A/N: Hey, I'm taking a break from my other story because I'm kinda blocked on it. And I'm still looking for a BETA READER if anybody's interested.... Alrighty, so let's get going on this one. It's a one shot I came up last night while hanging out with my girlfriend at the movies. (We saw Spider-Man2 and thought it wasn't that great, but what can you do?) Anyway, this is my second fic and it's not centered on the the comic or the cartoon. It's just something I came up with and wanted to share. I showed it to my girlfriend and she thought it was good and told me to post it, so I did. Hope you like it. If you have any questions regarding this fic, E-mail me and I'll answer them when I get it. This is right after the first movie, about a week. And hey, the second movie takes place two years after the first one, so, who knows, this could've happened. -
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The thunder cracked and the lighting seemed to come even fiercer as rain pored over the city nonstop for the third night in a row. But that was the least of Peter's problems.
Peter was lying on his back in his over-sized sweater and sweat pants on his bed. He was staring at the ceiling as if it would materialize into some sort of answer as to why he was such a jerk. Why had he done that to her? Why? Well, he new why, he wanted to protect her. He just felt as if he was controlling her life some how. She loved him, he loved her. It was a classic cliché with a slight dash of absurdity. Boy meets Girl; Boy falls in love with Girl. Boy gets bitten by a genetically-altered super-spider. Boy swings around in skin-tight spandex. Girl gets in trouble and Boy saves her from Clichéd Villain. Boy starts stalking Girl and saves her from band of, oddly enough, Clichéd Thugs. Boy and Girl have their first kiss in the rain. Girl begins to like Spandex Boy after saving her. Clichéd Villain comes in with the sadistic/clichéd choice: 'Let die the woman you love, or suffer the little children?' Boy saves Girl and children. Girl thinks about Boy, not Spandex Boy. Days later, Girl tells Boy she loves him. Boy says he can only give friendship. Girl breaks down as Boy walks away.
Oh, yeah, real clichéd, thought Peter bitterly as he sat up. He propped himself up with each arm and slowly got off the bed. Jeez, it's been over a week and I'm still moping around. Need a shower.
Peter walked to the bathroom as he peeled off his sweater. He threw it aside while starting the shower. He pulled his pants and boxers off and stepped in. Just as he lathered up his hair in his hands with his shampoo, the phone rang.
Peter slipped his hands out of his hair and leaned against the shower, with his forehead just below the shower head. "Argh! What do want?! I just want to take my shower and smother myself in Haagen-Dazs!" he shouted at the phone through the shower curtain, bathroom wall and over his bed, hoping that it reached the phone, willing it to leave him alone, but, to no avail.
Peter sighed and quickly washed the soap out of his hair, turned off the water and stepped out of the tub. "Okay, okay I'm coming...." He stepped into his towel, wrapping it around his waist. He opened the door and lunged at the phone incase whoever was calling hung up. He picked it up and held it to his ear.
"Hullo?" There was no answer on the other end, but Peter knew somebody was there from their breathing. "You don't want to talk, fine! I have shower to get back too anyway." He was about to hang up when he heard a panicked cry. He placed the phone to his ear again. "Yes?" he said sweetly, trying to sound nice. He desperately wanted to get back in his shower and drown his problems.
He heard a sigh of relief on the other end. "Peter?"
Peter's breath caught in his throat. He knew that voice. "Mary Jane?" he breathed.
"Heh, yeah, Tiger. Haven't heard from you in a while...was wondering if you dropped off the face of the planet....?" she trailed off thinking about Peter being in the shower. MJ was on her bed with her back on the head board. Her TV was on but she wasn't paying attention to it so she turned it off. Wonder what soaps he uses, she pondered dreamily. She was suddenly over taken by her senses and inhaled deeply as if she could smell him through the phone.
"Uh, no, no. Haven't dropped off the face of the wall, yet," he replied softly through the phone.
"Wall?" she asked, her eyebrows arching causing her forehead to crease.
Peter mentally kicked himself. "Planet, I mean...."
"Oh. Well, hey, uh, Peter, I was wondering if you could come over for a little bit...you know only if you want to...?" she asked hastily. She twisted the phone cord in her fingers. Twirling them around and getting them tangled, then untangling them. She did this repeatedly, taking her anxiousness out through it. Please say yes, Peter. Please, say it....
"You do know that it's, like, ten-thirty?" he asked as he looked up at the clock. He wanted to go over there, to just see her again. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and say he was sorry, that he did love her, but...he couldn't. It was the obligation holding him back.
"Yeah, but I was lonely and well, I couldn't sleep and I just...I think I just need some company. I called Harry first but he wasn't in, then I called some of my friends and they all said they where busy. It is Friday you know." She inclined her head to her calendar on the wall, making sure she was right.
"Yeah, I know. Heh-heh, I guess we're the only losers still stuck in on a Friday night, right?" Peter moved to the bed and leaned back. His bare skin squeaked as he slid down the back board.
"Yeah, I guess we are, Tiger. So will you? Just for a little while?" she asked desperately. Peter either didn't here that or chose not to acknowledge it. MJ silently pleaded in her head.
Oy, MJ, you're the only person who needs to not like me. Not that I want you to or anything...., he thought sadly. He decided to blow off his responsibility for the time he was with Mary Jane. He had earned it after all.... "Alright, fine," he said as a small smile crept its way on to his lips. "Can I finish my shower, or do you want me to drop everything and run over there in a towel?" he said jokingly.
"Well, now that you mention it...." she replied as a small grin played on her lips.
"No way, Mary Jane! I don't want to get arrested for indecent exposure!" he laughed out.
"Yes, you can finish your shower. Besides I don't want you to stink up my apartment!"
Peter rolled his eyes. "Gee, how subtle of you to notice."
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Mary Jane let out an excited squeak as she hung up the phone. She started to do her happy dance that consisted of moves from the Chicken Song to the 'Greased Lighting' song from the musical 'Grease'. She'd have to clean up her apartment. She'd been moping around it for a week, not bothering to vacume or wash the dishes. She cleaned everything as fast as she could; shoving things in the closets and throwing dishes into the oven. As soon as she was finished, she heard a knock at her door. She walked over and peered through the peephole. As soon as she saw it was Peter, she opened the door. Wow, he got here fast!
"Hey, Peter," she breathed as she gave him the once over with her eyes. He was in another baggy sweat-shirt and in flannel pants that were set low on his hips. His hair was tousled and wet from being out in the rain.
"Hi, Mary Jane." He stared at her drinking her in with every longing glance. She stepped aside to make room for him to come in. "Thanks," he muttered as he adverted his eyes from her and walked in.
As he walked in, MJ caught his sent float behind him. It smelled like soap, aftershave and most of all, it smelled like Peter. She smelled it, but it wasn't enough; she wanted to embrace him and bury her head in his neck and just breathe him in.
She closed the door and stepped up to him. She pointed to the couch indicating that he could sit. He sat down and saw that she sat across from him. There was an awkward silence that fallowed. Each not wanting to look at the other in case they lost control of their feelings.
Well this is...weird in the very least, thought Peter. Need to break the silence. Need to get her talking so we don't feel so...awkward. But talk about what? Well, ask her what she had in mind that she called you at ten-thirty!
What is he thinking about? He always sits like that when he's thinking, she recalled from the chair opposite him. I remember from high school. Peter was sitting with his legs slightly spread and his elbows on his knees and his hands on his chin. He was staring past Mary Jane at the wall, not really seeing it. His eyes weren't focused on anything in particular.
"Mary Jane—" he said as she said his name.
"Peter—"
They both looked up expectantly. When neither said anything, they both spoke again
"What are you thinking about—?"
"What do you want to do—?"
They both smiled then looked down sheepishly.
Peter was the first to recover from his blunder. He looked up at her and almost lost what he was going to say, because he was lost in her hair. The orange-crimson of it was framing her face as she was looking down at her feet. "Uh...you go first," he stated as her eyes darted up to look at him.
"Oh, well, okay.... I just saw you sitting there like that, and I was wondering what you were thinking...," she trailed off moving her eyes to the kitchen.
Peter was taken aback by her statement. "How did you know I was thinking?" He was amazed that she knew he was thinking. Only a select few knew that he sat like that when he thought.
Mary Jane moved her eyes back to him. "You used to sit like that in high school when there was a big test or one of the teachers gave a lecture or something." she said sheepishly.
"Oh." Peter was amazed that she even new he was alive in high school let alone watched him. Peter shrugged his shoulders. "I forgot what I was thinking about," he said as he gave her a quizzical smile. Peter stared at her for a few seconds before she gave him 'The Look'.
"What?" she muttered as she walked past him and to the kitchen to get some coffee.
"I didn't think you knew who I was at Midtown, let alone watch me...." He gave her a crooked smile and realized she was making coffee, and got up to help her.
"Of course I knew who you where, Peter! You were my next door neighbor for twelve years. And I had to save your ass on more then one occasion when you missed the bus!" She swatted his hand away from the coffee container.
Peter gave another cooked smile. "Oh. Uh...thank you?" he said hopefully.
Mary Jane rolled her eyes and looked at him. "You, my friend, are the world's largest goofball, doofus, dorkis, and idiot, all rolled into one."
Peter looked at her in mock hurt. "That hurt. Right here," he indicated his heart. Peter dropped the act and asked, "Really? How ya figure?" he moved to the side of her and reached to the cupboard to get cups. She pushed him out of the way.
"Because, I say so. And because you so smart, your not logical."
"Not logical?"
"Yes. Here," she shoved a cup of coffee into his hand
"Thanks. Okay, so enlighten me: why am I not logical?" He leaned against the counter and looked at her expectantly.
MJ turned around to look at him. for a few seconds she didn't say anything. To Peter, she looked like she was comtemplating somethin. Finnaly, MaryJane put her cup down and walked up to him. She pressed against him ever so lightly staring at him intently. "Because, you have so many great things staring at you right in the face and you don't know it."
Peter shifted slightly between the counter and MJ. "Uh-huh," he said weakly.
Mary Jane nodded slightly and whispered, "Yeah." What the hell are you doing, stupid!? He said he would always be your friend! Why are you hitting on him when he said no?!
Peter, unsurprisingly, was comfortable with having Mary Jane practically on top if him. I could get used to that! It felt like the most right thing in the world to him. It felt better then saving someone—Spider-Man! I can't! Argh! Stupid Peter and your stupid life!
Peter nonchalantly moved his cup to his lips and took a sip. But to Mary Jane, it was all too painfully obvious.
Mary Jane backed up and Peter was suddenly robbed of the heat her body was putting of next to his. Jerk! he thought, putting himself down.
Mary Jane looked at the clock on her wall. Eleven-thirty. "Wow, Peter, I got work tomorrow and it's getting kinda late, so I'll call you and we can go to the movies or something, okay?"
"Oh." Peter looked down and set his cup down on the counter. "Okay. That'd be a good idea. I got work tomorrow, too. Plus I gotta swing by some places for my new apartment."
"You got a new apartment?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea now that Harry will be at the mansion more often. But I haven't moved in yet. I'm still helping him with some stuff. But when I do move in, I'll tell you so you can come over and hang out some time." He said all that very fast as he walked to the door. "I'll see you later, okay?"
Mary Jane walked with him to the door. "Yeah, okay, sure, Tiger. See ya later."
Peter turned around and leaned in to her ear. "Coffee was great, by the way," he whispered. He leaned back and looked at her.
"Thanks, Peter. I'll call you tomorrow. Okay?"
"Okay." Before MJ could comprehend what happened, Peter gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and left out the door.
Just friends, Mr. Parker? Mary Jane mused with a happy smile.
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"Hey, Valley-Girl! You got a table waitin' for ya! Stop daydreamin' an' get back ta werk!"
Mary Jane rolled her eyes. "Hold on, Enrique! I'm getting food for another table!" she shouted back.
"Now, Miss Watson!"
MJ sighed and put the food down on the counter. Stupid pig. If I didn't need this job, then I'd stuff this nasty uniform down your croaky old throat! "Fine! Coming." She walked over to the table where a young man was sitting.
"What can I get you today?" she asked the man with a fake smile. The man looked up and Mary Jane almost gasped.
"Uh...you can get me...a...you can get me scrabbled eggs and bacon and your name." said the man.
Mary Jane inwardly giggled and wrote down the order. "Mary Jane," she replied.
"Hi, Mary Jane. I'm John. John Jameson." He stood up and shook her hand.
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A/N: What do you think, people? Tell me. And if you think it needed some work, like I do, don't blame me. I don't have a Beta Reader to tell me ideas and stuff to make it better. And don't worry, for those of you who care, I'm still working on 'Holding Out For A Hero'. I'm just a little stuck on it because I DON"T HAVE A BETA READER!! But I'm still working on it so...yeah. If you want me to continue this fic, I will continue. So, now that I'm done babbling, and you have an opinion to express, click that little button that says 'Submit Review: Go' and tell me what you think!