"I'm on my guard for the rest of the world, but with you I know it's no good, And I could wait patiently, But I really wish you would, drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain, kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain, 'Cause I see, sparks fly, whenever you smile" - "Sparks Fly," Taylor Swift

...

MJ didn't love working at the diner, but she did love being able to study after hours in a corner booth against the hushed dark of NYC when most people (except for revelers and night-shift workers) were asleep. It was peaceful, and as a night-owl, she was unusually productive then.

But alas, it was a little on the later side. 1:00 AM, she should head home. Her parents would begin to worry soon, not to mention she had to be awake for school in less than 6 hours.

Walking through NYC after-hours was equal parts dangerous and beautiful. There was something about the dark skies juxtaposed against the yellow taxis and countless rideshare cars lining the streets that made her breathless. Every day, it was as if the city was holding its breath until daybreak.

By chance, she glanced upward, in the direction of a very tall apartment building. A figure cloaked in shimmery blue and red sat there, with their legs dangling off the rooftop. The colors were a little mesmerizing, and perhaps, she thought that's why she looked up.

Her eyes widened as she thought maybe the person was about to jump. But then she saw the emblem on their chest: a black spider.

Spider-man.

Against her will, her eyes traveled up towards his face. It seemed unmasked. But she couldn't make out any features–the glow of the streetlights didn't reach all the way up there.

But even so, she stopped in her tracks on the sidewalk. MJ squinted to see anything, her heart racing at this opportunity to find out who the Spider-man of her memories was. Maybe she could finally understand why she cared about him so much.

Finally, she realized he has messy brown hair and a pale face. His lip is bruised but still pink.

That combination of features was common in the city. Hell, 15 guys from her school looked like that. But something about this kid was a little different, yet familiar.

Peter Parker? He looked very much like the new regular at the diner, who was always a little awkward, but very sweet, kind, and disarming, and always ordered a coffee.

But it didn't make sense to her. How could Spider-man be Peter if she never met the kid before he first visited the diner?

She was just about to snap out of her stupor and keep walking when she noticed someone was tailing her.

MJ started running, but she couldn't outrun them with the weight of her backpack.

The attackers grabbed her hair and tried to fling her backward. My neck is going to break.

But it didn't. A new figure joined the fight–none other than Spider-man himself.

As he worked on disarming the robbers, MJ shuffled through her bag to make sure her laptop was still intact. God knows her family didn't have enough money to buy her a new one.

Everything seemed to be unharmed, except her phone screen, which was a bit cracked. She could live with that. By the time she looked up, Spider-man had the attackers on the ground and offered MJ a hand.

Without any hesitation, almost as if on instinct, she took it.

Sparks.

"Are you okay?" He asked her. She looked down at his hands, which seemed to reach toward her face for a second before dropping. MJ could only nod, the rest of her too focused on Spider-man's movements and mannerisms, trying to figure out anything at all.

"Do you want me to take you home?" She nodded again, without thinking. One part of her knew this was pretty dangerous–she didn't even really know him. But the other part of her knew him a little too well, she just doesn't remember every detail.

MJ took a deep breath and managed to get out a quick "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he responded. His voice sounded familiar too. And once again, the sound of it made her heart race. Not in a threatening nervous way, but a playful nervous way.

God, no, don't get a crush on this kid.

The next thing she knew, she was swinging through the air. "Hold on tight," Spider-man yelled.

She certainly tried her best, but between the New York wind and the fireworks in her hands, it was not easy.

She closed her eyes and buried her head into his shoulder to avoid having to look down. In a minute, they were in front of her house.

Once they land, MJ is nervously fidgeting, fixing her hair, pulling down her uniform. Not because she just got robbed, but because she thinks she might have a thing for this Spider-man. She knows it's a very, very bad idea, but she can't help it.

She kind of wants to say something. Maybe a thank you, maybe a, "how did you know where I live," maybe a, "hey do you remember me?" or maybe a simple, "who are you?"

But none of that comes.

She lifts her head, and all she hears is a "Stay safe!" from the superhero.

Then he's gone. It's just her, her curiosity, and the sparks in her arms from where he held her.

It's 1:30 in the morning. Logically, she should get sleep. Logically, she knows looking into a superhero and getting attached to one is dangerous. But she was already attached, based on her patchy memories.

So, she doesn't tell her parents about the incident, and she doesn't go to bed. Instead, she tries to learn everything she can about Spider-man.