Mary Jane shifted in the Peter's desk chair as she watched him sleep.
After he had fallen, Sarah of all people had helped her move him to the kitchen where it was semi-quiet until he woke up.
Peter lay on the hard tile, his eyes were still closed but he let out a soft groan that was pure joy to the two girls intently watching him.
MJ gently brushed off the sweaty hair from Peter's head and he opened his eyes.
"Hey" He gave her a weak grin. "Sorry about all this."
MJ sighed and looked again at Peter's softly breathing frame. His face had a giant bruise along the length of his cheek and a cut from where he had scraped his face against a table on his way to the floor.
When Peter had regained consciousness enough to walk they helped him to the car and MJ drove home, worrying and cursing herself the whole way.
It never would have happened if she hadn't forced him to go to the damn party he didn't want to go to in the first place!
When they got home, Ben took one look at the situation and helped Peter to his room and MJ explained what happened to Aunt May. She got halfway through before bursting into tears again and Aunt May had hugged her, telling her not to worry.
Aunt May and Uncle Ben had gone to bed soon after they returned, but MJ couldn't sleep and kept up her vigil by the sleeping boy who had risked injury to protect her.
Nobody had ever done that before.
Nobody had ever even come close to that before.
Peter stirred in his sleep and cracked a sleepy eye open.
"MJ?"
"Hey Pete, did I wake you?"
"Oh no, I just... I don't know, woke up."
Mary Jane had to smile at his slurred words and mumbled explanation.
"Listen Peter, thank you so much, that's the nicest thing anybody has ever done for me."
"Aww that's ok MJ," He yawned. "I can't believe Flash tried to hit you. Is he crazy?"
MJ could tell Peter was almost asleep again and barely aware of what he was saying.
"I don't know Tiger," She said softly, "Is he?"
"I'd never hurt you Mary Jane." He was mumbling now, his eyes closing. "I'd always love you."
With that he was gone again, breathing deeply and contentedly.
MJ looked over his face. He was actually... really attractive without his glasses. And he loved her.
She knew he had a crush, she even knew it was a pretty bad one... but she had never known he loved her.
She looked around his room. There were some framed pictures on his desk and she got up to look at them.
There was one of him and his parents, when he was only 4 or 5, probably taken only right before their sudden deaths. Aunt May and Uncle Ben and him were posed in a family portrait in one and then she picked up one half hidden by the shadows in the dark room.
It was of her and him when they were only 7 or 8. She was smiling at him, blissfully unaware of the adoration that was etched into little Peter's still face. She smiled fondly at the picture. She could remember the days when they played together almost every day, the days she told him everything, the days that were, she realized painfully, some of the happiest in her life.
She gently set the picture down and with another long look at Peter's face, she left the room and headed to her own. She realized there was something she had to do the next day.
She had to tell him she loved him too.
The next morning dawned sunny and Mary Jane felt incredibly relaxed and was glad it was Saturday. She stretched and felt a cool breeze on her face from the open window. The streets were surprisingly quiet for a New York Saturday morning and MJ welcomed it. She stretched in bed, closing her eyes again when the events of last night flew back to her, splashing over her like a bucket of cold water.
She got up and half ran into Peter's room, upset with herself for leaving his side last night. She walked in the familiar blue room and was surprised to see the bed unoccupied.
She glanced around, wondering if she was completely missing him at his desk or something but everything was unoccupied.
"MJ?"
She jumped at the voice, but welcomed it all the same.
"Peter." She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face him. He was standing in the doorway, the bruise still covering a major part of his face, but the rest seemed to have done him good and he was giving her a shy smile.
"Thanks for waiting up with me MJ, I didn't say anything dumb did I?"
His blue eyes were twinkling mischievously and Mary Jane knew Peter had no idea what he had said about loving her. She fought back a smile.
"Nope Peter, a few mumbled sentences, but absolutely nothing dumb." Nothing dumb at all. Mary Jane thought in her head.
MJ walked downstairs with Peter, and they ate the breakfast Aunt May had prepared in a comfortable silence. Peter seemed to be musing about something which was fine with her as she carefully snuck a glance at Peter and felt the now familiar rush of emotion flow through her. She tried numerous situations in her mind. Should she flat out tell him she loved him? Nah that would probably scare him. She laughed softly to herself. There was no other boy that MJ had dated who would take so much consideration and thought. If she told another boy she loved him a typical response would probably be trying to make out with her. Not that she had told any boy she loved him. She hadn't. She had dated quite a few good looking guys but she had always believed that she would know when she felt love. All the other guys had been lukewarm to strong likings... nothing to what she felt about Peter Parker.
Peter Parker was... everything. It surprised her to know how deeply she cared about him. Her only guess was that she had always felt this way, it was just covered up. His bold defense at the party had changed everything.
MJ glanced again at Peter who was absently doing the crossword puzzle.
"Hey MJ?" Peter looked like he was straining with something in his mind. She looked at him questioningly.
"Yeah Pete?"
MJ watched as Peter's eyes showed a tiny glimpse of the battle that was going on in his soul. He opened his mouth, then seemed to think better of it and shut it again. He struggled with the right words for a second before he finally mumbled the first thing that had popped in his head.
"What's a six letter word for 'Middle-Earth creature? Any idea?"
MJ looked him over. He had definitely wanted to say something and she was willing to be it wasn't a Lord of the Rings trivia question.
"That would be hobbit, Tiger."
"Oh, right. Thanks." He looked back at the paper scribbled her answer down.
"Hey MJ?"
Peter gave her a sideways glance, his blue eyes skimming her face before a faint blush crossed his face and he stared at the table top. He blurted out the next few words as fast as he could.
"Would you like to do something later tonight? Catch a movie or go to dinner or something?"
In the split second MJ took to realize he was asking her out on a date he had already started apologizing.
"If you don't want to that's ok of course. I shouldn't have even brought this up, I'm sor-."
Mary Jane cut in to his rapid speech laughing.
"Pete? Peter calm down." She gave him a smile. "I'd love to."
Peter managed to stop looking at the table enough to look into her eyes, look back down, then look into her eyes again.
He seemed surprised she had said yes and he looked at her again.
"Really?"
"Of course." She grinned at the smile of relief that spread across his face.
"Alright!" He laughed.
"And... I just got an idea where we can go."
"Where?"
"It's a surprise. I hope you'll like it." He said softly.
"I'm sure I will Tiger, don't worry." And she meant it. Her eyes scanned his face. His quiet eyes were sincere and honest and there was a gentle smile on his face. She was pretty sure they could go anywhere and she would have fun.
MJ was glad she had realized how much Peter Parker meant to her.
Alright, sorry this chapter is a bit slow, I'll try and get chapter 5 up ASAP... have to write it first!
-LLL