Pain was something that was always up for interpretation. Some things hurt some people, some things didn't, there was emotional pain, physical pain, turmoil, a myriad of different variations, really.
But when MJ tried to think of a word to describe what had happened at school… well, Lovecraftian came to mind.
Superheroes could do all the cool and amazing things. It's why they were all adored so much. Their powers were awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping feats of inhuman capability.
What happened to John wasn't wonderful. It wasn't cool, or illustrious, or whatever other word some wanted to use.
When the redhead had found out Peter's secret, she wasn't sure what to think. She understood why May had been upset, but to her, Peter's powers were cool! Heck, to her, superpowers in general were cool. It was the fact that superhumans or mutants could still be all types of people that gave her pause.
John hadn't been silent on the objections, but advising Peter to wait till graduation to be Spider-Man had been a regular occurrence until the school incident.
The academic ace let a small sigh escape her as she found herself lost in her thoughts. Once again, her parents left her to her own devices, and once again, it seemed as though everyone was busy.
She'd lost any hope of seeing Harry again, at least for a while. He hadn't been seen since his apparent father attacked Midtown, and Peter's schedule always seemed to be taken up between his spider activities and his schoolwork.
And she didn't want to bother John or Maddie. The two hadn't been at school during the last couple of days, and one of the teachers had said that John was still recovering from his injuries.
MJ had found out the truth later that day, but she still wasn't going to complain. Maddie had an anxiety attack following the incident, and John used his already-healed injury as an excuse for her to recover and rest.
Which left her once again roaming the streets.
"This sucks." She mumbled under her breath as she strolled down the sidewalk, kicking the pavement with her shoe. She didn't doubt that her parents loved her… but her father was so controlling, and her mom was usually too drunk to care.
She got more peace roaming the streets than she did in her own bedroom.
Still, it left her with plenty of time to think.
It was a nice, sunny day, at least. No jacket was needed, a tank top and a pair of jeans were good enough, and it was nice to show some skin in the sun.
It was peaceful, usually. Queens wasn't a bad part of town, and she could usually roam through Brooklyn in the daylight without any issues. Of course, taking the chance wasn't ideal, but it was nice to get out and explore from time to time.
And it beat sitting at home all day.
She could shoot a text to Liz, and have a bit of girl time, but she was probably on a date with Flash or something.
The redheaded opted to instead enjoy the sites that awaited her.
Personally, it was better than stewing over what she'd seen when Green Goblin attacked. At least that's what the press called Harry's father.
There were people sitting or chatting on their porches, and occasionally she'd pass someone or a group of friends out having fun or going somewhere.
She thought about making her way to the abandoned warehouse at the docks, if for no other reason than it had become her safe space lately. But that was a fairly decent walk, and she wasn't fond of the idea of walking back after dark.
With how often Peter and John seemed to be busy or, in Peter's case, get called away because some idiot was causing mayhem, the phrase 'don't be out after dark' was one she had opted to follow for now.
Instead, she decided to just follow the sidewalk and eventually just circle back.
There were times when MJ wanted to just… be free. Free of her father, of feeling controlled, suppressed, like her wishes didn't matter. But that wasn't a reality quite yet, and the redhead took her solace where she could.
Time passed by, and though the sun moved, it remained high in the sky as the teen smiled at her surroundings.
Her green eyes drifted over the various trees down the street. It was always nice to see nature's beauty. Maybe a visit to the park wouldn't hurt some time in the-
"MJ?" A familiar voice broke her concentration, and the redhead's eyes momentarily widened before they swung to the source.
She found the approaching form of John Gallagher, walking across the street with a small smile on his face. He waved, and MJ offered a friendly grin to the boy as she returned the gesture.
"Hey, John." She greeted him as he stepped up onto the cement, glancing around in what MJ was slowly beginning to believe was a nervous tic. "What are you up to? I thought you'd be at home with Maddie."
"Pete stopped by to pick up his webshooters an hour ago," John answered as he looked down at the redhead, one side of his lips pulled up. "Maddie was getting a little stir-crazy, and she managed to talk him into going to Coney Island with her."
"You don't think she has to recover?" MJ asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. John had seemed fairly concerned a few days ago, so why the sudden change in attitude?
"I've known her since we were babies," He answered with a small shrug, chuckling in amusement as his gaze shifted down for a moment. "I figured she'd recover quickly, but I wanted to be sure."
"So she's doing okay, then?" MJ couldn't help but feel a sliver of disappointment in her tone at that bit of knowledge. If she'd have known that, she'd have made plans to hang out with them today.
John seemed to notice the redhead's dismay, and he offered a big grin as he playfully brought his hands to his hips.
"Hey, don't give me that look." There was a mischievous tone to his voice before his expression softened. "I was just dropping off a couple of rentals at the video store down the street. I ain't doing anything else for the day if you're looking for company."
MJ tried to stay mad, if for no other reason than her own stubborn will. But knowing what John and Peter had done not just for her, but the entire school, made his already likable charm a little more appealing. It was hard for her to maintain her frustration, and eventually, her forced frown broke into a reluctant grin.
"I might have been a little lonely…" MJ offered a playful roll of her eyes, watching carefully before the behemoth's reaction. When his grin widened, she giggled in amusement. "I was just going around the block, but I won't say no to some company."
"Alright then." He said it as she once again began her trek, and he wasted no time in matching her pace as they crossed the intersection.
There was relative silence for a moment until they stepped up onto the street.
"So… how are you holding up after school?" John's voice rumbled in concern as he looked down at MJ.
The girl looked up at him as the question entered her ears, and she found herself raising an eyebrow in amusement, a small grin taking over her face.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"Maybe," John replied with a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. "But I asked you first."
"Well, knowing you're okay helps," MJ admitted, shooting a grateful smile at the behemoth before her gaze drifted toward the ground as her lips fell. "But… there've been a few nightmares."
"I'm sorry." MJ's eyes widened when she heard the apology, and she looked up at the black-haired teen in disbelief as he ruffled his locks with a shameful look on his face. "I should've known better than to take someone that big to the ground and get on top."
"That's what you're apologizing for?" MJ raised a bemused eyebrow at him, her lips closing into an amused smile as she shook her head. "Oh my god, you're as bad as Peter."
"You get what I mean," John growled playfully, his voice growing gravlier for a moment before its familiar rumble returned as he chuckled. "I'm sorry you had to see what you did."
"Well, it wasn't your fault," MJ offered a small shrug as she looked up at him with a reassuring smile. "And it's nice to have a superhuman on my side," She added with a grin, causing him to roll his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah."
MJ let a laugh escape her at his playful annoyance, before allowing a delicate hand to lift into the air and rest on her large shoulder.
"Seriously, though, I'm fine." She assured once again, offering him a more confident smile as she let her arms hang behind her back. "You're concern's sweet though."
"Maddie tells me I should care more about myself than everyone else," John admitted bluntly in response, and MJ let a small laugh escape her at that.
"I can see why." She admitted, agreeing wholeheartedly with the absent blonde's sentiment. "But still, it's sweet that you care so much."
He smiled.
"Thanks."
The silence returned for a moment, and MJ found it to be a comfortable one. Just having someone nearby was enough for her to feel better and a little less alone in the big wide world.
But it would only last so long before someone broke it, and eventually, the redhead did so herself.
"I know you're a country boy and a superhuman, but I don't really know much about you." MJ suddenly stated, without any warning or provocation, and John looked up in surprise for a moment as the girl turned to see his response.
He stared forward for a moment, before turning down to the redhead with an utterly bewildered look.
"I uh… I don't follow."
"You live down the street from me, and we've been hanging out for a while. But what I do know from you, I've heard from Maddie or from one of your stories," MJ explained as they came to a momentary stop, looking both ways at the light before taking the crosswalk. "I feel like I don't know that much about you."
"Well…" John spoke without a real answer at first, shaking his head as he tried to think of a response. "Uh, ask away, I guess."
"When we met, you said you were from Bumfudge Egypt." She ignored the raised eyebrow he shot her at her wording, and shot him a curious smile as her head tilted. "But, where exactly are you from?"
John looked at her for a moment, before chuckling as he shook his head in amusement.
"When I say I'm from the country, I mean I'm what most people would call a redneck." His rough features morphed into a surprisingly soft smile as he turned back to her. "Backroads, four-wheelers, dirtbikes, mudding, the whole-yards. Stereotypical redneck."
"You are anything but a stereotypical redneck." MJ countered with a raised eyebrow. "When I think of a redneck, I think of a weirdo with a Confederate bandana making moonshine in the mountains."
"That is an oddly specific description."
"That's a stereotypical redneck."
John once again rolled his eyes, but he looked appreciative of the mirth that the Watson girl offered.
"I'm from a little community called Blue Creek." He revealed, indulging her curiosity as his eyes turned skyward with a wistful tint to them. "Tucked away right along Route 125, smackdab between West Union and Portsmouth. It's got its problems, but the people are good enough. Hard-working folk."
"Careful, keep talking like that and people will really know." The redhead couldn't help it, the opportunity to tease him was too hard to ignore. How could she resist when he gave her such fuel as the word 'folks.' "I've never heard that word outside of old people or cartoons."
"I just use the first word I think of." John retorted following an amused snort, and MJ snickered at that. That was one of her favorite things about the country boy, he had a sense of humor.
"So, what was it like growing up there?" MJ asked, deciding it made for a good topic of conversation.
John let a small shrug engulf his shoulders, but a fond smile took over his face as he slowly looked back down at the redhead.
"Peaceful." He answered with a shrug. "There was an occasional scrap, even when we were kids, but we left the doors unlocked without having to worry a day in our lives about someone just walking in."
That sounded… blissful, actually. It would be nice to be able to keep your doors unlocked without having to worry about a burglar or a murder, let alone something like the supervillains popping up today.
"Nobody here leaves their doors unlocked."
"Wouldn't blame them after what happened to Ben," John commented, shaking his head sadly as his gaze fell down.
MJ frowned. She couldn't blame her parents and neighbors either.
Ben hadn't deserved what happened. And no matter what he believed, it wasn't Peter's fault.
If only convincing him of that would be easy.
"Hey, want to go into Manhattan?" John asked suddenly, looking down at the redhead with a grin.
MJ actually stumbled, catching herself and coming to a stop as she stared at John in disbelief.
It was such a sudden change in topic, and the redhead struggled to figure out how that question had even crossed his mind.
When he saw the look on her face, he chuckled.
"I ain't ever actually been in a city with skyscrapers," John admitted, shooting the girl a bashful grin as he came to a stop. "And I figured it was good to get to a happier topic for the time being. We're supposed to have fun when we hang out, dammit."
MJ continued to stare at him.
Her cheeks wrinkled.
The corners of her lips tugged upward.
"Well… curfew's at ten, and it's one right now."
A throaty laugh escaped him at her joke, and MJ didn't try to fight the smile on her own lips.
They made good time, crossing the Queensboro Bridge in about half an hour. But MJ didn't even have to wait for them to get off the bridge for her to see John looking around like a starstruck child at all the buildings.
"Damn…" John mumbled as they walked down the curved sidewalk ramp, coming down next to the brick foundations. MJ watched with a small smile on her face at his childlike wonder as they came out on 60th Street. "This is something else…"
"Was there anywhere in particular you wanted to see?" MJ asked as they passed numerous New Yorkers just going about their days. Their current direction was taking them toward the harbor.
"Uh…" John still seemed pretty speechless, looking around at the nearby buildings as he tried to form a coherent thought. "I uh… I always wanted to see Times Square. Does that count?"
"Yep!"
MJ's hands wrapped around his elbow on instinct, and he spun on his heel in confusion as she abruptly began pulling him in the opposite direction with a playful grin.
"Times Square is the other way." She giggled as his lips slowly twisted back up into another awed smile. "We can take this street down to Central Park, and then take 7th Street."
"You know Manhattan that well?" John asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief, even as he went slack and allowed the red to begin tugging him down the opposite direction.
MJ had to admit, he was cute when he was surprised,
"I grew up right next door." MJ retorted with a raised eyebrow as she dragged him down the street, finally releasing him when he willingly moved to match her pace.
"Still, it's about, what, an hour's walk?" John questioned as he slipped his hands into his pockets, choosing to match MJ's more casual pace as he focused less on the skyscrapers and more on his companion.
"Well, we could get there faster…"
An amused huff escaped the behemoth as he quickly shook his head at the suggestion. "My powers don't work like in the movies, MJ." He shot her a sympathetic smile, though the broad grin didn't quite match it. "If you're thinking of what I think you are, the take-off alone would… well, it wouldn't be pretty, I'll just say that."
MJ cringed at the mental image her brain conjured when he said that. She supposed she hadn't thought of it that way.
"Well… Hulk can, so…"
"Well, I ain't Hulk." John countered with a small chuckle, his voice bellowing in her ears and drawing some attention. He ignored the looks he gained, however, as he turned to look back at her. "No, believe it or not, I'm still bound by the laws of physics in some regards." He chortled as MJ allowed her arms to fold together behind her back.
"Well, dang. So no romantic soaring in the skies with your girlfriend?" MJ asked, shooting him a teasing grin.
"Hey, I'll make my girl feel like she's soaring through the skies, believe that."
The redhead balked at the dirty joke. She knew John didn't have a filter, both she and Maddie had already stopped him from bouncing Flash's skull off of a locker plenty of times, but she honestly couldn't believe he'd say something like that so openly.
She knew what sex was, and of course, there was an interest… but this soon?
"John!" MJ had to resist the urge to laugh but failed to fight the smile on her face as she slapped his arm, and the behemoth laughed joyfully at the redhead's secondhand embarrassment. "That is so dirty!"
"Oh, you get used to it with me," John assured as he came down from his laughter. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with it, just don't be stupid about it." He added with a shrug.
The redhead rolled her eyes at his antics but remained silent as she gave him an amused stare.
"So, what interests you in a girl, anyway?" She asked, her expression relaxing as he turned to her in confusion. "You know? Like, what is it you're looking for?"
"I know what attracts me if that's what you're asking," A small grin etched itself onto his face as he chuckled. "But for a girlfriend, ain't too picky."
His eyes fell down to her own emerald hues.
"Just don't be a bitch."
MJ didn't quite succeed at muffling the strangled giggles that escaped her lips, but she succeeded on the following ones as John watched with a raised eyebrow.
"What about you?" He asked as the redhead finished her giggling fit. "You interested in anybody besides Peter?"
The moment the words left his mouth, MJ's eyes flew wide open and she jerked to a stop on the sidewalk. His sentence rang through her head, deciphering each syllable as if there were some deeper meaning.
Her mind was in a frenzy.
People had compared her to Harry all the time, but not even Liz had been able to just figure out that the Watson girl had a torch for Peter Parker.
And then this guy she's only known for a month just throws it out there.
"H-How do you…"
"What? How do I know?" John guessed, his smile fading for confusion as he turned to face MJ fully. When the girl nodded, he shrugged. "You're always giving each other googoo eyes. Not too hard to figure out."
"Nobody else figured it out," MJ mumbled as the two resumed their forward trek.
"Most people are idiots."
She didn't respond to his words. But she did offer him a thankful smile for that one.
They continued in peace. Silence lingered for a while, occasionally broken by the city life bustling around them. MJ would answer a few questions that John had, or sometimes the history he'd ask about, while she'd throw out an occasional question about his life.
He was good company. Whenever Peter wasn't around, maybe she'd start hanging it with the neighbors a few doors down. He was funny, polite, maybe a little vulgar but not so bad that MJ couldn't overlook it.
He wasn't as bad as Flash could be, his language was just offensive.
Well, not to her, but still.
They made it down to Central Park, and for a second, MJ thought that Times Square had been forgotten entirely. But after a moment of awe, John followed her around the park.
The traffic wasn't bad, and crossing the streets didn't take that long, something she considered a miracle on its own. Eventually, they strayed from the place of nature, conversing all the way down 7th.
They were almost to Times Square too…
"MJ!"
John's voice ripped through her ears only a second before his rough hands suddenly swung up under her shoulders. She screamed as she was pulled back suddenly before the redhead immediately pulled her feet up when the bottom of her shoe nicked the mirror of a car.
A car that had nearly run her over.
MJ was breathing heavily as her feet touched the ground, and she half expected John to begin chasing after the psychos as she collapsed onto her rear. Especially now that she saw a police cruiser chasing the aggressor.
But he didn't.
Instead, her vision of the fleeing vehicles was obscured for a moment by the blue material of his jeans, before he was crouching down with a face of concern.
"You okay?" He asked as he quickly brushed some hair out of her face. His hands felt around her bare armpits for a moment, and it took the redhead a second to register that he was searching for any bruising.
He looked down for a moment, a snarl on his face.
"How the fuck does a police siren sneak up on you?"
"It happens pretty often, actually." MJ could recall numerous times when she'd heard nothing, only for a police car to suddenly pass by with blaring sirens on its roof. Doing so was the only other thing helping her fried nerves right now.
"Then maybe Manhattan was a bad idea," John muttered back with a shake of his head, removing his hands from her person before offering one to her as he stood to his feet.
MJ's own smaller hand gladly accepted the help, and she was lifted back onto her feet as if she weighed nothing.
John offered her a small smile, before frowning as their hands fell away from each other, turning back towards the fleeing car.
MJ turned her gaze down the street.
The chase was continuing straight down the street at the moment, and the fleeing car wasn't even trying to avoid hitting anything, knocking out a fence and a few signs before swerving around a corner.
"Are you gonna go after them?" MJ asked, glancing up at John. Unlike Peter, the country boy wasn't exactly eager to do any crime-fighting.
A frustrated hum escaped his lips in response.
"I want to… and I don't, too."
MJ's own lips tightened at that, struggling to decipher his words for a second. But the meaning was clear enough, and she nodded as an understanding sigh escaped her.
As sad as it sounded… seeing what he was willing to put himself through at school, MJ didn't want to encourage him to do something he likely didn't want to.
But… if Peter was at Coney Island, John was really the only one who could put a stop to it. It wasn't like the Ultimates would come out to chase a lowly joyrider and plenty of people could get hurt between now and when the cops manage to catch him.
Her morals were screaming at her to convince him to go. If he was split, it wouldn't be hard either way.
It wasn't like it was Rhino or some other big-time supervillain. It wasn't some world-ending plot, it was just some maniac behind the wheel of a car. If his stories were true, John could stand his ground against the Hulk, what was a car going to do?
But helping Peter on patrols was a reluctant enough endeavor, and there was no telling when that patience would end.
"You don't have to if you don't want to." He wasn't Peter, and as cool as it was, she wouldn't pretend to remain ignorant of the downsides John had experienced firsthand. "Like you always say, stopping every idiot isn't your responsibility."
"They about hit you though," John replied quietly. Around them, anyone who'd stopped to watch the cars was already long gone, leaving just the two of them in a private conversation in the middle of the street.
His shoulders were lifted in frustration, and his lips were as he seemed to struggle with the decision.
After a few seconds, he let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes.
"And I won't be able to live with myself if someone gets killed after I've seen it." He turned his gaze upward, his long black hair cascading down his back, and he didn't look happy. But he sounded like he'd made his decision.
"Are you sure?" MJ asked anyway, looking up at him in concern.
He grinned and turned down to the redhead with an amused gaze.
"Not in the least."
He lowered himself down following the answer, and it took MJ a second to register what had happened as he simply disappeared from her view a second later. The girl's eyes widened, and she instinctively jerked her gaze around for a moment before looking up.
She managed to catch him as he soared through the air, and she watched as he easily cleared the next six blocks all the way to Times Square by jumping from building to building, leaving only a momentary puff of dust as evidence for anyone to find.
He disappeared down the same corner as the car a moment later.
And MJ was alone again, left with only her thoughts.
She was confused at John's choice… but she smiled as she stared in the direction he disappeared, ignoring the passing New Yorkers in front of her.
His heart was in the right place, so that had to mean something.
So for once, she wasn't disappointed at being left alone. It was better than how Peter seemed to be drifting away lately, and the country boy was actually pretty fun to hang out with.
She turned around and made her way towards the closest structure, and apartment building, before pulling out her phone and sitting on the ground. She leaned her back against the brick, flipping her phone open as she scrolled through the contacts.
Texting wasn't a bad way to pass time, she supposed.
Now… didn't John say Peter and Maddie had gone to Coney Island?
*BANG!*
The heavy little pin shot off up, hitting the bell. The resulting sound was a resounding echo, and Peter enjoyed the confidence boost that his cheering companion offered.
"Woohoo! Go, Peter!" Maddie cheered, jumping in excitement as the nerd managed to get a perfect score on the carnival game. A couple of people gave him odd looks due to his short height, but he paid them no mind.
With Harry gone somewhere and the knowledge that his father was locked away, it was actually pretty relaxing lately. He'd gotten better at getting home in time for curfew, and May had loosened to twelve instead of ten due to his nightly activities.
But with all of his free time being out with Spider-Man, he hadn't noticed lately how much he'd been neglecting his personal life.
A trip to Coney Island was just what the doctor ordered.
"Pick your prize, malady." Peter offered a playful bow and a fake accent as he gestured toward the wall of hanging prizes, ignoring the still-stunned carnie who was supposed to run the game.
The blonde was certainly far more excitable than most girls he knew, squealing with glee before zipping up to the wall.
The girl had a massive grin on her face as she looked through the options. There were a myriad of different choices, though most of them were either an animal or a superhero of some type.
After a moment, her eyes trained on a little brown wolf. It was a sizable plushie, looking to be of similar size to Maddie's own torso, but she plucked it off the rack with ease. She turned around and displayed the toy for Peter to see with a massive grin.
"This one!"
Peter laughed. He couldn't help it, Maddie had an infectious air when she was happy, and the boy had seen her light up a room in no time.
It was part of the reason she was so scary when she was mad.
He'd seen firsthand the after-effects of Norman's attack on the school, and especially John's injury in the event. Maddie had bounced between joy, happiness, and sadness for a couple of days after the incident, unable to stick to one while she processed it all.
From what John told him, she struggled with the fact that the behemoth had been forced to normalize pain so radically.
Peter couldn't blame her on that one.
Still, he'd admit that he felt a little awkward during the get-together. Maddie was nice, but she wasn't MJ. Peter had known the redhead since they were kids, and he wasn't really nervous around her.
But this was his first time being around the girl without someone else present.
Still, he was glad he came. The time so far had been nothing but fun, fun, and more fun.
"I dub thee Sir Wolfington Jr. III." He quipped as the blonde tucked her new memento under her arm, and he was rewarded with a bright smile from the academic.
"John will call him Cujo until he gets his way," Maddie responded, rolling her eyes at the mention of her best friend. "He takes redneck pride to a whole different level."
"I wouldn't really call him prideful, just stubborn," Peter came to his absent friend's defense against the girl's harsh words as the two began to wander away from the strength game with no real destination in mind.
Maddie offered a nonchalant shrug in response.
"Same difference," She remarked without a care in the world, shooting the nerd a look of mirth.
Peter didn't really agree, but Maddie was harder to argue with than John, so he supposed it was best to drop the topic for his own sanity.
"Why'd you want to come with me, anyway?" Peter asked, glancing over at the blonde curiously.
Maddie's blue eyes met his own brown hues, and she raised a delicate eyebrow in confusion.
"Outside of MJ or Harry, I'm not really anyone's first pick for a hang-out buddy," And it honestly made Peter curious. Maddie usually spent more time with John, Liz, or MJ, so her sudden insistence on going to Coney Island with him while John was busy had been rather jarring, to say the least.
The girl's mostly bare shoulders lifted in a shrug, and her smile softened as she met his eyes.
"So? I like hanging out with my friends. It's about time we actually got to be friends for a bit." She actually chuckled, not a high-pitched giggle but a low laugh much like the oaf they called friend.
Peter didn't know girls laughed like that.
"Besides, are you complaining? It's been fun, hasn't it?" She gave his shoulder a friendly punch as they walked down the peer, and there was a teasing grin on her lips. "You really don't know much about girls."
"Unless that girl has red hair, green eyes, and is usually wearing heels, no," Peter admitted with a small grin of his own. "Heck, you know what it feels like to see so many girls going up to John in the halls?"
"The difference between you and John is that you'd love the attention." The blonde didn't hesitate to call him out. And the nerd couldn't really argue.
He could be a bit of a glory hound.
"Well, I don't know what it's like to get that attention."
"Neither does he," Maddie revealed, a small giggle escaping her when Peter looked up at her in disbelief. "It's true. We'd been at our last school since kindergarten, and none of the girls were interested in irritating him. New York was a bit of a change."
Huh. What do you know? Peter would have never guessed.
With how confident the behemoth was, he'd have thought John got girls' attention all the time. Heck, Liz still liked him, and she still wasn't too big about mutants and superhumans.
"And none of them interest him?"
"Not enough. To him, big boobs and a big butt don't make a partner." Maddie explained, shaking her head with a small grin.
Peter's eyes admittedly widened significantly at that unholy description. That was… definitely one way to put it.
"Uh, wow…" His hand came up to rub the back of his neck, his finger toying with the neckline of his costume as he shot the blonde a nervous glance. "You uh, you really don't hold out, do you?"
"Careful. There's a lot to be gained from those words." The jab made him blush in an instant, but the blonde didn't push the joke. Instead, she laughed once more as she turned her gaze forward.
Peter eyed her for a moment, before shaking his head in amusement.
"It'll be a while before I get used to your… personality. Or John's, for that matter." The hidden hero muttered, loud enough for the blonde to hear, as he let a small chuckle escape him.
Maddie simply shrugged, a cheeky grin on her lips.
Peter laughed as well, shaking his head in amusement as he turned forward too. She wasn't wrong, it had been a fun time so far. If Peter wasn't rushing off to do one of his favorite activities, it was because of the hundred-and-thirty-pound girl dragging him off in another direction.
"Are you actually keeping that thing?" Peter asked, glancing towards the wolf under her arm. Carnival prizes weren't often something to write home about, and the black fur stitching would probably be torn in a month's time.
But to his surprise, the blonde turned to him with a raised eyebrow, as if he'd asked one of the dumbest questions on the planet.
"Uh, duh?" Her lips slowly curled upward until she started laughing, and Peter couldn't fight his own grin as the blond shook her head.
"Well sorry, carnies don't have good prizes, so I was curious."
"Well, prizes bring good memories," Maddie responded with a shrug. "They aren't worth much, and they certainly aren't anyone's first choice for a toy, but this thing will sit on my shelf because my friend Peter won it for me."
She gave the plush a playful shake as she glanced back over at Peter, and the nerd allowed himself to grin as she slapped his shoulder.
The girl was strong for her small size, he could say that.
"So why are you living with John?" In the time he'd known her, Peter had never figured out the answer to that question. By this point, they all knew that the girl wasn't related to him in any way, they were just a pair of friends who ended up living together. But it was something to think about, in his opinion.
"Well, there's a bit of a story there," Maddie admitted with a small shrug, turning back to Peter as her smile faded slightly. "I can't say all of it's happy either, but at least it didn't involve someone getting gutted."
Peter didn't even try to hide his wince at that one, especially considering the girl herself cringed a moment after making the joke.
Of course, if John were here, he would have laughed.
"Sorry…" Maddie's expression shifted to a more shameful one as she brought her free hand to the back of her neck. She struggled to meet Peter's eyes, constantly flicking between them and the ground. "John says it's supposed to be a coping mechanism since stuff doesn't usually faze me unless he's involved."
Peter's own features softened when he heard the provided explanation. That… explained some things, actually.
"Hey, we all cope with things." Of course, not everyone had to cope with watching a guy walk away with a hole in his stomach, but still, Peter felt that the words rang true, offering the blonde a small smile. Maddie's eyes finally held his own when he spoke, her brow furrowing the slightest bit.
The nerd grinned and offered a light tap to her shoulder. It was supposed to be a mimicry of her own gestures earlier, but even he could tell it came off as nothing more than forced.
Still, it served to make her smile the barest little bit, even if it was accompanied by more pronounced confusion.
"And as for that story, it looks like we have all nig-"
"HOW THE HELL DID THIS GET ALL THE FUCKING WAY HERE?!"
That… was John.
Over all of the crowded lot's noise, from the chatting people and active machines, to the racing go-carts and active rollercoasters, everyone paused as all sound ceased.
Peter and Maddie both shared a wide-eyed look of disbelief before the nerd's senses returned and he immediately moved to find a discreet place to change.
He didn't get the chance though, as John's voice boomed through the air once more.
"STAY THE HELL IN THERE IF YOU HEAR ME!"
Peter was pretty sure the entire area could hear him. And he now had the distinct feeling that this was one crime that was handled.
"TWO FUCKING MINUTES, THAT'S ALL IT FUCKING TOOK, ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!"
Oh, he was still going… the nerd supposed he shouldn't be surprised. However, he was fairly certain that whoever had jacked the car he now heard was going to end up with a broken foot.
Or two.
He wasn't kidding.
"Okay, I can say I didn't expect to hear John right now." Maddie giggled as she turned back to Peter with a bright grin on her face. "You heard the car, right?"
If she weren't next to him, Peter was fairly sure he wouldn't have heard her. John was still yelling, and he'd had to force himself to stop listening to the audible words for his own sanity. The Juggernaut certainly had a colorful vocabulary.
"How come he doesn't get swamped by people?" After all was said and done, most people who recognized John ignored him if the press or someone with a camera was there. And after the first couple of rounds, Shocker started going quietly whenever Spider-Man was accompanied by the burly teen.
"What, you don't know?"
The way Maddie said it, like he should know, only confused him more. John's life as the Juggernaut had stopped being a priority a while ago, Peter had just been happy that someone was watching his back from time to time.
Even with Aunt May in the know, it was still difficult for the boy to juggle his school life with Spider-Man. The only plus side is that he was forgiven for any sudden Ds or Cs on his report card.
But John always fought without a mask, or any kind of disguise really. In fact, the flannel he always wore was basically a gigantic 'EXPOSE ME!' sign in and of itself. But he was rarely ever swamped by the occasional crowd of fans, and they were usually held at bay by the police.
Actually, now that Peter thought about it… the police did seem to come a lot sooner whenever John was with him.
"Pete, we told you government stuff for a reason," Maddie explained, shaking her head as a sad frown crossed her face. Her eyes flicked back towards the direction John's voice was still coming from, before meeting his own as Peter turned to look at her. "Legally, he can't talk about it. But for him to have a normal life, he agreed to have every single one of his mission briefings be declassified."
Peter's eyes narrowed for a moment as the cogs turned in his head.
Legally, John couldn't say anything. From the sounds of it, a government gag order. And he'd kept to that, giving no indication that he was hiding anything other than, ironically, outright admitting it to Peter.
But… his mission briefings? Like actual government missions? Declassified?
"I thought you knew," Maddie admitted as if it were her fault for his ignorance. "John didn't believe me… he's been scared of what would happen if you found out."
"Okay, can we skip the pronoun game or whatever it is and get to the part where it tells me what you thought I knew?"
Admittedly, Peter was just annoyed that she kept dancing around it. Where was the fiery blonde that backed Flash into a tree?
The hurt look he got in response killed that annoyance with a vengeance.
"Sorry, that wasn't fair." Peter dragged a hand down his face, offering the blonde his own apologetic gaze as he looked at her blue orbs. "It just feels like you're dancing around it, and that isn't you, Maddie."
He had the decency to look as sheepish as he felt, rubbing the back of his head as he waited for a response.
And waited.
After a moment, Maddie sighed, shaking her head and rubbing her forehead as a small smile crept its way up once more.
"Sorry, just… look, I don't want to be the one to tell you." She admitted, and to Peter's surprise, she looked as nervous as he felt, rubbing the back of her own neck and catching some of her yellow strands. "John wants you to find out for yourself, and considering what 'it' is… we're here to have fun. I don't want to talk about it."
Peter frowned. It wasn't the response he'd hoped for, not the slightest bit.
Something she seemed to sense.
"Just… look, when you get home, just look it up, okay?"
His lips thinned.
It was… something.
Peter didn't like only being given that bit.
But the longer he looked at the expression on Maddie's face, the more his resolve wavered. She looked… different. She was less relaxed, her shoulders were more squared, and she was giving him a look that bordered on pleading and annoyance.
Whatever it was, it was something that was important to her, he could see that much.
She was his friend, and yet she was looking at him with so much distrust right now…
Peter sighed. He could take a hint.
"Alright, fine." He threw the second word out with a smile, even as his exasperated hands returned from the air, hoping to add some levity to what was supposed to be a fun day. She hadn't been wrong in that regard. "I'll Google it when I get home. Now, since you're so insistent, can we get back to the fun, then?"
He gave an overly dramatic bow back toward the rest of the park, and he was patiently rewarded with a grin after seconds of watching her lips slowly curl up.
"I will say this, you're as much of a dork as John."
"I'll assume that's a compliment."
"It is, don't worry."
Well, he would say that Maddie knew how to boost his confidence.
The next thirty minutes were… interesting to say the least.
The nerd visibly relaxed as the blonde giggled, the excited demeanor she'd had before they'd fallen into conversation returning as she snagged the wrist of his coat and began hauling him through Coney Island once more.
The country girl had ended up dragging him to the rollercoaster, and Peter had eagerly gotten onto the ride with her. And once they were done, it was back to the go-carts again, before they'd gone back to trying their hands at carnival games.
That… was about when things took a turn.
Maddie had gotten the idea to try out one of the gun games.
And then Flash showed up.
It started with a loud whistle, and then a grating shout cutting through the air, and their ears.
"Hey, Maddie, Parker!"
He called her Maddie like they were friends.
Maddie hadn't even turned to look in his direction, and Peter saw her raise her free hand into the air. Well, free fist.
For some reason, Flash had it in his head that Maddie was his friend, and that she enjoyed his company. He seemed to think she was just playing hard to get at first until John had to hold her in one arm and wrench one of the jock's own with the other.
Though, the nerd could admit that it had been the blonde that swung first. Not entirely for undeserved reasons, considering how embarrassing that event would've been had it occurred anywhere else but the football field after school.
Hesitantly, oh so hesitantly, Peter turned around and faced his bully. He perked up when he saw Liz and Kong accompanying him, and part of him secretly hoped that he might get the chance to get the big guy away from the jock.
Kong saw something in Flash that nobody else seemed to be able to, but it didn't change the fact that he still ended up as a bully himself half the time. Peter had more than enough memories of quite literally being lifted off the ground and shoved into the lockers by the big guy.
But… Kong had also given him a place to stay during his fight with Aunt May. He didn't have to do it, and Peter felt that he owed the favor back in some capacity.
Maddie too offered a brighter smile when she spotted the accompanying duo, and Flash's cocky entrance was promptly destroyed when he was nearly flattened by his own companions as they rushed passed him.
"I didn't think it was real!" Kong exclaimed with a joyful laugh as he slowed to a gentle stop in front of the two, while Liz stumbled to a halt as she looked at the two of them in pure astonishment.
"Are John and MJ here?" The new blonde asked, looking between the two of them as if she were going to spot the mentioned pair.
"What?" Peter couldn't help but ask, turning to Maddie in confusion.
"Uh, no," She answered with a shake of her head, meeting Peter's gaze with a similar expression. "It's just me and Peter. John went out to return a DVD when he stopped by, so I wanted to get out of the house for a bit."
"Wait, so you two aren't on a date?" Kong asked in confusion, pointing a finger at the two of them in confusion.
"No."
"Maybe."
Peter's eyes flew wide, and he looked back to the blonde in disbelief, only to be met with a cheeky smile.
"He did win my prize." She teased, giving Peter only enough time to internally panic and show a flash of excitement before laughing as she shook her head and turned back to Liz and Kong. "I personally wouldn't be opposed, but no, I was just bored and wanted the company. He said sure."
"Well, that makes more sense," Liz admitted, though she gave Maddie an odd remark. "But… you'd date Peter?"
"What?!" Peter rolled his eyes when Flash decided to reinject himself into the conversation, and Maddie immediately scowled as the two turned to the jock with annoyed frowns. "Are you nuts? What's there to like about Parker?"
"He's smart, funny, nice, and last I checked you broke your hand when he stopped one of your punches."
Despite how quickly people had forgotten about it, the country girl hadn't let him forget it since she'd learned about it.
The smile on Maddie's face was surprisingly endearing, but the nerd chose to focus more on the look on Flash's face.
It was stunned, that much was apparent. His jaw hung low, and his brows were touching his hairline as he stared wide-eyed.
The sight was nothing short of comical, and Maddie's next words only made it even better.
"Don't worry, he didn't have to sit still with this."
Well, Maddie certainly knew how to take down a man's pride, but Peter would not lie. After his recent struggles, he was enjoying the break from crime fighting for a bit.
Watching his long-time bully open and close his mouth while Kong openly laughed and his own girlfriend covered her mouth in an attempt to hide snickers… well, it was catharsis, he supposed. Especially since he'd basically gone back to being a punching back since said 'fight'.
Maddie continued to innocently stare as if she were just trying to make him feel better.
"Dude, what are you gonna say to that?" Kong asked openly as he came down from his laughter, looking at his best buddy with a grin plastered on his face.
Flash remained silent. Probably too busy recovering his pride behind the scenes.
"Anyway, how long have you been here?" Maddie asked, turning back to Liz with a much more genuine smile and outright ignoring the malfunctioning dolt while Peter tried to reign in his own amusement.
"A couple of hours."
While Peter continued laughing, Maddie immediately frowned in confusion.
"Oh, and you didn't hear John shouting his lungs out a little while ago?" She asked, a small grin prickling at her lips as she pointed back towards the entrance. "The whole place went quiet. I didn't even realize he'd stopped if I'm honest."
"Neither did I, I just forgot about it." Peter quipped, offering a grin. For all her talk about him not being attractive, at least he could still make Liz laugh along with anyone else.
"Hey, if you didn't need that many days off from school, how come you were off for the rest of the week?" Kong asked out of nowhere, scratching his skull as he turned to the pink-skirted girl. "You seem fine to me."
At that, Maddie did frown.
"Because John's a worrywart when he wants to be," Maddie answered blankly. "He's a lot of things when he wants to be, as a matter of fact."
"Is he doing okay from the whole… you know?" Liz asked, her brow furrowing as a genuine look of concern took over. "He said he was doing fine, but something tells me he's a pretty good faker."
"No, he's not, that's the scary thing."
Well, Maddie's response certainly made Peter shudder. That did not paint a nice picture.
"But yeah, he's doing fine," Maddie answered with a sigh after a momentary pause. "At least, I think so. With that kind of trauma… well, honestly, that may not have even traumatized him."
"He was just standing there." Flash was acknowledged at his words, but nothing more. Still, he looked nothing short of mortified as he recalled the memory. "Say what you want about me, you have to respect the guy's will if nothing else."
"Will?"
"What would you call it? He was too calm for it to be adrenaline."
Peter… didn't have a response for that one. He was more surprised Flash had even thought of that.
"Has no one read that stuff?" Maddie asked no one in particular, looking around with wide-eyed disbelief before shaking her head.
When she saw that both Kong and Liz looked confused, she let out an exasperated sigh.
"Do you two even know he's the Juggernaut?"
No, they certainly had not, Peter surmised as he watched all three of them immediately balk at the revelation.
Honestly, Peter didn't blame them. He fought crime with the guy, and he was still surprised when he first met him on top of a gargoyle on the side of a skyscraper.
"Th-The… L-Like the actual…" Flash admittedly had reason to be scared, considering he'd picked plenty of fights with the guy. "Wait, you ain't serious, right?"
Maddie stared blankly at Flash. She didn't so much as move.
"What do you think, dipshit?"
"The Metalmaker-"
"Peter."
Peter blinked.
He slowly turned his head to Maddie, his brow furrowing, a quip on the tip of his tongue.
"Yes, that's my name."
Maddie rolled her eyes, shooting an exasperated look before immediately shaking her head with an annoyed frown.
"Sorry, that's my fault." She apologized, looking up at him with a small smile on her soft features. "The uh… the Metalmaker. We're allowed to talk about him. He goes to my last school, his name's Peter."
…
…
…
What?
A/N: So, if it's not already apparent, I'll lay it out right now. As I said before, I only know Ultimate Spider-Man well enough to write a coherent fanfiction. As for the wider Ultimate Universe, I am doing my research for their inevitable inclusion at certain parts of this fic, but I'm a little unsure of when events take place. Since this fic focuses on the original run and solely that…
Well, I'll say it point blank. When it comes to your knowledge of the Ultimate Universe, the only things worth caring about are the best and worst bits that everyone knows about, because those are the parts that are likely canon unless I make it so that it's literally impossible for them to be, which I genuinely don't want to discount as a possibility since sudden idea stories tend to be hit or miss. And I have a lot of those.
And I wanted to give a reason as to why John isn't getting mauled by rabid fans or vengeful supervillains, since his face has been on every TV in the nation at some point by the story's start, and as is already apparent… well, a certain Master of Magnetism is out of the picture for a reason, for multiple reasons in regards to the story, but I think we all agree that it's a welcome change.
Fuck. That.
If you know, you know.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see all of you in the next one.