Who: Klara P. Coulson & Peter Parker What: cuteness at the fair for her birthday When: late afternoon Where: the fair Warnings: schedule a dental visit Status: closed, in progress, started in gdocs
Klara liked the fair. Growing up fairs weren't really a thing, and if they had been they'd have been nothing like this. She loved the utter variety of things to see and do. It was times like this that reminded people she might be turning nineteen but she was still very much that lost little girl at heart.
So when Peter suggested they go to the Fair on her birthday, it was hard to say no. She bounced a little as she walked to meet him at the entrance. Klara didn't think much of it, they were good friends after all. She'd caved and bought jeans, and she was loving them, and a long sleeved dark olive shirt, leaving her hair down today.
She waved, smiling, "Hi, I'm glad you wanted to go to the fair with me."
Peter was thinking a lot of it. Yes, they were good friends. Which meant these feelings had to stay friendly. And she was older than him - not much, but enough to raise eyebrows if it came up with anyone. Then there was her awful past, which should have been a giant red flag to keep his hands to himself at all costs.
But when she walked up, looking really pretty and relaxed, he couldn't help it. There were those feelings all over again.
Damn.
"Hi," he offered with a smile. He pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket. "Happy birthday!" It was nothing serious, he told himself for the two thousandth time since he'd bought the necklace. He would buy something like that for a friend. Of course. He just hadn't had many friends that were girls before. That was all.
Klara had different hangups and none had to do with age. They weren't that far apart, but she was still skittish. She'd grown close, and nearly dated, one who left not weeks after she'd allowed herself to become friendly. She was scared she'd lose Peter too.
But he was so kind to her that she couldn't help but smile and feel better with him around.
Klara's eyes went wide as he brought out the box. Only Phil got her gifts for her birthday, so she wasn't used to having anyone care enough. "Oh Peter you didn't have to get me anything!" Though she looked thrilled as she opened it.
She was overwhelmed with joy, he was so thoughtful, and this was perfect. She carefully held it to the side before braving a hug of gratitude. She was so excited she couldn't help it. "I love it!!" The little plant necklace was just so very her. (https://images.app.goo.gl/xxc2z68xy8BycpNL6)
Maybe he didn't have to get her anything. But the look on her face said he very much did because she seemed so excited. He accepted the hug, closing his eyes for one brief moment of actual joy before pulling back with a sheepish shrug. "It isn't much, but it just looked like something you needed."
And he wanted her to know people cared about her. Sometimes he thought maybe Klara pulled away too much. She was still learning that people could genuinely like her and being around her. So he was willing to put in the effort for that.
"Let's head in. Who knows, maybe I'll win you one of those giant stuffed bears to go with it." And, to be honest, Peter was fairly sure he could. Maybe it was cheating, using the spidey powers. He didn't much care.
Klara grinned widely at him, “Not much? But it’s perfect, I love it.” she chided him gently before holding the box out to him. “Will you help put it on?” she asked with a bright smile, eyes still super bright. She loved the gift, and loved the fact he’d thought to get her something.
She did, pull away too much that is, because people kept leaving and she kept getting hurt. And she was having a hard time keeping her cool with it. She was glad Phil’d never left because she probably would have lost her mind.
“Oh that would be fun!” she beamed and headed in with him, “I know it’s probably boring to you, but I’d like to see the prize winning plants and veggies, I am always so interested and I won’t ever enter anything into any fair because I kind of cheat.” she smiled sheepishly.
He had never been overly good at those clasps on necklaces and chains, but he could manage. Holding his breath, he pulled the necklace and its little plant from the box and slipped it around her neck. Way closer than he had intended to get that evening but he wasn't complaining.
Once it was neatly around her neck, he shifted her hair out of the way so it didn't get tangled in the clasp. And then froze a bit, realizing that was probably way too forward. "Um… There you go." He stepped back in front of her, his cheeks pink. Despite that, he was smiling just the same. "I guess I did okay. It looks nice on you."
She actually looked amazing but that was even worse considering what an idiot he was making of himself already. Every faux pas he had made with Liz seemed to be multiplied this afternoon. "Um. That's why I never joined the sports teams at school. It would be cheating, honestly." But if she wanted to go see the plants and vegetables, he was fine. "Do they have any of the super giant pumpkins? I always wanted to see one of those."
And now he was rambling. Cool.
Klara was torn between being very aware of how close he was and not knowing how awkward it was for him. She really was bad at this. She adjusted it to sit neatly and smiled. "Perfect!" She beamed, letting the little plant adjust to her.
"Thank you!" She blushed at the compliment, trying her best to accept it and not fold in on herself, metaphorically speaking. "I really like it, you did great."
"It just wouldn't be fair and I would feel bad." She said carefully before she smiled at him, "you are such a good person!" That was high praise coming from her. "I don't know, we'll find out! They're so fun. You can make them gross like that with milk. Did you know?" She thought his rambling was cute.
She wasn't the only one blushing and he felt ridiculous. "I'm glad you like it. I wasn't sure what to get. I figure you probably get plants all the time but that little guy is different." Peter wasn't sure why he had decided it was a boy plant, and maybe he shouldn't want a boy plant so close to the girl he liked's cleavage, but that was a problem for future Peter to deal with.
"I'm not that great," he replied with a shrug, leading the way into the main drag of the fair. "I've been really careful not letting anyone find out who I am back home. If they thought I was too fast or too strong or whatever, it would get really awkward really fast."
He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans simply to keep the urge to hold her hand at bay. "I'm kinda sad you're not growing giant pumpkins. That would be fun at Halloween. I can't wait to carve them with Morgan." Getting used to having a little sister around had been way easier than getting used to Mr. Stark taking care of him like a father would.
"He's different, and Phil gives me gardening tools. So I don't actually get plants very often. People don't think I would want them because I can grow them. I love getting them though." She didn't think of that, not really, as it sat neatly.
Her brow furrowed, "You are too, Peter, don't sell yourself short!" Pot, kettle. "I can imagine. I know what it was like for me." She didn't elaborate, he didn't need to know.
"And who says I don't have any growing in the greenhouse?" She laughed softly, "I do have some, I started them when Mr Stark and Morgan arrived, hoping maybe they'd like them for Halloween." She was truly that nice of a person, thank you.
"I have never carved them myself but I think you'll all enjoy them."
She didn't elaborate and maybe he didn't need to know, but a part of him wanted to. He wanted to help her. She didn't deserve the crap they had done to her or said to her. And it hurt the empathetic part of him knowing that the walls she had around herself had been very necessary.
But he was willing to work through them. Even if they weren't ever going to be more than friends.
He grinned, trying to set the mood back to light hearted birthday fun. "You grew them for Mr. Stark and for Morgan but not for me? Klara, I'm hurt." He wasn't really. In fact, he was laughing. "You're coming over to help carve. You're not truly an American until you carve your first pumpkin. And knowing Mr. Stark, ours will probably shoot lasers or talk or something." Tony Stark didn't do sitting around being bored very well.
Once she felt safe enough, and to be fair she felt safe with him, she'd let him in on some of her past. Maybe. It took a lot for her to trust that much because she knew it wasn't pretty and was hard to handle. She didn't wish that on anyone.
She had feelings and she didn't want to ruin them with her truths.
Klara didn't linger, not really, why bother? She'd lingered long before, and now in private, but in public it was brushed right off. "You are not." She teased, "because you'll be elbow deep in pumpkins too. There are plenty growing. Though I do hope they don't shoot lasers. That seems counterproductive to the holiday." She was laughing, though, as she guided them towards the horticulture barns.
"I know Halloween is still pretty new to you, but pumpkins that shoot lasers are totally with the holiday!" Killer pumpkins would be amazing. He might have to try and make them himself.
"You know if you put some cinnamon in them it smells like pumpkin pie when you light the candle?" Maybe it was stupid, but Peter was looking forward to showing Klara all the fun things that could come from Halloween. Maybe Christmas, too? He wasn't sure what all she'd gotten to do since arriving in the 21st century.
They entered the first barn and he could definitely see where she got excited. It wasn't his thing but the competition aspect was kind of cool. It reminded him of Academic Decathlon a little. "I still think you could enter if you wanted. But I get why you don't."
Klara gave him a skeptical look, "I guess you'll just have to prove it to me, then." She said with a faint smirk, trying to tease him a little.
"I did not know that. I make a delightful pumpkin pie, I wonder how similar they smell!" She'd had a few holidays, both here and at home, but she never really got into them like some have. She did enjoy cooking for all of them, though.
Klara was at home in the horticulture building. There were plenty of flowers and veggies on display, and while she could tell why certain ones won, she knew he probably couldn't. She smiled as she found the pumpkins for him. "You never know what will grow, so these are such hard competitions to enter."
If Peter were a cartoon his face would have little heart eyes on realizing Klara made pumpkin pies. "I love pumpkin pie but we always buy ours. May isn't a great cook." She had learned a few basics to keep him alive but they also ate a lot of takeout. "But I guess we'll have to cinnamon up our pumpkins and find out!"
If he wasn't looking forward to Halloween in Madison Valley before, he was now.
Bending to examine an impressively large squash, he looked up at her with a smile. "You were here last year, right? Do they do anything typically small town? Like hay rides or bonfires?"
She smiled at his look, "well I guess I'll have to make y'all some." She said with a smile, bright and warm. "It'll be fun." She was already dreaming up designs.
Klara grinned, "at the fair? I don't think so. But I think the Settlement often has a bonfire, I'm not sure there's a hayride but we can find out?" She was curious if she could find that.
The idea sounded like a lot of fun to her. It could be good. Maybe even a haunted hay ride!
Grinning, Peter shook his head. "No, not the fair. Well, not specifically. But just for fall in general." City fall was probably pretty different from small town fall.
"The leaves change color in Central Park, and sometimes we have Halloween events. Like haunted houses and things. But I feel like it would be way cooler here."
After all, anything to keep people entertained in this city would be better than nothing.
Klara pondered for a moment, "I would imagine so! This place has a good number of farms. I would imagine someone would do hay rides and corn mazes." She wrinkled her nose in thought.
She led him around the building, before smiling, "I've seen Central Park in the fall. It is lovely." She sighed wistfully, "what would you like to see next?" She asked as she looked up at him.
"There's a midway, food, and animal barns." She didn't care what, she just was liking being here with him. Cue the dawws.
"If there isn't, we should organize one! I bet Pepper would help, she likes putting stuff together." Sure, she was a refined and elegant city woman, but she'd probably help anyway. She liked knowing "her" kids were being active and settling in.
"Let's do the animal area. I like the cows." A little known Spider fact, but he liked when they let him pet them. "And they usually have a petting zoo near the animal barns."
"I got to pet a llama once. His name was Tony. After Mr. Stark, actually. They had a lamb named Hulk." Being an Avenger now was so cool. But also weird.