The final chapter for this short story.
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A distinct dripping sound reverberated throughout the small apartment Peter called home upon his arrival. Shutting the door, Peter moved swiftly around to the sink in his apartment, and quickly opened the doors beneath it, revealing a pool of water. Sighing, Peter yanked open a drawer, pulling out assorted tools. Placing them on the floor, he turned to toss his jacket, camera and check on the bed before rolling up his sleeves and kneeling down in front of the leak.
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Ursula silently opened Peter's apartment door, only to jump at a sudden voice.
"Fool metal! You think you can best me? Well, think again!" A few clanking noises were heard before Ursula clapped a hand over her mouth at the sudden sounds of spraying water.
Peter suddenly appeared in front of her, his face and shirt drenched in water.
"Ursula! Oh good, can you tell your father to turn off the water in my room? I seem to have, a, uh, leak." Peter gave her a lop-sided grin before watching her nod and exit swiftly.
Not a minute had passed before Peter saw the leaking pipe dry out- hopefully due to being shut off. After changing his shirt and combing his hair for the second time that day, Peter opened his shaking door to see the pounding fist and red face of his landlord.
"Parker! First, you don't pay rent, and now you're breaking my pipes! What do you think you'll accomplish by this?" Mr. Ditkovich yelled into Peter's face.
"I'm sorry Mr. Ditkovich, but there was a leak, and I was trying to fix it."
"Trying? Not hard enough it seems. Similar to your rent paying." Mr. Ditkovich leaned back slightly, crossing his arms across his chest before his eyes shifted to the bed- and the check atop it. "You've been paid? Great! Go cash it and come back."
Peter glanced down towards the bed before sighing- what could he say that would make any difference? Mr. Ditkovich didn't wait for a response before exiting, slamming the door behind him and causing an older picture of Peter's Aunt May and Uncle Ben to fall from the wall with a crash. Peter slowly moved to pick the picture up before setting it gently on the countertop. Today was not a good day at all.
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Mary Jane was just receiving the change for the fruit she had bought at a street vendor when she heard a woman's scream rip through the loud New York air. People everywhere turned to see the apparent cause of the scream being shoved out of a nearby jewelry store by two men with guns holding bags. Suddenly, she heard the crowd cheer. Turning, Mary Jane watched as New York's hero in red and blue swung by a thread to kick one of the men.
The other, obviously scared out of his mind, dropped the money, and released the woman into the crowd before being bowled over by Spider-man. The last thing he saw before going unconscious was webbing spinning around his hands and feet. The cheering only grew louder after a moment of quiet as Spider-man apprehended the robbers and swung off around a corner, out of sight.
Mary Jane, cocking her head to one side, quickly followed while trying to act nonchalant in the process. Rounding the corner into the alley, Mary Jane looked around and then up, smiling upon seeing Spider-man clinging to the top of the wall, looking out over the roof.
"Hey Spidey, you think I could have an autograph?" A boy who had the same idea as Mary Jane called out, standing a little ways behind her.
Spider-man looked down suddenly before climbing down. As he walked over, his head turned towards Mary Jane, taking her in.
"Sure!" Spider-man crouched down to the boy's height and deftly took the pen and picture from him. Signing quickly, he turned his reflective gaze upon the boy's mother. "Ma'am."
"Thank you Spider-man, my son has been trying to get this for a long time."
"No problem." Spider-man nodded once before looking again at Mary Jane. "And you miss? Can I help you with anything?"
Mary Jane waited until the boy and his mother had left the alley before replying.
"Yes, you see, I have this date tonight with a great guy, and I'm not sure what to wear."
"Ah, I see you predicament." Spider-man rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger for a moment, as if truly thinking it over. "I would suggest something that isn't dressy, in fact, go straight casual all the way."
"Thank you. I was just so perplexed about it- you have helped me greatly. Take care." Mary Jane smiled and winked before turning and leaving the alley.
Peter watched her back until she rounded the corner before climbing up the wall again, his mind awash in various thoughts.
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"Hey Aunt May, I'm just calling to check up on you and see how you are doing settling in. If you need anything, you know just to call. Love you, Bye." Peter dropped the phone back in its' cradle and proceeded to pull his mask back on.
Looking around his apartment one last time, Peter grabbed his knapsack and climbed out the window. Crawling around the corner, Peter secured his knapsack to the wall of the adjoining building to his apartment with webbing before heading off into the heart of the city. Feeling a tingle in the back of his head, Peter "hung" a right down the street, in search of any problems. Again, his spider-sense tingled, but neither he saw, nor heard anything. Deciding to get a higher look, Peter swung up further to a high flagpole and landed, his gaze slowly sweeping the city below.
As if on cue, a scream tore through the rumble of daily life. Another busy day it seems. Peter shook his head before shooting out a strand of webbing and swinging in the direction of the scream- and now- commotion.
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Mary Jane turned from her mirror at the knock on her door before moving through her apartment. Opening it just as the person on the other side began to knock again, Mary Jane grinned into the surprised face of Peter Parker.
"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show Tiger." Mary Jane pulled the door further open, silently inviting Peter in.
"Jameson sent me out for a second time today to get pictures of Spider-man and I ended up on the East Side, using up two rolls of film for a car chase." Peter explained, smiling back.
"Everyone all right?" Mary Jane asked, her concern for all parties included, but especially for one man in blue and red.
"Well, the bad guys were apprehended and Spider-man took a grazing from three bullets, but he's going to live." Peter shrugged, very aware of the pains in his shoulder, leg and side.
"Are you all right? We don't have to go out if you're not up to it." Mary Jane placed a hand on his arm, worry gracing her features.
"I'll be fine," he lied, "You didn't know at Mr. Osborne's funeral that mere nights before I had endured a bomb in my face and a serious beating, now did you?" The moment the words were out, Peter knew he should never have spoken them, even as a way of lightening the current situation.
"Oh Peter," Mary Jane pulled Peter into a hug. "I don't know how you do it."
Sometimes I don't either. Peter smiled gently into her hair, breathing in the light scent of perfume and shampoo. Pulling away, Peter looked into her eyes before speaking.
"Are you ready?"
"Let me get my coat." Mary Jane moved into her bedroom and returned a moment later, pulling on her tan overcoat.
Exiting in silence, Mary Jane pulled the door shut with a soft click and locked it.
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The walk was a short one, across the road and down the block into a small, out of the way restaurant. Mary Jane had passed by often, but never eaten in it, always wanting to. Peter held open the door and proceeded to help her out of her coat before shedding his own and leading her to a seat- to which he also pulled out for her. He is the perfect gentleman, why did it take me so long to see? Mary Jane shook the thoughts from her mind as a waitress arrived at their table.
The waitress placed two menus on the table, asking, "Miss, what would you like to drink?"
Mary Jane glanced at Peter before ordering water. Peter smiled gently, and asked for the same. After the waitress left, Mary Jane took in the décor of the restaurant, it was dimly lit but had many candles around, including two at each table, allowing for a soft, yellow glow to flicker throughout the place. The walls were painted a light tan color with a deep blue sponged over it. Greenery completed the homey and slightly romantic setting as Mary Jane finished her sweep of the room and returned her gaze to Peter's eyes.
"I always wanted to eat here." Mary Jane revealed, smiling softly at him.
"It's a nice place, I've been here a couple of times." Peter replied, his eyes glancing around before meeting Mary Jane's again.
The waitress returned with their waters and proceeded to take their orders before smiling and leaving with the menus tucked under her arm. Yes, this night was normal, something Peter hadn't had in quite some time. Smiling to himself, he couldn't help thinking how wonderful "normal" was.
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Dinner went along smoothly, bits of conversation were interspersed with eating, allowing for both to learn the lesser known, but equally unimportant pieces of information about the other. From favorite movie to least favorite ice cream, the normalcy was a welcome relief for both parties from the daily rigors of Peter's alter ego, and a world apart from Mary Jane's well known, but no longer existent, relationship with John Jameson.
As the check was paid, and the tab placed beneath a plate, Peter and Mary Jane rose from their seats and left the restaurant. Walking side-by-side, they ended up back at Mary Jane's apartment, holding hands. Mary Jane unlocked the door and dropped her keys in a bowl inside before turning to look back at Peter.
"Your note this morning- it said something about a surprise?" Mary Jane cocked an eyebrow at him, a ghost of a smile playing on her features.
"Why yes it did." Peter nodded, smiling playfully before moving towards the balcony in the living room. Peter motioned for Mary Jane to follow as he kicked off his shoes.
As he began to unbutton his shirt, Peter watched, wide-eyed as Mary Jane moved to grasp the buttons, undoing them also. Apparently, both had different ideas of what the surprise would be. Slipping the shirt from his shoulders, it dropped softly to the floor. Mary Jane ran her hands over the ridges in the Spider-man costume before flicking her eyes up to Peter's. The normally clear-blue eyes had become a stormy blue as all shyness and fear melted away, replaced with what can only be called want. Mary Jane lifted a hand to Peter's jaw, pulling his face down to hers, meeting him halfway.
When looking back on this pair, one would see a shy man who hid all passions and desires deep within to protect both himself and the others around him. What could be seen from the outside, was love and caring, only the top layer of his feelings. For the other, one would see a woman who didn't quite know what she wanted, but upon finding out, went straight for it. She would be the one that would pull what the man hid within, out.
Peter cupped Mary Jane's cheek with one hand while the other held her tightly to his body. Leaning into Peter's small, yet muscular frame, Mary Jane dropped her hands to his pants, pulling him with her towards the bedroom. As lips continued to clash, questions flew randomly through both their heads. Is this right? Should we do this? Can we do this? All of these seemed irrelevant at the moment, even though they should not have been.
Mary Jane felt her back press into the doorframe as Peter stalled their eventual crash to the bed. Breaking the kiss, Peter looked into her eyes. It was his silent way of allowing her to make the choice of whether she wanted to do this. The silent answer was given as she bit her lip once before leaning up to him again, claiming his mouth her own.
That night, Mary Jane and Peter crossed the barrier between friends and lovers, sealing their future together without knowing it. It would be the beginning of their physical relationship, for their relationship had begun two years ago, and had been building, growing and changing ever since. Neither knew what would be in store for them in the future, but they would meet it together.
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