In memory of

Jason David Frank

1973- 2022

Thank you so much for everything, sir. Rest in peace, and may the power protect you!

"FIGHT HYDRA AND OTHER EVIL VILLAINS WITH IRON MAN'S HELMET AND REPULSER GLOVE!" These were the words spoken by an overly enthusiastic male announcer for a commercial, which showed a young boy wearing a plastic helmet and glove with plastic fingers and a circular light on the palm resembling Tony Stark's Iron Man armor. All to promote the Iron Man toy line produced and owned by Stark Industries. It was seen on televisions all over the nation and the world. And it was even seen by those who lived in…

THE WATSON RESIDENCE

…More specifically, MJ, who watched it through the TV in her room, which was filled to the brim with anything related to punk rock, from band posters, a case containing numerous music CDs, and a throw pillow on her bed which had a grey hand throwing the punk rock symbol. She had her hair down, was dressed in black sleep pants with crossbones symbols all over, white socks, and a black T-shirt with the band name 'The Misfits' on her chest. She had her TV to watch her favorite anime 'Heavy Metal Vixen, which was based on a popular manga of a female cyborg assassin out for revenge. She would've preferred to watch this episode in her free time, but instead, she watched it to take a quick break from writing her story for the Midtown High School paper, namely how the school's handicapped access is in dire need of being up to code. She has statements from numerous students, be it from those who are disabled or students who were healthy but concerned. At this time, tonight's episode ended, then showed the Iron Man helmet and glove commercial, which made MJ roll her eyes in disgust. Realizing that the fun was over, MJ turned her TV off and went back to her computer, but through the corner of her right eye, she spotted something that made her briefly pause.

It was her iPhone, which was still plugged into the charger but showed the picture she planned to use for the background. Namely that of Harry, Peter, and herself in the last picture they took together back at the airport, where Harry was sent abroad to begin his extensive treatment for his illness. And though she was worried for the young Osborn currently fighting for his life, the person she was most focused on was Peter. Just hours earlier, she yelled at him for making her worry because she didn't answer her last calls when she initially thought he was taking videos of Spider-Man and ensuring her that he was safe. So concerned was she that MJ started to tear up when she let Peter know how distraught she would've been if she lost him just as she was about to lose Harry. But while the love MJ had for Harry was that of a younger brother, lately, for Peter, she was feeling something more. Something that MJ had secretly felt since the earlier days of her friendship, but she didn't want to admit it to herself. But more importantly, the image of Peter also reminded MJ of yet another conversation with a person she considered an 'unofficial colleague'…

HOURS PRIOR

…Ten minutes had passed since MJ's last phone call with Peter, and her tears finally dried up. However, the emotions she had during the phone call still lingered. Anger, relief, and a yearning to be closer to him. She had an idea of what this feeling could be, but she didn't want to acknowledge it, considering that she already had such a relationship with a guy back in Pennsylvania and how he broke her heart. All of which made MJ never want to go down the romance route again, but since moving to New York and how Peter helped all those months ago, she's been conflicting with these feelings ever since, despite vowing to see Peter as a brother. But day by day, these feelings for this 'kind-hearted dork' grew more and more, much to MJ's annoyance. Suddenly, MJ was brought out of her lamenting on how she felt by hearing her iPhone ringing, which had the ringtone of punk music. When MJ looked at the screen, she recognized the number but was surprised to see that it wasn't Peter's, who she assumed would try to call and explain himself to her, not that she was ready to talk to him anyway. Nor was she way too keen on talking to this person, either. But regardless, this was someone MJ was expecting to hear from, and thus pressed the answer icon so she could answer this person on the facetime setting. "Please tell me the reason you're calling me is related to the story."

It was that of a fair-skinned male with gelled black hair around the same age as MJ. He also wore a white overshirt over a black shirt and possessed a lean but physically fit frame, as he believed in staying in shape for the ladies. His name was Brad Jones, a fellow student reporter for the Midtown High school paper and someone who shared the byline with MJ on the handicapped story, as well as someone who has made subtle passes on MJ which has worked on a few other girls, but not MJ herself. On his phone, Brad was shown walking away from his next-door neighbor's house. "Nice to see you too, MJ," Brad retorted with a smirk while trying to show off that charm. "Just wanted to call and let you know that I recorded a statement from my next-door neighbor a few minutes ago." Suddenly, Brad's confident smirk disappeared and was replaced by a regretful disgusted expression. "Don't ask how I did it." Moments later, Brad shook off the bad memories, and his calm, self-assured demeanor returned. "But when I get home, I'll email it to you."

MJ was not amused nor fooled by Brad's approach of calling her to let her know he was going the extra mile for her, especially when he could've emailed the statement without contacting her first. But at this point, she was in no mood to give him a sarcastic remark and call him out on this cheap ploy to gain her favor. "Okay, great. Thanks."

On the other end, Brad noticed MJ's eyes were red from crying and soon gave her a look of concern. "Whoa, MJ, you, okay? You look upset about something."

"I'm fine," MJ snapped back, then tried to calm herself. "Look, I just-I just have a lot on my mind, okay."

"Is it, Harry Osborn?" Brad inquired, for he, along with the rest of the school, knew of Harry's illness and how he and MJ were close. "Because his dad's a billionaire who sent him to England to get treatment from the best doctors, right? So, I'm sure he's in the best place where he can get help."

"I know that! And yes, I am worried about Harry, but-!" Suddenly, MJ stopped mid-sentence as she soon realized that Brad might be trying his concerned love interest tactic, and thus looked at him suspiciously. "Hey, why the hell are you so nosey?"

"Hey, hey, sorry to pry!" Brad said, holding his hand up in defense, but his apologetic expression was still present. "But hey, we're assigned to be partners in this story! So, my reason for asking is the same as my reason for getting the statement from my neighbor earlier; I'm just trying to help!"

While not entirely convinced that Brad might indeed be sincere through his demeanor, MJ knew that he wasn't the reason why she was upset, plus she felt that she needed to vent anyway. And so, MJ finally let out a sigh and decided to tell her 'partner' what was bothering her. "Okay, if you MUST know, it's Peter that I'm worried about."

"Parker?" Brad asked in confusion, as he did remember that Peter was once the school paper's photographer for a time before leaving to work for the Daily Bugle, much to his envy. "What about him? I thought he was doing great, getting a job at the Bugle and shooting those Spider-Man videos."

"That's just it!" MJ clarified in distress. "He's making those videos by putting his life at risk!" At that moment, MJ could feel that she was getting riled up, despite the lingering feelings of concern and sadness. "I know he did this to help his aunt with the bills, but I don't think he knows the stress he's causing her by making her worry. And he's making ME, his best friend, worry about him!"

Brad's look of empathy remained as he made this suggestion. "Well, maybe he's trying to, you know…prove something."

Naturally, MJ gave Brad a bewildered look upon hearing this. "Like what?"

"Well, like you said, it's to help his aunt pay for their house, right?" Brad continued. "Maybe keeping this job is his way of saying, 'I'm the man of the house, and I'll take care of everything.' He might feel that everyone's trying to tell him what job to take and how to run his life. All of which might be the reason why he's not accepting help, even though there are times that everyone needs it."

Usually, MJ would tell Brad anybody who made such implications about Peter off, but this only made her pause in realization. Because, as much as it pained her to admit it, Brad did have a point, as it explained why Peter would often ignore her and Harry's warnings about Jameson and why he should quit. Though she could relate to not wanting people to dictate where to work and how to run her life, given that she has parents that aren't too keen about her being a reporter, she never saw reporting in the cards for Peter. Though he was a great photographer, MJ saw Peter's passion for science more than anything else. In her mind, Peter should be in a lab putting that head of his by making gadgets that would rival Tony Stark, rather than risking having it blown off by shooting videos of Spider-Man and his battles.

Brad, however, never really had much concern for Peter, despite briefly working together on the school paper. He could tell that Peter was interested in MJ, even when being her 'best friend,' and could see MJ, in his mind anyway, was starting to fall for it. As such, he decided to outdo Parker's 'lifelong friend schtick' with this line. "Especially if that help is coming from you! Look, I know Parker's your friend, but I think whether he realizes it or not, he's taking your friendship for granted. And maybe the only way he'll learn is if you ignore him. And to help you with that and forget all the stress you've been feeling, maybe you and I can-?"

Suddenly, the phone conversation is interrupted by the sound of the chipper but loud voice of Anna Watson. "MARY-JANE!" Anna called out in an overly upbeat tone that would make fairytale princesses cringe. "I bought the cutest sweater that would look adorable on you!"

Usually, the sound of her mother bringing clothes for her to try would be the equivalent of hellish torture for MJ, but in this case, it was a blessing in disguise, mainly because she knew where Brad was going with this caring guy act and saw this as a way to end the call. "Oh, look at that! Mom needs me! Email me the statement, and thanks again! See you later! Bye!" MJ said quickly, and before Brad could interject, she pressed the end call button. From then on, she got up, swallowed her punk pride proceeded to the door to go to her mother to try on this sweater she was talking about, dreading the thought of what it looked like and how it would make her look. Along the way, though, MJ couldn't help but contemplate what Brad had said earlier. Sure, she knew that it was a way to hit on her in the form of the caring gentlemen, and it made her sick that he was using Peter as a way to get closer to her; she couldn't help but feel that he did have a point regarding Peter being in the Bugle…

PRESENT

…And these feelings of worry still lingered in MJ's mind as she stared at the phone and, more specifically, the image of Peter's face. "Pete," thought the worried MJ. "I don't want to believe anything Brad said. But if what he said was true, you don't have to prove yourself to anyone. Not to Aunt May, or Harry….or me."

AUTHOR'S SHOUTOUT:

Hey guys, sorry that this is so short, but I felt that for dramatic effect, it was the best way to end things. Also, as far as the poll goes, I decided to just go with my gut and see how Lin Lie as Iron Fist plays out. And if you have thoughts, let me know in the reviews!

Superscribe CJ: Yeah, figured I'd try a different approach to the fight scenes to make it not only clear but a rollercoaster ride. And yeah, as far as Peter and the Defenders go, trust me when I say it's going to be interesting. ;)