DISCLAIMER: I don't own this, not from lack of trying though, Stan Lee owns Spidey (once again, I curse loudly) and absolutely zilch is being made from this…
Sorry it took so long (and my sincerest apologies go out to those that waited for that long)…Although I had an absolute blast writing this chapter, and believe that it's full of cutey MJ/Peter goodness (Then again, I might be a tad biased).
Enjoy…
It was a blissful, never-ending dream. Pete felt himself adrift and weightless- flying with an entirely different feeling, only barely glimpsed whenever he soared high above the streets and alleyways of New York.
Unwilling to let the feeling dissipate, a groan escaped Pete's lips as a continuous sound drilled down into his subconscious. Funny, he shifted against something warm, and familiar. That sounds like my name…
Warmth against his cheek; he turned into it, mumbling soft, reactionary words- her scent, her touch…Mary Jane! Now the warmth was all over-hugging to every limb, sending him drifting back into that comforting place.
Hours later, he would awaken, to the quiet, even breathing of Miss Mary Jane Watson, his girlfriend. Curled up next to him, on the cold wooden floor of his apartment, where he had himself, drifted off to an unexpected deep slumber, early that morning.
Four Hours Prior…
Too slow! She knew her anxiousness was spreading to the cabdriver, and did her best to restrain herself from tapping at the mesh again. Hurry up, hurry up…
As Peter's apartment block slid into view, MJ let out a long breath, her muscles lessening from the tense rigidity that had unconsciously coiled inside her entire frame. The butterflies were still there, coming alive again with a nauseating jolt as the man pulled up to the sidewalk, applying a dangerous amount of force on the antiquated brakes, than necessary.
Grabbing at the doorhandle, MJ scrambled off the frayed leather seats without thought, just the driving need to get to Peter, in whatever state he was in. After an angry outburst from the cabbie, however, she paused, and practically slugged him with a fist-full of notes and coins.
"Keep the change." The cabbie shrank back against the wheel, silently jolted by the almost inhuman growl that poured from this petite, pretty little redhead. Shifting into drive, he pulled back out into the surges of New York traffic, sparing a glance in the rear-view mirror, as the girl disappeared beyond the doors of the rapidly shrinking decrepit apartment block.
Allowing himself a quick sigh, and cutting through the lines of traffic at the next green light, Rozzo's eyes bulged at the amount of money that had nearly caused his latest concussion. Pocketing the fifty, he smiled, pulling up to the next flailing customer.
Whatever faults the agitated ones had, at least they payed big- On purpose or not!
That odious, little troll of a man, Mary Jane strained to keep her shaking fingers from breaking the key off in the lock, ranting internally about her encounter with Peter's landlord, moments ago, completely deserved that!
This didn't stop the slight smile creeping into her expression, as she heard the familiar click as the lock disengaged, completely unrepentant of her reaction, if unintentionally delivered, to the man's incessant money-hounding.
Even after begrudgingly buzzing her into the foyer, the portly Russian decided that his resident's girlfriend was a perfectly acceptable substitute for payment of 'akumuuuu-lated debts' owing.
And so, he followed her up the flights of stairs, barely pausing to draw breath, between tirades of 'late rent', and the 'loss of privileges should it continue', when she had turned on him, ready to launch a livid tirade of her own, and…
Well, truly, she hadn't meant to turn so fast, but the arm carrying her purse had swung up, and caught the man… MJ, despite her initial reasons for visiting the apartment, had walked away from that encounter mildly pleased with herself, while the landlord…She suspected that the man would have to apply ice to a very sensitive part of his anatomy for the next few days.
As the door swung open, she felt the stillness of the tiny apartment scratch along her already frazzled nerves, and practically ran across the threshold.
What she saw next, despite mentally gearing up for the worst, made her heart seize up in her chest, and for a split second stopped breathing…
Sprawled across the wooden floor, unconscious, and pale, was the body of her boyfriend, still in costume. His arms stretched out above his head, lying on his stomach, just inside the sunlit expanse of his terraced windows…
'Peter.' The anguished whisper broke the silence, and propelled MJ to his side. "PETER!" As the scream tore from her throat, a horrible clammy foreboding sent her heart into overdrive.
The mental vacuum gave way to a frenzied tornado of thought, and her nerves returned, full force. Shaking fingers pushed hesitantly through the space between them, and sucking in a deep, steadying breath, she searched out his pulse- desperate to feel the reassuring rhythm beneath the surface of his outward stillness.
The soft beat that jumped under her touch made her want to cry in blissful, treasured relief. Instead, and with a gentleness entirely misleading given her current state, turned him over to rest on his back, and MJ felt something tight in her chest, unclench and fly free at the delightfully normal sight of her lover drawing long breaths in and out…in and out, in and…
Wait! She paused, as the telltale sound filtered through her brain. What was that? Tearing her concentration away from it's assessment of her boyfriend's still frame, the noise echoed again, and suddenly the pieces came into startling clarity.
When the third snore sounded, Mary Jane was torn between the desire to choke her idiot boyfriend in his peaceful, undisturbed sleep, or hug the life from him, and wrap him in a lifelong embrace.
Chuckling to herself, she marvelled at the irony that was her life, and reached over to tug the bedspread over both her, and the still-costumed form of her exhausted lover. His arm tightened its sudden hold on her waist, and she curled into the comforting warmth of the embrace.
If you can't beat 'em…Yawning sleepily, she snuggled into him, cheek to cheek, and gave little thought beyond the stern lecture she was going to dish out later.
Sinking slowly into a smooth slumber, Mary Jane allowed a quick grin to quirk the corners of her mouth, appreciating the simple pleasure of falling asleep, next to her boyfriend, hero and heart, Peter Parker.
I intended his chapter to be a lot longer, but my Muses are still a little off-colour- But I will update soon, with an extended edition.