Disclaimer: I own nothing. Really. Don't sue me please. Author's Note: First off... glomps Jolly Jeff Squeak! Thank you SO much for telling me how to work thisthingie. And yes...I should have read the directions...it seems my step-father is rubbing off on me. Hehe But when I tried to use the html format, started messing with it and removed about half the story. X.x;; So...I'll have to work on that. I'm SO sorry this took me so long. Life intervenes with fanfic writing. Sorry again.
Chapter 6: Cheeseburger Joint
The interior of the burger joint the two college students had settled on was thick with cigarette smoke and the distinct tang of ale, even this early in the day. The two had sat down in a booth set against a dark wooden wall. There was a stuffed and mounted blue-fin tuna on the wall a few feet above the table. Patty eyed the fish skeptically as she sat down, almost afraid that the fish's bulged-out eyes would pop from its head and fall into her root beer that the overweight waitress with a mole on her left nostril had set in front of her.
Peter looked around with a smile. "Well. This alright?"
Patty looked up from mashing a sugar packet with her fork. "Huh? Oh. Yeah, this is great. Thanks. I can't remember the last time I just went out with a friend and had lunch. Then again, I can't remember the last time I really had a friend." She smiled lightly.
Peter laughed and nodded. "I know what you mean. Before MJ, I" He was cut off by Patty interrupting, a playful spark in her eyes.
"MJ? Hmm...what does this stand for?"
Peter's cheeks hinted at a faint pink. "Mary Jane."
"Oooh..." Patty sounded much like an annoying younger sister. "Your girlfriend?"
"Erm...well...kind of..." Peter's blush darkened, and he tugged at his shirt collar as if he were stifling in the non-existent heat.
Patty tilted her head. "What do you mean, kind of?" She sucked on her straw, slurping root beer into her mouth before speaking again. "Either she is, or she isn't."
"Well, she's what you could say an advanced girlfriend...she's my fiancée." Why was he so reluctant to tell Patty this? He wasn't sure, but something told him that Patty shouldn't know about Mary Jane.
"Awwww...that's cute." Patty was almost a different person now. It was rather strange. "Well good for you, Peter. That's just great." And she sounded like she meant it, too. "So, when are you guys gonna get married?"
Peter was really getting antsy now. "Erm...I'm not quite sure yet."
"Oh. Fair enough." She shrugged, and took another slurp of her root beer, ending that conversation.
Peter couldn't have been more relieved. "So...you seeing anybody?" He smiled impishly, having spun the question around and back at Patty.
For a moment, Peter thought he had broken her by the way she just stared at him. Then, suddenly, the girl threw her head back and laughed coarsely. She then looked at Peter, still laughing, and finally wound down. "Me? With a boyfriend? Oh, that's rich."
"I take that as a no...?" Peter eyed her oddly. Maybe she just didn't swing that way.
As if she read his mind, Patty snappily replied, "And I'm not a lesbian. I just...haven't had time for a boyfriend." She seemed rather defensive about the subject, and quickly opted to change it. "So. What do people around here do outside of school?"
"Erm..." Peter's mind flashed to web-slinging around the city, beating up criminals, watching Doctor Octopus build his second and most powerful machine, and working. "Work? Hang out with friends?"
Patty cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's all?"
Flying high, blood in his mouth, sweat on his back, adrenaline through his veins, the blood in his body rushing through him as he jumped from building to building at midnight. "Yeah. That's all." He smiled, hoping she'd change subject soon.
But luckily, nobody had to change the subject because the waitress came. "So what do you two want?" She looked rather grumpy, and pulled out a pencil and pad of paper and glared at Patty.
"I'll have the double cheeseburger."
"And I'll have the triple cheeseburger."
The waitress nodded, looking at the two strangely for a moment before walking off, and barking the order at the chef, who was drenched in sweat and grease.
Patty laughed. "Little hungry today, are we?"
"Well, long lectures do that to you, as you've also demonstrated."
Patty laughed again. "Sure seems like it." She took another sip of her root beer and looked past Peter out the large windows at the front of the restaurant. Cars buzzed by in a hurry. Everybody was always in a hurry here in New York, she figured. There was nobody just sitting around doing nothing, except the men in here that were getting drunk at the ripe time of 1:00. Patty began drumming her fingers nonchalantly on the table, still staring out the window. She wasn't sure anymore about what she was staring at. A few old people passed the windows, and then a few young people. Some thugs passed, and Patty noticed something familiar about them. But it wasn't until the tallest's face was shaded partially by the overhanging eves of the restaurant that Patty recognized where she had seen them; they were the guys who had attacked her the night before. She winced slightly, looked over at the shoulder that had been wounded in the struggle. The booster shot had increased her healing rate again, which several tests had proven. But she was still apprehensive. So far, there were no apparent side effects, and science was all about the side effects. When would they show up...?
Patty was jerked from her thoughts by Peter waving a hand in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Patty, over." He laughed lightly as Patty shook her head violently, and fixed him with a curious stare. "You were spacing out."
"Oh. Sorry." She muttered, and didn't look up as the food was brought to the table. Her hands wrapped around the large cheeseburger and brought it up to her rather sharp teeth that clamped down on the unsuspecting food item and tore a chunk from its side. The piece of cheeseburger was ground and mashed inside her mouth, and then swallowed. Patty looked up at Peter as he did the same, only a bit more rapidly. She chuckled lightly. "You a little hungry?"
Peter looked up just after swallowing a rather large bite, and smiled. "Only a little." He then dove back in to tear away another piece of meat and bread.
Patty did the same once more, and then took a long sip of root beer before continuing.
They continued to eat in silence, and before too long both college students were staring at now empty plates. Patty finished off her root beer, and looked to Peter. "Well, that hit the spot."
"Yeah. Sure did."
The waitress lumbered over and left off the bill. Both students dove for their wallets, but Patty had the money on the table faster. "Really. I insist." Her steely gaze caught Peter, and he felt afraid of her, almost terrified.
"O...okay." He spit out, and looked down at the table. Patty was an odd creature for sure. One minute she was jovial, and the next she was giving him a look that could split diamonds. But he had no time to think, as commotion on the street stole his attention.
The cries of an elderly woman pierced through the stagnant New York air. "Help! My purse!" A thug shoved his way through the crowd with his square shoulders, chuckling to himself under his black ski mask.
Peter looked from the street to Patty. "I'm sorry, Patty. But I have to go. I forgot, I have to help my Aunt Mae with something. I'll see you tomorrow!" He grabbed his coat and ran out, nearly knocking over his waitress in the process.
Patty arched a brow as Peter ran out, and followed him after leaving payment for the meal on the table. Something told her that Peter wasn't being entirely truthful.
While the thug ran down the street, Peter stood in an alley and pulled his clothing off, revealing the Spiderman costume underneath. With a yank of his mask, he was fully prepared to capture the thug as the superhero, Spiderman.
Chapter 6: Cheeseburger Joint
The interior of the burger joint the two college students had settled on was thick with cigarette smoke and the distinct tang of ale, even this early in the day. The two had sat down in a booth set against a dark wooden wall. There was a stuffed and mounted blue-fin tuna on the wall a few feet above the table. Patty eyed the fish skeptically as she sat down, almost afraid that the fish's bulged-out eyes would pop from its head and fall into her root beer that the overweight waitress with a mole on her left nostril had set in front of her.
Peter looked around with a smile. "Well. This alright?"
Patty looked up from mashing a sugar packet with her fork. "Huh? Oh. Yeah, this is great. Thanks. I can't remember the last time I just went out with a friend and had lunch. Then again, I can't remember the last time I really had a friend." She smiled lightly.
Peter laughed and nodded. "I know what you mean. Before MJ, I" He was cut off by Patty interrupting, a playful spark in her eyes.
"MJ? Hmm...what does this stand for?"
Peter's cheeks hinted at a faint pink. "Mary Jane."
"Oooh..." Patty sounded much like an annoying younger sister. "Your girlfriend?"
"Erm...well...kind of..." Peter's blush darkened, and he tugged at his shirt collar as if he were stifling in the non-existent heat.
Patty tilted her head. "What do you mean, kind of?" She sucked on her straw, slurping root beer into her mouth before speaking again. "Either she is, or she isn't."
"Well, she's what you could say an advanced girlfriend...she's my fiancée." Why was he so reluctant to tell Patty this? He wasn't sure, but something told him that Patty shouldn't know about Mary Jane.
"Awwww...that's cute." Patty was almost a different person now. It was rather strange. "Well good for you, Peter. That's just great." And she sounded like she meant it, too. "So, when are you guys gonna get married?"
Peter was really getting antsy now. "Erm...I'm not quite sure yet."
"Oh. Fair enough." She shrugged, and took another slurp of her root beer, ending that conversation.
Peter couldn't have been more relieved. "So...you seeing anybody?" He smiled impishly, having spun the question around and back at Patty.
For a moment, Peter thought he had broken her by the way she just stared at him. Then, suddenly, the girl threw her head back and laughed coarsely. She then looked at Peter, still laughing, and finally wound down. "Me? With a boyfriend? Oh, that's rich."
"I take that as a no...?" Peter eyed her oddly. Maybe she just didn't swing that way.
As if she read his mind, Patty snappily replied, "And I'm not a lesbian. I just...haven't had time for a boyfriend." She seemed rather defensive about the subject, and quickly opted to change it. "So. What do people around here do outside of school?"
"Erm..." Peter's mind flashed to web-slinging around the city, beating up criminals, watching Doctor Octopus build his second and most powerful machine, and working. "Work? Hang out with friends?"
Patty cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's all?"
Flying high, blood in his mouth, sweat on his back, adrenaline through his veins, the blood in his body rushing through him as he jumped from building to building at midnight. "Yeah. That's all." He smiled, hoping she'd change subject soon.
But luckily, nobody had to change the subject because the waitress came. "So what do you two want?" She looked rather grumpy, and pulled out a pencil and pad of paper and glared at Patty.
"I'll have the double cheeseburger."
"And I'll have the triple cheeseburger."
The waitress nodded, looking at the two strangely for a moment before walking off, and barking the order at the chef, who was drenched in sweat and grease.
Patty laughed. "Little hungry today, are we?"
"Well, long lectures do that to you, as you've also demonstrated."
Patty laughed again. "Sure seems like it." She took another sip of her root beer and looked past Peter out the large windows at the front of the restaurant. Cars buzzed by in a hurry. Everybody was always in a hurry here in New York, she figured. There was nobody just sitting around doing nothing, except the men in here that were getting drunk at the ripe time of 1:00. Patty began drumming her fingers nonchalantly on the table, still staring out the window. She wasn't sure anymore about what she was staring at. A few old people passed the windows, and then a few young people. Some thugs passed, and Patty noticed something familiar about them. But it wasn't until the tallest's face was shaded partially by the overhanging eves of the restaurant that Patty recognized where she had seen them; they were the guys who had attacked her the night before. She winced slightly, looked over at the shoulder that had been wounded in the struggle. The booster shot had increased her healing rate again, which several tests had proven. But she was still apprehensive. So far, there were no apparent side effects, and science was all about the side effects. When would they show up...?
Patty was jerked from her thoughts by Peter waving a hand in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Patty, over." He laughed lightly as Patty shook her head violently, and fixed him with a curious stare. "You were spacing out."
"Oh. Sorry." She muttered, and didn't look up as the food was brought to the table. Her hands wrapped around the large cheeseburger and brought it up to her rather sharp teeth that clamped down on the unsuspecting food item and tore a chunk from its side. The piece of cheeseburger was ground and mashed inside her mouth, and then swallowed. Patty looked up at Peter as he did the same, only a bit more rapidly. She chuckled lightly. "You a little hungry?"
Peter looked up just after swallowing a rather large bite, and smiled. "Only a little." He then dove back in to tear away another piece of meat and bread.
Patty did the same once more, and then took a long sip of root beer before continuing.
They continued to eat in silence, and before too long both college students were staring at now empty plates. Patty finished off her root beer, and looked to Peter. "Well, that hit the spot."
"Yeah. Sure did."
The waitress lumbered over and left off the bill. Both students dove for their wallets, but Patty had the money on the table faster. "Really. I insist." Her steely gaze caught Peter, and he felt afraid of her, almost terrified.
"O...okay." He spit out, and looked down at the table. Patty was an odd creature for sure. One minute she was jovial, and the next she was giving him a look that could split diamonds. But he had no time to think, as commotion on the street stole his attention.
The cries of an elderly woman pierced through the stagnant New York air. "Help! My purse!" A thug shoved his way through the crowd with his square shoulders, chuckling to himself under his black ski mask.
Peter looked from the street to Patty. "I'm sorry, Patty. But I have to go. I forgot, I have to help my Aunt Mae with something. I'll see you tomorrow!" He grabbed his coat and ran out, nearly knocking over his waitress in the process.
Patty arched a brow as Peter ran out, and followed him after leaving payment for the meal on the table. Something told her that Peter wasn't being entirely truthful.
While the thug ran down the street, Peter stood in an alley and pulled his clothing off, revealing the Spiderman costume underneath. With a yank of his mask, he was fully prepared to capture the thug as the superhero, Spiderman.