Note: I'm sorry I haven't posted lately, but I have other things to worry about in my own daily life, also this is the best time to say it now but the actual Peter Parker Quest site has been running slow for a while since Cosgrove's job has been eating up most of his time, so you'll no longer be receiving more quick chapters as usual, about once a week it will be updated on Tuesdays but right now Cosgrove has to do things for his job until July 10th, luckily there still new chapters in the archives that I can publish for now since until than , so don't worry about this story ending, it will continue as long as it still remains fun and Cosgrove does not give up on it.

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So for now enjoy your new chapter.

Chapter 52

A Little Downtime at the Arcade

The morning comes too soon. After avoiding the cops and getting back to your clothes, you headed back home. By that point it was pretty late, so you had to reheat the dinner that was left for you. Making a few notes on the things you noticed in the warehouse, like the girl and her appearance, and writing a note to go over the video feed that was saved on your mask.

Gonna need a place to store that data, too.

Regardless, it was called a night and you went to bed and woke up slightly later than usual. Getting up, on Thursday, a mark was made on the calendar. Just eight more days. Pulling out your phone, relieve spreads through you as you see that Gwen seems to be calling. Hopefully she's got the information.

"Bad news Peter, security's up since that Mysterio has appeared. Apparently he's made some sort of threat of a crime, so the police are alert, making sure he's not in their system. It'll be tomorrow at the earliest I can get the data. …Sorry."

No, no it's fine you quickly assure her. It's an unexpected delay you wish hadn't happened, but rather she take it safe and take an extra day than get caught.

You might want to check on your neighbor, but maintenance comes first!

Locking up the basement, you disassemble the mask and start going over the parts, while you start up new batches of web fluid. Making sure everything's good- no broken parts, chipped lenses, etc, you line out the parts and look at them. Popping and disassembling your webshooters, you do the same, leving all the parts in neat, laid out shapes.

They're probably fine to keep using as they are, but you could probably work on something to improve them, but it would take time. Much more time than just maintaining them. But, it'd probably take a while to do any upgrades. You'd probably only have time to do one piece of equipment.

"When my music meets your science, they're the biggest of the giants…"

Cleaning the parts, bit by bit, piece by piece, you polish them- well, those of them you can- to a shine! Each and every piece has a place and you make sure each one is unharmed, untarnished, and unbroken.

"…ou can mix them all around and make some music to play…"

Singing to yourself some song from a cartoon about a mad scientist, you then begin assembling everything. Turning on the goggles and earpieces, you make sure they work properly. There's probably a lot you could do with these in the future. They're a bit slow, and limited in practice- some of the videos have that really, really bad shaky cam effect like that one director always does.

Sealing up the new webbing containers, you put them and all of the gear away as think on different things the headphones could be used for. Maybe something with your tracers? And those could probably use a big boost…

"…make some music and breath in the good sunshine!"

Finishing cleaning up, you raise both arms, and the broom you're holding, as you finish the song, for like the hundredth time as you're greeted by the silence of your lab. Somewhat embarrassed, it'd probably better to do something. Leave that scene behind.

Locking up the basement, you make sure everything's in good shape before heading on over to your neighbor's house. You… hmm. You've spent a lot of time hanging out with your neighbor and watching anime, trying to draw her out of her shell but..

Hmm.

Well, you're already in front of her house anyway. Ringing the doorbell, you wait a few minutes before ringing it again. There's no response. Groaning, your phone is out, texting the shut-in.

A few minutes later you hear hurried thuds as something sounds like it slams against the door from the other side, listening, you hear muttered groans barely as the door cracks open as a bloodshot eye peeks through the crack.

"So, the Heretical Mechanicus has arrived."

Unchaining the deadbolt, she lets you in and quickly closes and locks up the door behind her. "Is your aunt working?"

She shakes her head, a dark ringed eye locked onto you from beneath unkempt red locks. "No, she is currently investigating into the activities of those new agents of darkness in our territory."

…

You missed when she was really quiet sometimes. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she points out the door. "…Across, three down."

Ah, right, new neighbors. You'd almost forgotten. She's probably visiting them with Aunt May.

Glancing at the girl, you see she's got a blanket wrapped around her.

"You do have clothes on, right? Clean ones?"

There's a hesitance to the girl as she avoids eye contact, looking away. Letting out a sigh, she begins to head over towards the small 'den' downstairs she's moved into. Better than locked into a room, you guess.

Glancing back, she seems to be less enthusiastic, slipping back into her quiet, awkward glances and mumbles than the overly dramatic anime nonsense talk.

"…w-what w-would you… to do?"

"We should go out and do something, get some fresh air. How about the arcade?"

Yeah, it'd probably best to get her out into the sun. If she keeps up like this, she'll likely just revert back to that almost undead silent person who doesn't do anything but sit in front of a computer. Like, if she was doing that for work it'd be one thing, but she just goes onto forums and argues with people.

She didn't even notice you were leaving until you were at the door that one time.

Anyway, it'd be stop her from hiding and having awkward conversations to a door again. "I guess if you're afraid of losing to me, I mean."

Mary Jane's retreating posture freezes and she turns, a light in her eye. "Oh, does the Heretical Mechanicus think that he can defeat the Crimson Haired Ruin Princ-"

BOP!

A rolled up comic hits her on top of her head as you look at your arm in betrayal. Amused, Mary Jane sticks out her tongue. "You've been infected, I fear. Before long, you will be my loyal servant and a member of my peerage!"

The lack of commentary in between strikes you as odd as you look at Mary Jane, a little confused. "Doesn't it seem like something's missing from here?"

Mary Jane freezes as she pauses and wraps her blanket tighter as she stares at you, and you return the stare as her face flushes somewhat. She doesn't break eye contact and you fear you might've gained the deadly Medusa's gaze as her skin continues to grow redder as she begins to glance downwards, then back at you.

Down, back, redder.

Repeat until you raise an eyebrow.

"…wll…back…"

She seems to retreat into a smaller form as she backs her way up the stairs carefully and then turns and runs down the hallway, a second later you hear a series of thumps before you hear the door open and shut.
And uncomfortable twenty minutes later and you're with her a Dillon's Arcade.

"Well, what do you want to play?"

Really, its more about being out and about. Her eyes dart around.

"Fighting. …Then Racing. ...Then shooting..."

She pauses and takes a deep breath.

"...Overall l-loser... h-has to do what the winner says."

She looks at you, subdued compared to earlier when she was all 'in character' but she's also not whispering, which is probably because of the noise of the machines.

Mary Jane looks a little uncertain. "…or is that..not…kay.. ..you..?

She decides to pull out all the stops, picking her lineup. You know of them. Tournament favorites. That sorta things. Still, you've not wasted your time. You're not the same man you were back then!

Both of you lock your choices in. You've picked Random.

Three Times.

You've Got Megaman Volnutt from Legends 3, Scarecrow, and Supergirl.

She's got Darkside, Wonderwoman, and Leon Kennedy.

And honestly, you can't remember what you're doing. But you keep pressing buttons and hope its working.

At the end, when you're on the last man and you see the 'you win' you look over at Mary Jane, who seems confused as to what just happened. Like someone who has had a cornerstone their life irredeemably shaken.

"…racing."

Obviously shaken by her loss, she stumbles over to the racing game. Placing in tokens, you notice she starts off. And really, you manage to get a lead and maintain it. Pulling towards the front, you manage to pull a pretty easy win.

Putting in your initials under your 'Spectacular Ranking' you look over at Mary Jane, who is staring at the screen. Eventually, she lets out a sigh and turns to you. There's not a lot of people in hear so when she heads over and bows its less embarrassing.

"…s promised….anything you want…so.. Y'know… …ver you want… give… nga… ime… mes.."

Her breathing is slightly heavy as she holds her arm, avoiding eye contact.

"…even if…. Destable…like…our dog… ..st time. That is…"

Taking a deep breath, she puts on a 'brave face' which is ruined by her heavy breathing and slight flush of the face.

"…You can do with me like you like, as is the right of the conqueror over the conquested."

You tune her out. The world of Mary Jane Watson can be a terrifying place.

Still, she does have to do anything you say. You're a little worried what she would've requested if she won.

Well, something safe would be good, y'know? Something fun.

"Hmm… Well, let's do this arcade stuff again, from time to time. Hangout as friends more often."

Mary Jane pauses as she looks a bit confused as she takes in your request.

"That's….that's it?"

You nod. "Yeah. Why, what would you have requested?"

Mary Jane blinks, as if she's recalling something, before giving a half-hearted smile. "…its nothing. Stupid, that's…that's all. That's fine… just fine."

She blinks a few times as she seems to shrink into herself. "we'r.…st….iends."

She looks around the arcade. "ything.. Else you …play?"

"You alright, Mary Jane?"

Giving a thin smile, she lets out a scoff. "Who are you asking, D-Dark Mechanicus?! I-I'm the Crimson Haired Ruin Princess. I'm perfectly fine as I am."

The two of you spend some more time together, eventually heading back home, an awkward tension in the air. Before you split up between your homes, you feel a hand pulling on your sleeves. Mary Jane looks uncertain.

"…I-Is…Is there a problem with the way I am? …I don't… with people… but I'm.. I was happy, y'know? I couldn't understand people, but they can't understand me. Power of the kings is a lonely thing, y'know? B-But… If… If… I were prettier… if I were… normal…."

She looks miserable as she tries to fumble out words, pulling at her pockets.. "If… if I were normal…it'd be better, right? …you'd not get comments..for hnging w… me…Y-you'd have your friend… and people… people would like me… if I were normal, right?"

Clearing her throat, you see that heel's digging itself into the ground, like she's doing everything she can to not run.

"I mean... even you're... bothered by the way I am. ..the way I act.. you put up with me, but only because... ity..me..

"…It'd…it'd be better if I stopped… being like this… right? …if I were normal."

You stare at the girl, the girl who once tormented you, the one who you've become friends with. The girl so desperately seeking an answer, for a reason why…

You try to think of something good to say. Something that's right, but in the end, all you can say is what you can think of- the words come tumbling out on their own.

"I don't believe there's such a thing as a person being inherently 'better' or 'worse' than another. I believe that we have a choice, MJ. We are who we /choose/ to be.

"And if you think you need to change the person you are in order to get people to like you, then you're wrong. Normality's overrated, the best thing you can do is be who you want to be- others will like you or they won't, but what matters if that /you're/ happy with who you are, not them. I won't say it isn't hard. I, myself…"

Scratching your chin in embarrassment, you take a deep breath and force yourself to continue.

"Look, I got stuffed into so many lockers that I lost count, but I never did anything like join the football team or anything like that just try and fit in, to try to escape from the people who didn't like me. Even if they didn't like me, I did. I did what I liked and found what I was good at by persevering."

"There's nothing wrong with your hobbies and enjoying what you enjoy. But you'll find there's a lot of people just like you out there, and there's tons of people who will like you for you. But, if you don't take that first step, if you don't try to let people know who you are, you'll never be able to find the people who like you for who you are.

And those people? The ones who like you for who you are? Who accept you for who you are? They're worth going the effort for.

"If you want to change yourself, I'll support you all the way, but only if that's what /you/ really want, Mary Jane.

"After all, I'm your friend, aren't I?"

Smiling at your neighbor- your friend, she wipes at her face as tears won't stop streaming from her eyes. There's still confusion, but there's also relief and something in the back of her eyes lessens, her eyes, despite being red from countless tears have never looked more alive.

After a few moments while you two compose yourselves Mary Jane clears her throat. "…I know you've.. you've got a girlfriend, but if we're friends… I want… I want to know more about my friend. What do you do? What do you like?"

She shivers, her teeth chattering.

The two of you head on inside, it'd best to get her out of the cold and helping her talking things out is a good first step. So, the two of you head inside and begin talking- discussing things like your interests in science, the whole 'Tony Stark is iron man- where you discuss some ideas on how it probably works, which goes over her head but she doesn't seem to mind.

Eventually, she glances over at you, nervous. "Peter, I trust you, and I trust that you're not up to anything bad… Whatever you say… I-I'll believe what you told me is the truth. B-because you're my friend and I want to trust what you're telling me is the truth. "

She takes a deep breath and exhales. When she's certain, she turns to you with an expression of 'there's no turning back.'

"Where do you go and what do you do when you sneak off with a stuffed backpack in the evenings or on your days off?"

END
To Be Continued!

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