Title: When a Spider Catches a Bug…

Summary: Yes, the amazing Spiderman has faced countless foes – Doctor Octopus, The Green Goblin, Venom, Sandman… But he is about to go up against his toughest foe yet – The flu. AU P/MJ R&R please!

Disclaimers & Notes: I do not own spidey nor any of the Spiderman characters.

THIS IS AU!!! If you dislike AU stories, then please, let your mouse migrate towards the 'back' button at this instant, for reading and then later flaming will do no one any good.

Please, please, please review. I know you've heard it time after time after time, but please, take minute to exercise your fingers and type me a lovely message, constructive or not. )

Chapter One: A Worried Watson

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Ahhh…. KACHOO!

Peter Parker groaned. This hadn't happened for years… Why now? Reaching for the 'puffs' box once again, he was dismayed to find it empty. Just the old Parker luck. Using his wounded spider strength to drag himself from his bed, he shuffled into the bathroom and pulled another box out of the small cabinet in the corner. Sluggishly opening it just in time to catch a sneeze with a new tissue, he nearly collapsed on his bed once again as his once steel strong figure turned the consistency of Jell-O. Again, he groaned as buzzing filled the back of his already throbbing head. More sirens. Just to torture him, it seemed, as if those criminals out there in New York knew somehow that Spiderman couldn't do anything today.

Yes, true enough, Spiderman had caught the flu.

Keeping himself cooped up in his small apartment for over a week now, Peter wondered where exactly his runaway cell phone charger had gone to. Surely Aunt May was worried. Of course, she didn't know about his 'night job'. And Mr. Jameson was surely about ready to strangle him for lack of pictures. Of course, even if he did have his camera, one can't exactly take quality pictures of one's self when one is sick. Wearing a mask while suffering from a runny nose is not a good idea, as Peter had found out earlier in the week.

Already, Peter had spotted articles in The Daily Bugle about 'Spiderman's second disappearance'. Boy, MJ was probably throwing a fit right now. Peter knew she was much too busy with her latest production to come and storm his apartment looking for him, but once they were done filming, man was he ever in for it…

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Oh mercy. That was probably her now. Peter grimaced as he sat up in his bed, the throbbing in his head worsening as he did so.

"Come in…" His groggy voice cracked through the silent air to his sensitive ears like a needle to a balloon. The door clicked and squeaked as it opened, the anticipated red head soon filing in, concern written all over her beautiful features.

"Peter! Where have you been?" She immediately let her keys jangle into a mess on his small counter, and unceremoniously dumped her large brown leather bag on the ground. "I saw the papers… I haven't heard from you in over a week!" She looked over the sickly man with a furrowed brow. The superhero looked anything but 'super' at the moment.

"It's that stupid bug…" Peter managed to groan out. He could barely hear himself, so focused was he on his pain-filled body, which apparently had just done ten weeks of 'night job' work, among which a train mauling seemed to be included.

"Bug? Pete, unless you're talking about yourself in a rather cruel manner, I'm not following." MJ chuckled as she looked at his glazed eyes. Peter groaned once again.

"It's that bug that's been going around… Known to the masses as Influenza." Peter closed his eyes, confident that his girlfriend would understand, and promptly fell into a heap on his bed once more.

"Oh, I see." MJ giggled, scooting over so that Peter could lie down. She'd never seen him like this before. Of course, the last time she'd seen him sick was quite a while back, and she didn't know him nearly as well. "The Spider caught a bug, hmm?" She teased, tilting her read haired head to one side, smiling sympathetically at her boyfriend. Peter simply groaned. "How long have you been like this, Tiger?" She asked.

"About a week."

"A week! Peter! Have you taken any medicine?"

"A little. I tried some left over prescriptions..."

"Have you seen a doctor?" She asked. Peter's eyes groggily opened. He hadn't seen a doctor in years. Why would he go now? They would likely check him out completely, which meant discovering some not-so-normal web glands on his wrists, gripping 'hairs' on his hands and feet, and not to mention his abnormally high level of endorphins… High blood pressure too. How else did people reason he sustained so many Gs? Faster pulse… Superhuman reflexes… Mutated DNA… Yes, Peter Parker had quite a medical record. One he did not plan on sharing with the local doctors. Last time he went to the doctor, he seemed to be more of a shrink anyway.

Reading his expression, MJ dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

"Nevermind. But really Peter…" She sighed. He was a bit too helpless sometimes for his own good. Now she would be playing nurse. Not that that was a bad thing. After all, no one ever did anything for him, and she hadn't seen him in a couple of weeks. It'd be fun. She ignored his still open eyes as she smirked girlishly, her eyes sparkling. Peter frowned.

"MJ…" He did not like the look on her face.

"Hmm?" She smiled innocently as she looked down at his tired face.

"MJ, I don't like that look…" Peter kept a steady, cautious stare at her clear green eyes, his emotions playing out on his face like words on a page. MJ giggled that girlish giggle again, almost adding to his worries.

"Don't worry Tiger. Just get some sleep, and I'll be back later." MJ patted his chest. Peter looked completely unconvinced as he continued to stare at her with an almost questioning glare.

" 'Don't worry'… Considering that you are saying that with that smile, I think I should be doing the exact opposite…" Peter kept a serious face through the whole thing, but sent MJ laughing even more.

"Oh, Pete. It's fine. I'm going to the store to get you some medicine. I won't humiliate you in any way. Like I said. Just get some rest." She gave his hand a squeeze, fetched her bag and keys, and opened the door, and paused before she left, and turned back to Peter. "Tomato or Chicken Noodle?"

Her question was so abrupt and unexpected that Peter barely knew what she was talking about, and hadn't the slightest idea to his own answer. He opened his mouth to say something, but she blinked and shook her head.

"Nevermind. I'll get both. You'll need more than one meal anyway. See ya', Tiger." She smiled at him and then left, turning of the lights as she went, another silent hint at the fact that she wanted him to rest. Heck, he wanted him to rest, too. Shaking his head, Peter sunk into his mattress. However thin, it was quite comfortable and welcoming to his weak body. Smiling, he thanked Jesus that MJ wasn't mad at him for mysteriously disappearing. Truly, women were a different species entirely.

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R&R please! More coming soon