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Chapter Thirty-Two
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Mary Jane tried to slip away. She really did. She wanted to get started right away on her endeavor of winning over one Peter Parker. But her Aunt Anna had other plans…
"Mary Jane, we've taken advantage of Mr. Stark's hospitality long enough," Her aunt chided as she loaded another bundle of laundry to clean in order to fold and pack later, "Now that Mark is in custody, we need to go back to our normal lives as soon as possible. You can go meet your friends another day."
Mary Jane had grumbled somewhat before she did as she was told. They spent all of Sunday packing and cleaning the apartment so that it was spotless for their departure.
As soon as Monday rolled around, Mary Jane had to get up early and go to school. It was odd going back to a level of normalcy after the crazy weekend that she had, but she managed to endure with a wide smile on her face. No one suspected that it was really a mask. It was a relief to know that none of her classmates knew that she was at the party that Harry Osborn had thrown. As a result, none of them treated her any differently than how they normally did and she was able to have simple conversations that had nothing to do with her dad or the fire that he caused. But that didn't stop her from hearing all of the speculations and rumors surrounding that night. It was a hot topic around school since it involved Spider-Man.
After school, she had to go and help Aunt Anna move their things back into their apartment. Mr. Hogan was nice enough to drive them back and forth a few times between the apartments to transport all of their things. Then, she spent the rest of the night unpacking - her attention keenly fixated on the wall that separated her bedroom from the Parker's apartment. She couldn't help but wonder what Peter was doing right at that moment. Was he sleeping? Doing homework? Playing video games? Or perhaps he wasn't even home and was instead out as Spider-Man? She couldn't say… but her fantasies told her that he was currently lying in bed, thinking of her. And perhaps he was shirtless while doing so… in her fantasy, of course.
When Tuesday at school came and went, Mary Jane eagerly raced home while taking the bus. To help pass the time on the ride, she texted Harry, wishing him well while he was on the mend. He texted back and told her that he wouldn't be returning to school until next week. She felt terrible. Her father had caused all of this just by coming to the party looking for her. And as a result, Harry lost his house to the fire and got a broken leg… she didn't have the courage to tell him the truth about it either. To be honest, she wanted to bury her history with her dad and completely disassociate herself from him. She didn't want anyone knowing the truth… except for Peter.
Mary Jane snapped out of it when the bus stopped near the front of the apartment building, and some of that giddiness returned. She practically skipped into the building and up the stairs. When she got to their floor, Mary Jane bypassed her door entirely and went straight for the Parker's door instead. She knocked and waited, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she did so.
When no response came, she knocked again.
Again, there was no answer.
Bitter disappointment washed through her as she sighed. Peter must have not made his way home yet… And May must be working the evening shift today.
She turned back to her own apartment door and opened it, resolving to try again a bit later.
As soon as she went inside, she dropped her backpack on the chair by the door, made a beeline to the bathroom, and fixed up her hair and makeup after the long day at school. It didn't take long to freshen herself up as she fluffed her hair one more time before she went back out into the hall.
She knocked on the door and again, there was no answer.
Mary Jane huffed with a frown as she crossed her arms, glaring at the door as if it was to blame for everything. Where the hell was Peter? He should surely be home from school by now, right? She pulled out her phone just to check the time and see… but was surprised to see an alert on her phone.
BREAKING - The Vulture Escapes Prison!
City-Wide Manhunt For Adrian Toomes Is Underway.
Mary Jane gaped at the headline as she staggered back so that she leaned heavily against the Parker's door. She thought that it was safe to assume that she knew exactly what Peter was up to right now… he was out there, trying to find The Vulture - the man who had nearly defeated him if rumors were to be believed.
Mary Jane bit her lip, suddenly nervous. But there was really nothing that she could do that wouldn't just get in Peter's way right now.
"Be safe out there, Tiger…" She whispered to the empty hall before she pushed herself off of the door, resolving that there was no way that she was going to be seeing Peter today.
….
Brewing anger was building in Flint Marko's chest. He had been poked, prodded, and analyzed many times since he had been brought to this facility, but he had no way of physically or vocally objecting to the treatment. He was furious at the idea of being a lab rat once again. Hadn't he been through enough? When one day, he overheard one of the scientists talking on the phone to some General - stating that they were working to devise a way to cure him for good. And not just back to his sand form, but to his normal body before the Big Man had tampered with his life after Spider-Man's betrayal.
And despite everything, despite the crumby cards that he had been dealt in this life of his lately, hope started to spread in his chest. True hope.
He started to think of all of the foods that he would get to try again for the first time after getting cured. A greasy cheeseburger? Or maybe a New York Strip Steak? Hell, he could have both if he wanted. He was going to get a new lease on life, after all.
And perhaps, once he got out of here, he would be able to find Spider-Man's Aunt and have a little fun with her. Once he was cured, he really hoped that his body would be able to do that once again. Plus, it would be the perfect first step of his revenge against Peter Parker…
Not to mention all of the drugs we would be able to participate in once again. Sweet heroin was calling his name. Because despite his body not being able to partake right now, he still felt the addiction and the desire for the drug.
That was mostly how Marko passed his time these past few days. Daydreaming about a new and brighter future. And it was what he was currently doing as the scientists left him for the night. The lights were shut off except for the dim one outside in the hall of the room he was kept in, just barely sending a pale glow for him to see.
When, a sudden voice broke the silence of the room. It was so abrupt that it jarred him out of his thoughts.
"I'm hoping that somewhere in there you can still see and hear me," Flint could see and hear but he couldn't move a muscle, including that of his eyes. He could only see in the direction that he had been frozen in. But the man seemed to understand this and stepped into his vine of vision.
His eyes would've widened if they were able.
Adrian Toomes. The Vulture.
How in the hell was he out of prison?
Toomes flashed him a grin but there was a manic look in his eye. "Surprised?" He chuckled and the sound of it was so dark. "You shouldn't be."
Why exactly shouldn't he be surprised? Damn, if anything, he would say that he was impressed. It wasn't easy breaking out of prison like Toomes did when one didn't have powers like Flint. But then, Toomes continued to speak… "I did warn you that I was going to get out of there and when I did…"
Toomes broke off with a feral grin. And the sudden memory as well as his meaning became immediately clear. Panic rose in Marko's entire being.
No.
No!
"You see," Toomes mused, a coldness displayed throughout his entire demeanor, "When you're the type of monster to threaten the life of a little girl - my baby girl - then you officially forfeit your right to live."
The desperation that Flint felt was unbearable. And he couldn't even beg for his own life - to apologize for taking that step too far by threatening the man's family. Would it have made any difference if he could? By the look in Toomes' eyes, no amount of begging would change his resolve.
"So I'm hoping that you can still see and hear me," Toomes began again, staring straight into Marko's frozen eyes. "Because I want you to know exactly who it is that's going to kill you…"
With that, Toomes reached behind him and produced a short metal rod that had been attached to his back.
He readied his stance in front of him, as though it was nothing more than a simple baseball game.
"Goodbye, Marko," Toomes said casually, "See you in Hell."
And then Adrian Toomes swung, hitting his body with a great shatter - where everything for Flint Marko went black.
…
Days passed with no sign of Peter. Mary Jane was starting to get restless. Her mood displayed this and she may have gotten regrettably irritable with Aunt Anna a couple of times. Her aunt tried talking to her about it, where she had assumed that all of these behavioral issues stemmed from what happened to her father. Mary Jane didn't bother to correct her. She wouldn't understand the true reason.
What tended to occupy Mary Jane's hours now was her looking at her phone, refreshing the news to see if any sign of the Vulture and his capture had been reported. It was now Thursday and there was no such luck.
She grumbled. She could safely say that she despised one Adrian Toomes.
It wasn't until Friday - an entire week passed since she had last seen Peter - where Mary Jane was fed up. She decided that Peter couldn't really be spending every waking moment looking for the Vulture. He had school to consider, after all. So… a text conversation couldn't hurt, right? Surely if he were too busy, he wouldn't be looking at his phone and so she wouldn't have to worry about distracting him.
So, it was at lunch where Mary Jane pulled out her phone and began to type. She had been thinking of what she wanted to write to him all morning.
Mary Jane: Hey Tiger! I was scrolling and I came across this article and it made me think of you. Enjoy adding all of this to your arsenal.
Then, she sent the link to the article.
101 Best Corny Jokes of 2017
She grinned, self-satisfied. That should get his attention. It was just the right amount of flirty - just enough that she wouldn't scare him away by making him uncomfortable. It was a good start before she really started to up the ante. If only she could see him in person right now…
She sighed and forced herself to engage in conversation with her school friends that she made. Even if she didn't get a response, she hoped that in the very least, her text would make him smile. She had a feeling that he was on low supply of those these days.
To her surprise, and utter delight, she heard a ping while she was stuck in her last class for the day. It was torture not to just snatch her phone out of her pocket and eagerly soak in his words.
When the bell rang for the day, Mary Jane whipped her phone out and smiled wide at seeing the unopened text from one Peter Parker. She clicked open the notification and allowed for her greedy eyes to read his response.
Peter: Funny. I was scrolling too and I happened across this article that made me think of *you*.
How To Win The Jackpot - Lottery Winner Reveals Secret Tips To Luck
She was smiling down at her phone, not even realizing fully that she was doing it. How had she never noticed how witty he could be? She added it to the list as yet another endearing quality that he had.
Mary Jane: Is that article supposed to be for you? I already told you that you hit the jackpot, Tiger. No need to get greedy and try to hit it again…
"Miss Watson?" Mary Jane's head whipped up to see that the classroom was empty of everyone except for her teacher, Mrs. Young, who was looking at her with a perplexed expression on her face. "Was there something that you needed help on? A question you need answered?"
She flushed and immediately began to pack her bags. "Uh, no. Sorry. I was just texting my Aunt, is all."
Mrs. Young nodded as she watched a red-faced Mary Jane leave. As soon as she was a good distance away, she looked down at her phone, burning a hole in it with her gaze as she willed for Peter to respond…
But no text came through. She sighed and put it away. He was probably already out there, web-slinging through the skyscrapers.
She had never before been so invested in the immediate capture of a criminal but she couldn't wait for it to be resolved soon. "Damn you, Adrian Toomes…"
…..
She jolted awake at 7:00 AM early the next morning. Normally, she would at least sleep in until at least 9:00 on the weekends, but currently, she felt wide awake. Her head whipped over to look out the window - there was a huge thunderstorm outside. She always loved storms. They refreshed her and made her feel alive with the electricity in the air.
She basked in it for a moment, watching the raindrops hit the windowpane and the lightning illuminate the sky. Before she turned and began her now daily task of picking up her phone to check the news.
She bolted upright at the awaiting article that was only posted thirty minutes prior...
The Vulture Voluntarily Returns To Prison!
When asked for the reason behind his escape and return to prison, Adrain Toomes merely replied that he simply had an errand to run but it was resolved now. An investigation will take place on additional security-
The widest grin that Mary Jane hadn't felt in days spread across her lips. She bounded out of bed, skipping and humming as she made her way to her closet. It was a cold day outside, so she opted for a sweater and some tight, black leggings. Sure, it wouldn't show any cleavage but the curve of her ass would be perfectly accentuated through the tight fabric. It was being sexy without looking like she was trying to be sexy - just the thing that she had to do for Peter right now. Yes, subtlety had to be in the first steps of her approach when it came to trying to convince Peter that they belonged together...
Running to the bathroom, she quickly did her makeup and brushed her hair before she deemed herself cute enough to meet with and be seen by Peter today.
She went out in the hall, a spring to her step as she stopped in front of the Parker's door and knocked definitively on the hard wood.
This time, she wasn't disappointed. The door opened and May stood there, a surprised look on her face at seeing Mary Jane there so early.
"Hi, May!" Mary Jane said, probably a bit too perky for the early hour. "Is Peter here?"
She couldn't help but notice that May's expression was slightly panicked by her question. But she hid it well. Mary Jane just happened to have a good read on people that weren't Peter Parker. She wondered at the expression and it didn't take her long to come up with a viable conclusion - did May know Peter's secret too? Did her panicked expression have anything to do with Peter being out as Spider-Man right now? Was her mind whirring to come up with an excuse?
She watched as May's expression morphed into that of contrition, but it looked forced. "Oh, he's still sleeping, Mary Jane."
It was a lie. She could tell. There was also the underlying suggestion in May's voice that Mary Jane should leave. Irritation wafted through her entire being. She had been waiting all week for this, she wasn't about to be sidelined for another moment longer.
"Perfect!" She said, keeping her voice light as she stepped through the door, sidestepping May as she did so, "I'll just go wake him up."
She was already making her way down the short hall toward the door that she had seen Peter go in and out of a few times before - what she knew to be his bedroom.
"Wait-" She heard from May but she wouldn't be deterred.
Mary Jane approached the door and turned the handle. When pushed open, it revealed a slightly messy room of clothes and miscellaneous items littered across the floor and desktop. His bed was unkempt, with the blankets thrown down to the bottom of the mattress, and posters were scattered all over the walls… the room screamed that it belonged to a teenage boy.
But that didn't capture her attention long, not with Peter Parker standing in the middle of it all. His eyes were wide with panic as he met her gaze. His hair was wet and stood on end.
Then her gaze lowered… Peter was only clad in his boxer briefs. Completely bare on every other part of his skin. Tight muscles expanded across his entire body. A defined abdomen over a flat stomach as all of his exposed skin was damp from what she assumed to be from the rainwater outside - the sight of him made it clearly evident that he had just ventured from outside. A part of her wondered at where he had been able to stash his suit so quickly while the other part of her was too busy ogling.
His body was… hot. There was no other way to describe it. It was difficult to believe that he could hide all of that definition underneath his baggy t-shirts, but somehow, he managed to fool everyone.
There was a tense moment of silence as they stood there, staring at one another. Until Mary Jane felt her tongue start to untie in her mouth as word vomit erupted out from her.
"Wow, Tiger…" She found herself saying, "Looks like I hit the jackpot."
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A/N: Sorry again for the short chapter! But the next chapter, it's about to get really good! Please leave a comment/review! I would really appreciate it. :)
Thanks so much for reading!
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