Middle School.
Notes: Title is very BSed. Written for a friend, who demanded there be more Spidey fic. More or less movieverse; just a random bit of rivalry between Peter and Eddie. It can be Peter/Eddie if you want it to be, and if you squint.
Peter preferred to keep his visits to the Bugle short. They usually consisted of showing Jameson his pictures, getting yelled at for about three to five minutes, haggling over price, and then taking the resulting slip up to Betty.
For one thing, hanging around in the office was a strain. It made sense – it was the Daily Bugle, after all, which meant that there were constant deadlines to be met. That meant everyone was always darting around in a hurry, and the atmosphere was always tense and strained. Add Jameson's bellowing and blood pressure problems, and it was nigh unbearable. Just observing it all was tiring.
The college student felt like he had enough intense situations to deal with without adding this on. Today, however, he was forced to stick around. Jameson was on the phone with someone who was apparently very important (or so Betty informed him), so he had to wait until that was finished before he got paid.
So Peter had flopped onto one of the chairs reserved for this sort of waiting, setting down his messenger bag and tilting his head to the ceiling. Crap, he had class at noon, didn't he? This better not take too long...
As if the situation hadn't been bothersome enough, then Eddie Brock had to waltz in. Peter found himself stiffening and scooting up in his chair. The other photographer had rubbed him the wrong way from the start, but he figured that was reasonable considering one of the first things he'd heard out of the other's mouth was how apparently he was an amateur.
While Peter knew that he had an advantage when it came to getting good shots of Spider-man, he still had to believe that he was better than Brock. Usually he didn't get so competitive, but Brock had started it! And this wasn't high school anymore... He wasn't backing down from a fight.
The blond walked right by him, not even acknowledging that he was there, and was heading straight to Jameson's office. "Hey!" Peter called out, standing up and taking a few steps after him. "You can't go in there!"
Eddie spun on his heel, facing him with that over-confident smirk. "Why not?"
Peter pointed past him to where Jonah was slamming his fist on his desk and snarling into the receiver. "He's on the phone."
Eddie didn't seem phased, straightening out his black jacket and shrugging. "So? Just because you're too shit scared of him to walk in on his phone conversation doesn't mean i I /i am."
Oh, so the new guy was trying to act like he knew Jameson's temperament better than he did? "Sure," he replied skeptically with a shrug. "But it's your funeral." He turned back to his seat. He sat back down in time to see Betty training a glare on Brock, as if daring him to enter the room. That seemed to get through to the man – he retreated and settled into the seat next to Peter's.
Peter had been hoping they could sit in silence and he could rest his eyes for at least a moment (he'd had to get up way too early that morning), but he had no such luck.
"So, what're you here for, Parker? Been climbing anymore flagpoles?"
Peter winced. It had been a stupid excuse, and ever since he'd said it, Brock had refused to let it go. "I've got some shots of Saturday's ceremony," he provided flatly.
"What?" Brock looked genuinely surprised, and for a moment Peter had hope that it wouldn't be followed by some cocky comment. "That's old news!"
Peter rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. The other's predictability was starting to bore him. He got the feeling that Brock was just waiting for him to ask what he was trying to sell, but he wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. He didn't respond to the verbal barb at all.
Instead, he focused on the clock, glancing from that to Jonah and back again. Two minutes passed. Peter fidgeted. He stood suddenly, but strangely enough, Eddie also chose to stand right at that moment.
"Where are you going?" the blond asked.
Peter blinked. "I'm just going to the bathroom." What, did the guy think he was going to get the slip on him and somehow get into Jameson's office first? He started for the restroom, but it didn't take him long to realize Brock was walking in stride with him.
Oh, this was so middle school. Was he actually trying to beat him to the bathroom? And yet he found himself quickening his pace, only to have Brock match him. Soon, they were both jogging for the bathroom door, and Peter even leaped forward at the end so that he could seize the doorknob first.
Locked. Someone was already in there. Well, now he felt sort of stupid. He took solace in the fact that Eddie probably did, too.
Then, the familiar sound of a door slamming open came from behind them. Peter swung around to see Jonah standing in the doorway of his office.
"What are the two of you doing fighting over the bathroom like teenage girls? Get in here!"