Episode 11 - The Suit Makes the Man…
"Would you hold still please? Fidgeting isn't making things easier."
For the past few hours, Peter had been standing in place having needles placed precariously close to his skin. If it wasn't for the fact that his skin was pretty sturdy, then he would be feeling very ancy right about now. As much as he wanted to blame Applejack for recommending him to help out, he could only blame himself for saying yes to it. So for the whole day, he was now a living mannequin for the local dressmaker, Rarity. To say she was beautiful would be an understatement. Her entire look screamed perfection, right down to her hair. She wore a rather elegant ensemble that showed off her figure, with her white garb complemented by her well kept purple hairstyle. One would almost think she could be a supermodel.
Her latest project was a men's formal suit, but made to take into account a broader profile. Despite his skinny looking appearance, Peter was rather muscular and broad shouldered, making him the perfect model for the design. The past few hours had consisted of him holding several poses so that Rarity could properly position all the placements for seams. One wrong movement would otherwise tear apart the whole suit, an especially disastrous concept for any of her upper class clientele. It would have to be perfect. Peter however was not a fan of the restrictive nature of the suit.
"Can't say this feels natural to me. Never was one for formal wear outside of… select gatherings."
Feeling an itch on his back, Peter tried to reach around to deal with it, only for his hand to be smacked away by Rarity. "Oh come on. I've been in this monkey suit for hours. Can't I have a break?" The seamstress gave no response, but instead pushed one of the pins in a little too far. While it didn't hurt Peter, he still felt it on his skin and got the message. Though as she pulled it back out, Rarity had to look twice at the pin as it was now bent. "I must say Mr Parker, you have rather robust skin. What's your secret?"
"Half a decade of fighting super-powered beings, freaks of nature and Gods? Like she'd ever take that seriously." For all his attempts to hide his true nature, pieces were now starting to slip through the cracks. For now, it was within the realms of believability of what he was capable of. But how long could they persist? How long could he keep lying? "Guess I've just got a hearty diet. Vitamin C is good for the skin after all." A rather thin answer, but Rarity was in no mood to try and question it, instead pressing on with her work. After a few more stitches, Rarity moved back in order to properly observe things. She did allow Peter to finally move his arms around, which was a much needed relief.
"Could you do me a favor and strike a quick pose for me? Something dynamic, masculine." An odd request, but Peter had more than enough practice doing out there poses. Or imitating those that did them. Heroes tended to pose a lot. Lifting his arms, he decided to go for the typical strongman pose, flexing his arms as he struck the stance.. As he completed the motion however, the entire back of the jacket ripped in half. Seams popped rather audibly and stitches fell to the floor. Rarity was in absolute shock. Hours of work just torn to shreds. Peter could see the frustration building up inside her, and readied himself for the worst. But just as quickly as she had gotten angry, she calmed down. "A minor setback. It would appear that I did not take into consideration the increase in size flexing would give. I'll have to take additional measurements. Remove your top please."
How forward. "Remove my what now? That seems a bit personal, don't you think?" Despite Peter's resistance towards the idea, Rarity was insistent. "I can't take proper measurements without first seeing how your body moves. I'm not as used to tailoring for men with your build as I'd like to be. Besides, it's only your back I need to see, and we're both adults. Come on now." As much as Peter wanted to continue debating, he eventually figured it would be pointless. He had volunteered for this, so he might as well see it through. Taking extra care, he removed the half-torn jacket and began to undo his shirt, causing Rarity to take pause for a moment.
It's not that she hadn't seen muscular men before, but there was something different about Peter. Everything about him seemed proportional and in the right place. His back wasn't grossly muscular either, but just enough to show that he made some effort. Unconsciously, Rarity began tracing her finger across his back, feeling around where his shoulder blades roughly were. Peter quickly took notice of this. "Um, everything OK back there? Is there something on my back?" Snapping back to reality, Rarity quickly pulled her hand away, her cheeks flushing red from being caught out. "Oh yes, absolutely perfect. Just wanted to check the muscle structure for any small details I might… miss."
Despite playing ignorant, Peter knew full well what had happened. "Did she really just cop a feel? Just… play it cool Parker. It's only once." Rarity finally started to do what she had said would be done, and began to take the measurements. Thankfully, it wasn't long. "And done. You can put your shirt back on. I'll adjust the jacket later, but I think it's time we had a break. Tea?"
***
When it came to the typical morning beverages, Peter had never been a fan of either. Coffee was far too bitter for his taste and Tea tasted too bland without enough sugar, which for him could be too little or too much. But it seemed that Rarity was primarily a tea drinker, so it looked like it would have to do, given the limited options. While making the beverages, Rarity started to quiz Peter on his time in Ponyville. "So, have you been comfortable here?" It was a tough question. For as much as he had been made welcome here, Peter couldn't help but feel that there was still much to get used to. And certain people.
"It's been OK. Everyone’s super friendly here. Some more than others." It didn't take much for Rarity to figure out who he meant. "Ah yes, Rainbow Dash's little bragging spree. Can't say I was impressed. She did at least keep it to our little circle of friends. I, however, understand you must feel frustrated." Frustrated was putting it mildly. Despite trying to keep things contained as much as possible, Peter had inadvertently put more info about himself out there. All for the sake of a competition. "I just can't understand. Why did she speak out loud about it?”
Taking a fresh sip of tea, Rarity had a defense of sorts ready to go. "It's true that Dash can be impulsive, and rather brash. But she holds her friends in regard. She, myself, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Twilight have been through much together. We try to have no secrets from each other. Trust me, none of us approved, and I am confident she will apologize." Things for now were a little more understandable for Peter, but it still irked him somewhat. He would have to think about it later as Rarity finished her drink. "Well Mr Parker, shall we get back to business?”
***
A couple of hours had passed, with the completion of the suit almost at hand. Fortunately, Peter had been a lot less fidgety, making things much easier. With the last few details done, Rarity needed the final piece to be modeled. "Now Peter, if you would be so kind as to give me a little walk?" As if he didn't feel uncomfortable enough, now he had to act like a runaway model. Unsure of what to do, Peter walked over to the other end of the boutique and, with some attempt at swagger, walked back over to Rarity, feeling rather stupid the entire time. However, the sight looked very different in Rarity's eyes.
"My word, he wears it rather well. He looks like a proper gentleman! I can see why Fluttershy has taken a liking to him. He's absolutely handsome!"
"You done with him yet, Rarity?" A rather familiar, tomboyish voice came from the doorway as Rainbow Dash sauntered in. Realizing it was her, Peter focused his attention elsewhere, not wanting anything to do with her. This attempt at ignoring her didn't go unnoticed. "Hey Parker. I've been looking everywhere for ya. Only found out cause’ AJ mentioned you agreed to be a pin cushion. Once you're all done here, we have to talk."
Peter continued to ignore her, still unsure of how to talk to her. Rarity picked up on this hesitation. "It might be better to come back later." But Dash wouldn't budge. She had something to say and refused to leave until it was said. "It can't wait. Not while he's mad at me. I came to say sorry." That was enough to get Peter's attention, despite still having some anger towards her. "Alright, let's hear it."
"So, I was unfair to you Pete. It's just… that race was so much fun! It's been so long since anyone could even remotely keep up with me. I just got too excited I guess. But I swear I've told no one else, and I never will. I can at least promise you that. And I'm really sorry for betraying your trust. It won't happen again. Are we good?" Dash then held out her hand, hoping Peter would take it. Despite what was a rather impressive and sincere apology, something in his mind wanted to say no. To not allow the blatant breaking of his trust to go unpunished. But really, what else could he do? Besides, he was just as responsible as she was. If he never agreed to the race, then she would never have found out about him. And in the end, how long could he hide his abilities?
"Yeah, we're good." With some hesitation, Peter took Dash's hand and shook firmly. While he wasn't fully prepared to forgive her, she had at least made the attempt to apologize, which at least warranted a fresh start. "I see Rarity did some work on ya. Nice suit. You coming to the Gala with us?" It was the first time Peter had heard about this, but it seemed as if Rarity had preferred he not know. "Seriously Rainbow Dash. Are you incapable of keeping any secrets? I wanted it to be a surprise."
The sound of this event sounded intriguing to Peter. "So I’m guessing this Gala is a big deal?" Rarity's expression lit up in sheer joy. "Only the most prestigious event in all Equestria! Anyone who is anyone is there. I cannot wait to attend again." Dash also seemed incredibly excited at the prospect of attending the Gala again. "I'm so pumped to go again. Hopefully it'll go a bit more smoothly than last time, right Rarity?" All the excitement seemed to drain from the seamstress, being replaced by mild annoyance. "As long as I never see that oaf Blueblood again, I'll be fine. And I suppose the cat is out of the bag, so to speak. This suit will be yours for the Gala, Peter."
Given that he had never been much of a fashion person, Peter could still tell when something was above his pay grade clothing wise. Helps to spend a lot of time around billionaires. "I mean, I appreciate the thought, but there’s absolutely no way I could afford this." Before he could start removing the suit, Rarity stopped him by holding the jacket in place. "If there is one thing you must know about me Mr Parker, it's that I can be rather generous when the desire strikes me. And given that you have done so much for Ponyville, as well as kept Dash from harm, I think you have more than earned this little token of gratitude."
It was an odd feeling. Like he didn't know how to process this gift. It felt unearned. Same as the opportunity to work at the farm. It was just another thing he'd be in debt for. "I can't take this. I'd never be able to pay it back . And I definitely haven't earned it." It was a startling moment for Rarity to see someone who seemed so confident be so unsure of himself. She had no idea of how best to convince Peter that the suit was his to keep. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash didn't have that issue. "Oh give it a rest Parker. You aren't being asked to pay for anything. She's literally giving it to you, no questions asked. I have no idea how things are done where you come from, but here we mean what we say. If it's a gift, then it's a gift. Get used to it."
For as brash and to the point as that was, Rarity agreed silently, letting Peter process all that Dash had said. Maybe just for once, he didn't have to feel obligated to owe someone back. Perhaps his good deeds were payment enough. "Thank you Rarity. I'll look after it. No more tearing the jacket." The seamstress worked her charm again now that the situation had been handled. "Now THAT will cost you. Though I do charge a fair price for repairs." Peter chuckled to himself. He could have used someone as skilled as her years ago when he started out. Or even during all the years he was Spider-Man.
Now that things had been amended, Dash had an idea. " Hey Parker, wanna have another race? You could do with getting a little faster." Hearing this, Peter immediately forgot about her earlier transgression, now only having the need to test himself against her. "Oh you are so on!" As Peter tried to leave, Rarity caught him before he got any further. "Not while wearing that you aren't! Go and get changed. Then you two children can go play!"
***
Carousel Boutique had long since closed for the day, but one light remained on upstairs. After Peter and Rainbow Dash had left, Rarity had continued on with a few projects downstairs until closing time. After she was closed for business, she would continue on with her secret project. "Now that I have the measurements I need, I can continue on with Twilight's request. Rather odd design, but I can work with it. It’s a shame it's covered in… blood." Taking a box from the bottom drawer of her work table, she opened it to reveal the remnants of Peter's Spider-Man suit from when he arrived.
"I do wonder - what kind of job does a man have to do for this to happen?" Taking what little scraps there were from the box, she began to examine the material. What was left did seem well made, if a little amateurish in parts. Though Rarity had learned several times that function usually overrides form. She figured Peter must have made it himself for a specific task, so it would make sense that it didn't have the greatest quality of work. “It might not be the prettiest, but I must say it is efficient. It would seem Mr Parker has some hidden talent.”
Then a thought crossed her mind. The suit was covered in blood, and clearly reeked of it too. Most of it had also been burned away too. So it stood to reason that Peter must have been incredibly injured at some point for that to happen. But she had seen part of his bare body earlier that day, and he had no visible scars. That left some glaring questions.
"Where did it all come from? And what could do this to him?"