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Chapter Thirty-Five
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It was with great persuasion on Mary Jane's part that she somehow convinced him to bring his camera on the walk. In a way, he was glad that he did bring it - they laughed about random things that caught their eye and Mary Jane would sometimes direct him to take a picture of something that she found to be interesting. She did this a lot by suddenly grabbing at his forearm and tugging him excitedly while pointing enthusiastically with her other hand.
It was the most carefree he's felt since he had danced with Mary Jane on the dance floor at Harry's party. All of his worries seemed to just melt away…
They were walking along and Peter caught a glimpse of a tree up ahead that was an early bloomer with the autumn colors - with green leaves intermixed with a deep red. He slowed his pace while Mary Jane continued on none the wiser. He got in line, lifted his camera before saying, "Hey, MJ!"
She stopped and twirled to face him just as he pointed and snapped the candid shot. The wide-eyed look that she gave was beautiful when paired with the curious tickle of a smile on her lips. Peter lowered the camera with a grin. "Sorry. Some of the best pictures come from candid moments."
Mary Jane shook her head at him, amused. "You do realize that you're saying that to someone who wants to pose in front of the camera for a living?" As she said this, she stepped closer to him so that she was shoulder to shoulder. He could feel her heat even though their jackets and it caused him to want to give into the sensation to shiver. He managed to resist, all the while acutely aware of her close proximity. "Can I see?"
Her head was bowed over the camera screen and Peter nodded before he brought up the latest picture. As they both looked at it, he surmised that he was right - this was probably one of his favorite pictures of MJ, looking so buoyant and happy in such a simple setting. But Mary Jane gave a hum of distaste.
He shot a perplexed look down at her. "What? You don't like it?"
Her gaze left the photo as she glanced up at him and gave him a nonchalant shrug. "Eh, it's alright. There's just something missing from it."
Peter's attention went back to the picture, trying to understand what she meant. In his eyes, the picture was perfect.
Mary Jane finally took pity on him as she playfully hit his shoulder with a small giggle. "You, Peter. The picture is missing you."
"Wha- Oh, no, Red… I'm much better behind the camera, trust me," Peter said bashfully, all the while she was tugging at his arm again and pulling him into position beside her in front of the rare autumn tree. "I thought that it was illegal to take a selfie with a tiger in New York!" Peter protested.
Mary Jane snorted as she took her phone out of her pocket - knowing that the angle would be too awkward for his bulky, fancy camera. "Now, that just makes it all the more tempting, Tiger!" She said as she got in close beside him and extended her phone out in front of them. "Now smile."
Peter sighed and did as he was told. Mary Jane snapped a few pictures before she brought the phone down to look at the results. Her fingers grabbed his arm in excitement. "Peter, see? Look! Look at how cute we are!"
She turned the phone screen toward him so that he could see, his face flushed as he looked on. She was right. They did look good together. And in a perfect world, Mary Jane would realize that…
He ignored her comment and asked instead, "Are you going to post it?"
Looking up from grinning down at her phone, Mary Jane's brows puckered a bit. "I was planning on it. Why? Do you not want me to?"
Peter shook his head, biting his lip. "No, I don't mind."
It would just have to be another form of exquisite torture for him - he knew that once he was tagged on the picture, he would be obsessively looking at it, mocking him with the fantasy of what he couldn't have but wishing for it all the same.
That was why spending time with Mary Jane was a double-edged sword. He could safely say that she was fast becoming one of his best friends and he loved being around her… but it was also a sweet misery to be so close to her while knowing that he couldn't ever have her.
Still, she beamed at him from his response and set about opening up her Instagram and doing just that - her smile making his impending obsession over the picture worth it.
…
"I expected results by now, Dr. Smythe," The Big Man thundered in the laboratory at the scientist in the robotic, hovering wheelchair. "And these lack of results are starting to get me disappointed - You are well aware of what happens to those I am disappointed with, hmmm?"
Alistair Smythe sent a thunderous look over his shoulder. "Your threats are empty and you know it. You need me."
The Big Man gave a menacing laugh. "The lack of results on Experiment 9877 says otherwise, doctor."
They both looked over at the cryochamber, where an unconscious Moorie Bench has lain since The Big Man kidnapped him from prison in July. It was as imperative as ever that the experiment is a success. Spider-Man had defeated his other two creations already and the wall-crawler was starting to focus again on the petty street crime that funded The Big Man's criminal empire. The Big Man gritted his teeth at the thought of Mark Watson and Flint Marko… such a waste. Here, he gave them all of the power and set them free on the streets and they couldn't even manage past a few measly months before they wasted that potential.
"It's the bonding agent that's the problem," Dr. Smythe grumbled to himself as he looked over his notes on the holographic screen. "It's different from the rest. We may need to go back to formula-"
"BACK TO FORMULA!" The Big Man roared, as his arm swept at the contents on the desk beside him, shattering lab tubes and papers all over the floor. He advanced on the slithering Smythe. "I NEED RESULTS TODAY AND YOU WANT TO SCRAP THE ENTIRE EXPERIMENT BACK TO FORMULA!"
To the doctor's credit, he didn't so much as wince at The Big Man's tirade. "If you want it done correctly, then yes."
The temptation to murder him on the spot was severely strong. But Dr. Smythe was correct - The Big Man needed him… for now, at least. "You have one week." He said through gritted teeth before he stormed out of the room. Outside in the hall, Hammerhead was waiting for him, having overheard everything. He didn't even pretend to look as though he hadn't been eavesdropping and instead asked bluntly, "And if he doesn't have results in a week? What then, boss?"
They were striding down the hall and The Big Man paused, a feral grin overtaking his features. "Then I will deal with the Spider myself."
…..
The week passed with Mary Jane continuing on with her routine of meeting Peter after school at Delmar's Deli. She even came to notice that Peter has come to expect her there, where he started to wait for her outside of the shop where they would then both go in and order together. It sent butterflies rattling around in her stomach at the thought that this was their thing. It was something that only Peter and her shared with no one else, even if it only lasted for several minutes before he left to go on his patrols.
It was the same old routine until Thursday came, and instead of going straight to the sandwich shop to meet Peter, she was picked up in a fancy car outside of her school to take her to her very first modeling photoshoot. She was nearly bursting from excitement as the car pulled up to a grand building in downtown Manhattan.
Waiting for her was an ensemble of stylists and makeup artists that primmed her for nearly two hours. She was dressed in the first outfit of eco-friendly recycled clothing - a brand that Mr. Lincoln was proud to soon announce - and was brought out into a room with bright lighting and a photographer. But surprisingly to her, Mr. Lincoln was there as well, the whitish-gray pallor to his skin immediately noticeable to all of the other people in the room. Mary Jane approached him immediately. "Mr. Lincoln, how lovely to see you again."
Mr. Lincoln gave a soft smile down at her in greeting. "Miss Watson, the pleasure is all mine. Are you prepared for your first photoshoot?"
Mary Jane beamed at the man and nodded, "I was born ready, sir."
A twinkle of amusement sparked in his eye, as he replied, "There is that gumption that drew my notice of you in the first place. Here, let me introduce you to your photographer for today-" Mr. Lincoln held out his hand toward the photographer that was adjusting the lighting. He was on the younger side, most likely in his lower twenties, with blonde hair and blue eyes. "Miss Watson, this is Edward Brock. Mr. Brock, this is your model for the evening, Mary Jane Watson."
The man turned to face Mary Jane and held out his hand to her. "You can call me Eddie, actually. Edward is my father."
The casual manner in which he spoke and acted immediately set Mary Jane at ease as she took his hand. "Nice to meet you, Eddie. Some people like to call me MJ."
Eddie nodded and released her hand before he asked, "Is this your first time at a photoshoot?"
Mary Jane bit her lip. Was it that obvious? "At a professional one, yes."
To her surprise, Eddie grinned. "Good. I like to keep things casual at my shoots and I like that you're coming into this with a new mindset."
At this, Mr. Lincoln interjected as he talked to Mary Jane, "One thing that you should know about Mr. Brock is that he likes to make his models feel comfortable by asking them personal questions during the shoot."
"I like to get genuine responses and emotions out of the models. So, if I offend you, just know that it was not done intentionally." Eddie interjected as he turned back to his camera to adjust the lens.
Mary Jane was intrigued. This was certainly not how she normally pictured a professional photoshoot. Mostly, she imagined the photographer telling her to 'make love to the camera' or 'give me a bit more attitude'. "I don't get offended easily," Mary Jane rushed to reassure.
They easily accepted her response and Eddie was quick to direct her into position underneath the lights. "Just morph into a bunch of different poses as I ask you questions."
"Alright," Mary Jane nodded as she struck her first pose.
Eddie got in line for his shot and immediately dived right in with the first question. "Let's start off with this; What's your greatest fear, MJ?"
Mary Jane faltered somewhat as the shutter of the camera went off. She quickly tried to go back and maintain her composure. "My greatest fear?" She asked, hesitant as she switched up her pose to help hide her blunder.
That was quite the loaded question, wasn't it? She could honestly say that she never really thought too deeply about the answer before - she was only sixteen, after all, with her whole life ahead of her. Her mind flashed through different options before a stray thought of Peter walking away from her, never looking back, flashed in her mind.
"I suppose my greatest fear is ending up alone."
"Where you're going, it will be far from lonely," Mr. Lincoln interjected, "Straight to the top."
Mary Jane eased a bit at this answer as dropped a hip. and popped a knee.
"We'll get into some easier questions, but I want some rapid-fire answers. Sound good?" Eddie asked as he shifted his angle over a bit to the right, continuing to snap the pictures.
"Yes," Mary Jane agreed.
"What's your favorite color?"
"Green."
"Your favorite animal?"
"Cats."
"What do you want to be after graduation?"
"Be a model and an actress." No duh.
"Who's your favorite superhero?"
"Spider-Man."
"Why is Spider-Man your favorite hero?"
"Because he's genuine and sweet," She answered automatically and didn't think much on it until the next question was asked...
"Sounds like you know him?"
Mary Jane faltered and froze. But only for a moment before she forced herself to regain her composure. She flashed an easygoing, nonchalant smile. "I only met him once. When he saved us from the bomb at Mr. Lincoln's Charity Ball."
"He must have made quite the impression from such a brief meeting." It wasn't a question so Mary Jane didn't say anything, instead choosing to merely change her pose. "What do you like to do for fun?"
The questions got easier after that and Mary Jane changed into the different clothing options from the line, each session with the same manner of rapid-fire questioning. In a way, it was kinda fun. She always did like talking about herself. Who didn't?
By the time Eddie set down his camera and said that he got all the shots that he needed, Mary Jane was bummed that it was over. Still, she changed and gathered up her things, thanked Eddie and Mr. Lincoln, and was escorted back into that fancy, sleek, black car.
On the ride back home, Mary Jane was struck suddenly with the fact that she hadn't been able to see Peter at all today due to her not being able to go to Delmar's… was it crazy that she missed him? Even after seeing him only yesterday?
Mary Jane pulled out her phone and pulled up Instagram, immediately going to Peter's profile so that she could see a picture of him at least… all the while telling herself that she wasn't obsessed and looking for her latest fix.
What she saw was a new picture posted on the top of his profile. It was a candid shot in the park. Father and son were playing frisbee with a puppy. Mary Jane's heart warmed. It was totally a Peter Parker thing to be captivated by such a sight, and he captured it so well. She was right to encourage him with his photography. Her attention changed focus to his caption. It was a longer one.
'I've come to find that there is always a deeper meaning behind a picture. Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? But it doesn't always capture the entire story…
Just after taking this shot, I approached them to ask if I could post it. We had a real and meaningful conversation where I found out that they actually got the dog after the mom lost a battle with breast cancer. It was too quiet in the house after that, so they got the puppy to help bring a little noise back into their lives. Since then, the dad told me that they were merely taking on each day at a time. That it gets easier with each breath, with each smile, and with each passing moment - the key is that you just have to learn to treasure it all.'
Mary Jane was stunned. It was so profound. Was this really how Peter saw the world? If yes, then more people needed to adopt his outlook and mentality - because then surely the world would be a better place. Just the fact that Peter even bothered to talk to the father and son told the world so much about his moral character.
Her attention was diverted by a comment underneath that had her bristling.
Flash6969: You're such a creeper for posting pics of strangers!
What a hypocrite! Wasn't Flash the one that turned his camera on her while he was live-streaming? He hadn't known who she was then. She was a complete stranger to him.
She hastily typed out a response to Flash's comment, hoping that Peter would see it, knowing that she was coming up to bat for him.
MaryJaneWatson: Flash6969 Weren't you the one to start the campaign #FindFiestyRed? Pot meet kettle…
Then, she posted her own comment under the picture, changing her tune.
MaryJaneWatson: That was beautiful, Tiger. So is the picture. I keep telling you that you have talent and it looks like you finally started listening to me.
She posted the comment and then switched over to her profile to gaze longingly at the selfie that she posted of her and Peter. Her heart clenched at the sight of them almost looking like a real couple. She wanted it to become a reality so badly it almost hurt…
Mary Jane closed her eyes then with a sigh and pictured his lips… wondering what it would be like to have them pressed against her own. She shivered and thought along those lines until the car pulled up in front of her apartment building.
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It was Saturday night and Mary Jane was sitting on her living room couch, scheming. She was currently trying to think up an excuse to go over and see Peter - perhaps she could try and coax him to go out and do something fun with her? Bowling, perhaps? - when the sound of excited chatter and the boisterous laugh of one Harry Osborn could be heard from out in the hall…
Mary Jane immediately bounded to her feet and ran toward her door to peek out through the peephole - and sure enough, there was Harry on a set of crutches with Ned who was carrying a large stack of four, large pizza boxes. They immediately bypassed her door, but Mary Jane could see that Harry glanced at it for a moment before continuing onward. The sound of knocking could be heard and then she heard Peter's voice.
"Hey guys! Are you ready for an epic showdown?"
"I'm ready to royally kick your ass again, Parker," Harry said with a chuckle before she heard Ned mock gasp.
"Ooooooo, shots fired!" He said as they walked into the apartment and closed the door.
Were they having another guy's night? Her first reaction was bitter disappointment. There went her Saturday night plans with Peter… and she really felt that she was finally on the cusp of something when it came to her and Peter. They saw each other basically every day now, even if it was only for passing minutes. But they hadn't seen each other today… Mary Jane had tried to see Peter earlier but May had told her that he was out. She could only assume that he was out as Spider-Man - so she had covertly watched out the window for his return, which she saw occur only ten minutes ago. It was quite the sight to see, Peter in his Spider-Man suit, covertly swinging and attaching himself to the outside wall before crawling in through his bedroom window. 'Wow, Peter… cutting it a little close if you were expecting company over.' She thought, amused.
She sighed and resolved to settle in for the night. Maybe put on some loose sweatpants and watch some sappy drama. She turned toward her bedroom to execute the first step of her plan, when a thought struck her and she paused…
Wait. She could actually work with this new development. They had invited her to join them last time, right? And she actually asked for a rain check, so why not cash in on it now?
She bit her lip in excitement as her mind whirred. Immediately, she went out in the hall and knocked on the Parker's door. There was no need for her to have to do her makeup or change her outfit. She was already dressed to impress from her earlier wishes to catch Peter as soon as he returned.
But there was no answer… Mary Jane frowned and knocked again, this time a bit more definitively. But still, no response.
Mary Jane huffed, annoyed as she put her ear to the door. Behind, she could hear the muffled sound of blasting music as well as boyish shouts and exclamations. Well… it was no wonder they couldn't hear her knocking. But what could she do to rectify that? She supposed that she could just text Peter and ask him to open the door… but that wasn't as spontaneous a play that she had been anticipating. Then, another thought struck her before a cheeky smirk grew on her lips. Oh. This was sure to get Peter's attention.
Turning back to her door, she let herself back into her apartment before shutting and locking it behind her. Then, she made a beeline for her bedroom window, opened it to the chilly autumn air, and set a foot out onto the fire escape. Memories flashed through her mind of that first night she met Peter as Spider-Man, and brought him up this very stairway to her Aunt Anna's apartment. If she knew then what she knew now, what would she have done? Would she do everything exactly the same or plan things differently? She knew that she wouldn't have been able to ask him to unmask in his vulnerable state… her not unmasking him is what got Peter to trust her as Spider-Man to begin with. But then, apparently, he still didn't trust her enough to outright tell her his secret. She closed her eyes and breathed, reminding herself that patience is a virtue.
The fire escape platform was extended up to four windows, so she easily maneuvered her way in the direction of what she knew to be the Parker's residence.
Finding Peter's bedroom window was easy enough. She saw him crawl through there not that long ago and he also decided to forgo pulling down the blinds so she could see within.
Inside, Harry was sitting in a chair with his casted leg propped up on a stool, one hand on a video game controller while the other was shoving pizza in his mouth. Ned was sitting on the other side of Harry, closest to the door. He was hyper focused on the game as he made shouts and exclamations at the characters on the screen. While Peter was also sitting on the floor, closest to the window as he suddenly threw a stray t-shirt at Ned's face in order to distract him. Mary Jane put her hand to her mouth at the sight. She couldn't wait to see their faces when they discovered her sudden appearance.
This was going to be fun.
With that, she knocked loudly on the windowpane and nearly burst out laughing as three sets of wide eyes snapped in her direction simultaneously.
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A/N: Mary Jane Watson, you minx! Party crashing guys night?! Through the bedroom window?!
She's definitely stepping up her game now! Mary Jane Watson has no shame.
Full warning - next chapter may or may not give you an aneurysm from awkwardness/cuteness overload.
Please leave me a comment/review. Thanks so much for reading!
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