as you right?” Peter asks him with an incredulous look.
Sam blinks. Some of the tension leaves his body out of sheer surprise, and his hands unclench at his sides.
Oh yeah.
“So what, you…” he takes in Peter’s costume. It’s almost an exact replica. He’s clearly put a lot of time and effort into it. Unless of course he just stole Sam’s from the Helicarier that is… he quickly resolves to check when he gets back.
“I like you, idiot,” Peter says, averting his eyes when Sam looks up into them and shuffling nervously.
“Oh.” The silence between them is awkward and strained, neither of them quite willing to meet the others eye.
“Well, I um, I kinda wasn’t lying earlier, you know… when I said I think you’re cool. And… and the other stuff. I meant that too,” Sam finally says quietly.
When he looks up Peter is staring at him intently with a half-smile quirking his lips up. “What?” Sam asks, fidgeting uncomfortably under Peter’s unwavering stare.
“I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t realize you could actually be nice for this long,” Peter tells him with a chuckle.
“Yeah, well… don’t get used to it webhead,” he grumbles back. Peter moves in closer, and suddenly Sam’s heart is beating hard in his chest and he has to wipe his sweaty palms off on the material of his Spider-Man costume.
“I kind of like it though,” he whines as he steps into Sam’s personal space. With a wall behind him and Peter in front there’s nowhere to run, but he isn’t sure he wants to. Not when Peter licks his lips, eyes flickering down to where Sam’s own mouth copies the action.
“Y-yeah that’s too ba-” he’s cut off by the feeling of Peter’s lips moving against his own. His stomach tightens and his eyes slide closed against his will as he leans into the kiss, his hands raising to hold Peter’s hips as their lips slide together in a soft, sweet kiss.
Peter pulls back, and all it takes is a glimpse of his cute reddened cheeks to have Sam pulling him back in for another, longer kiss. This time it’s a bit rougher, and Peter’s heart jumps in his chest when he feels the slick swipe of Sam’s tongue against his bottom lip.
It takes quite a few minutes for them to break apart again this time, but when they finally do both boys are breathing just a little bit faster than before, and Peter makes a quiet sound that Sam thinks might almost be a groan.
“We should probably go find Ava,” Sam says reluctantly. Part of him wants to stay here, wrapped in Peter’s arms, kissing him until they both run out of air, but another more vindictive part wants to do pretty much the same thing except right in front of her. The thought of her look of disgust is so worth having to move.
“Yeah, okay yeah,” Peter seems a little dazed, and Sam takes a moment to do an internal happy dance because hell yes he seriously rocks at kissing! He always figured he would be, but now he finally has proof.
Peter smacks him in the arm, shaking him out of his daze. “You looked too smug,” Peter explains with a grin. “Had to put an end to that.”
“Oh and by the way, at the risk of never wiping that stupid grin off your face again…” he adds, slipping his hand into Sam’s. “I think you’re cool too.”
Sam blushes, leaning in to kiss Peter again so he won’t notice how red his face is.
“Just… not as cool as me,” Peter adds with a smirk.
They fight over who’s the coolest for a full half-hour while searching for Ava before they let it drop, but never once through the whole thing do they stop holding hands.