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One of the general truths about the universe was that Peter liked being touched, thrived off it even; Y/N, on the other hand, avoided physical contact whenever possible. At least it seemed that way if you didn't know her. Recently Peter had noticed that the limited touch she did get she tended to cling to, holding hugs a bit longer than necessary, lingering slightly when she was handing someone something. He also observed the way she often played with her hair or softly ran her fingers up and down her arm unconsciously when she was reading or watching a show.
So Peter, being the scientific person he was, decided to try a little experiment.
He started out small, brushing against her arm or hand if he passed her in the halls when he was hanging out at the Avengers Compound. She didn't immediately flinch away, which he took to be a good sign.
Next he made sure to sit next to her during another team meeting. He moved just a bit until they were just slightly touching, careful not to startle her. She didn't seem to mind; in fact as the meeting progressed he could feel her shifting slowly closer, until she was almost leaning against him. He stifled a grin. On to phase three.
He kept up the small bits of physical contact, briefly touching her shoulder when he walked behind her, always offering a hand to help her up from her chair at the table. He knew she didn't need help, of course, but he was being gentlemanly, as May would call it.
Finally it was time for the next "Avenger Family Bonding Time Movie Night," (As dubbed by Tony). Peter put himself on popcorn duty, making it the way he knew Y/N liked it. He settled himself on the big chair with a fluffy blanket, candy and a giant bowl of popcorn and waited. Slowly various Avengers filed in, claiming different places on the couches (or in Thor's case just laid on the floor). When Y/N made her appearance Peter waved to her and patted the spot beside him.
"I have all the snacks," he whispered as she joined him, showing her the stash hidden under his blanket. She grinned.
"I assume you're going to share with me?" She asked with a slightly teasing tone.
"Of course, what do you take me for?" he retorted in mock offence. "Enter my lair of cardiac arrest," he said spookily, lifting up the blanket so she could get in. She rolled her eyes but complied, settling in next to him. He readjusted the blanket so that it covered most of them, only their head peeking out. Y/N scooted a bit closer so she could reach the snacks, though she was still maintaining an inch or two of space between them.
It was Wanda's turn to pick the movie, so naturally they were watching some rom-com. A few minutes into the movie Peter tentatively put his arm around Y/N. She stiffened for half a second before relaxing again, popping a gummy worm in her mouth. Peter started slowly drawing meaningless patterns on her arm, and she relaxed even further. Hesitantly she put her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly. Peter smiled. Experiment results? Positive.