5(A/N: I do not own Spider-man and certainly not the story 'Fighting Crimes, Spinning Webs' which is undoubtedly the best Spectacular Spider-Man fic I've ever read and is the closest thing we collectively as fans of the show have to a Spec Spidey continuation [until Sony and Disney possibly decide to bring it back]. That right belongs to Sony and the author 'thebandragoness'.
I would suggest you read 'Fighting Crime, Spinning Webs' before reading this [Although it's super long as good fics usually are]
This is something I usually wouldn't do without the consent of the original author but it seems they haven't been active in 3 years so if they ever come across it one day and ask me to take it down, out of respect, I'll do so considering this is purely based on their story.
This is a sort of an unofficial and my own version [that differentiates from the original story just a tiny bit] of a Christmas special that takes place on Christmas Day: December 25, 2011 in the story. So a little more than a year after the 'final' chapter [Or before the epilogue at least]. Hope you enjoy it).
Mary Jane took in her giant Christmas tree at the end of the living room in her luxury condo. At the bottom of the tree were a few dozen gifts from her male colleagues, male fans (That apparently took the time to track down her address. Not creepy at all) and even one from Seymour Reilly, her old schoolmate. Poor fella. Guy clearly didn't know how to take no for an answer. Oh, and one from Glory, one of Mary Jane's only true friends she made at Midtown.
So yeah, it was kind of a sausage party under the tree. She knew she should be flattered and ecstatic to get so many gifts from male suitors as they probably liked to have thinked themselves as but really, it was annoying. At this point, she was sick of men trying to buy her affection when her heart at this point belonged to a certain cute, kinda hunky and brown-eyed spider-based superhero.
Speaking of whom, Peter Parker had promised her that he would visit her later that night. He spent most of his time in a hotel room, celebrating Christmas with his Aunt May and her new husband: Dr. Bromwell. She clearly had taken a major step up from dating Doc Ock for a time but as Peter told her one time: There was no possible way on earth she could do worse (Or at least she hoped so).
Finally after waiting for so long, the doorbell rang. She practically ran to the door and opened it to reveal the handsome 19 year old man in his traditional blue shirt and a jacket. He was holding a present of his own. It was a long, thin, rectangular present wrapped in cheap wrapping paper.
"Tiger! Merry Christmas" She said as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Peter smiled and hugged back.
"Hey, MJ. Merry Christmas" Peter said, holding his gift tight as he patted her back.
"Come on, come in!" Mary-Jane said as she pulled him in. Peter could instantly feel the heat from the condo warming his body up. Ditkovich's five star apartments didn't even have functioning heating so it was kind of refreshing to finally have some for once in a while.
The redhead led him to the living room. Peter took in the sight of all the presents under the tree anyway and gave a whistle.
"Nice arrangement you have here" Peter said with a smirk.
"Huh…oh, yeah. Yeah, a bunch of fans and some of my coworkers" Mary-Jane said indifferently, waving it off, walking to the couch.
"You haven't opened them yet?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow as she sat with her legs crossed on the couch.
"Meh, likely just a bunch of lingerie sets from some of my perverted fans and some jewelry from some of my coworkers trying to buy my affection and something from Seymour Reilly that I'm actually kind of scared to open" Mary-Jane said, shivering.
"He's still trying to get together with you? You really would think he would've given up after you hung up on him that one fourth of July a few years back" Peter chuckled.
"Poor guy's infatuated with me. I sort of want to get a restraining order on him but I don't know. Seems kinda mean" Mary-Jane said, scratching her head.
"He'll give up eventually. Guy's eventually gonna have to move on sometime" Peter said, walking to the couch and sitting by her. They were continuing their streaming tradition and put on some Christmas movies, including Die Hard (Mary-Jane who was one of those people who insisted that it was a Christmas movie).
"So how was your day? Your aunt came into town?" Mary Jane asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, her and Dr. Bromwell. We exchanged some gifts and had Aunt May's Christmas dinner in the comfort of a hotel room. Thankfully we had a microwave" Peter chuckled.
"That sounds good. I kinda hoped I'd be able to join but I had to visit my Aunt A for a bit" Mary Jane said a bit somberly.
"Oh yeah, how is she?" Peter asked as the first movie they watched played in the background.
"She's fine, she's just…it's just a bit of a different relationship we have now that she's all married and has step-kids and stuff. I've just been used to being priority one with her" Mary Jane said, looking down at her lap.
"Well…if it makes you feel any better, it's not exactly like my relationship with my aunt's been the same since she moved to Pennsylvania and got married again" Peter said, hugging her from the side. Mary-Jane smiled and rested her head on his shoulder
"Yeah, well…your aunt is still the most pure, kindest aunt on the face of the planet and it shows whenever you're with her. My aunt, well…our relationship could just be a bit better than it is now" Mary Jane said, giving a sigh afterwards.
"Well…I'm sure she still loves you either way. Did you do anything else?" Peter asked, looking down at the red hair of the person who continued to lay their head on his shoulder.
"I visited my dad and Gayle, gave him the usual delivery of diapers and baby food. I also got Gayle a toy" Mary Jane said, giving a small smile.
"It's good you're talking to him again and it's cool you have a baby sister" Peter said, giving a smile of his own.
"Yeah. It's good to see her and I like that I can actually talk to my dad without me being filled with rage and him calling me a whore…it's just a shame it took my mom's death to bring me close to them again" Mary-Jane said, looking down at the couch, a small tear escaping her eye.
Peter noticed the tear falling down on the couch and gave Mary-Jane a kiss on her head.
"Well the important thing is you're there for her now and you're gonna be a kick ass sister" Peter said, wrapping his arm around her and rubbing her forearm.
Mary-Jane smiled again and pulled her head back off his shoulder to kiss Peter's cheek.
"Thanks a lot…who knew you could be such a sap, Tiger?" Mary-Jane asked with a giggle.
Peter shrugged. "Stick around. I got plenty more sappy lines to put out"
"You know, I just might" Mary-Jane said, gazingly looking at the handsome boy's face before looking down at the gift still in his hands. "Is that for little old me?"
"Hm? Oh! Oh, yeah. It is. Uh…Merry Christmas" Peter said, presenting his gift to his best friend.
"Thanks, Tiger" Mary-Jane asked and then began to unwrap it. As it turned out it was a picture frame. However, it wasn't just any picture frame. It was when they went to the Midtown High fall formal together. Peter was dressed in his uncle Ben's old suit while she was dressed in her black dress that turned the heads of many boys (And some girls) that night. It was quite the picture.
Mary-Jane smiled down at the picture. She remembered that night clearly. She was at first dreading the thought of taking some random boy she had never met to his high school dance because he couldn't get a date on his own but it turned out to be one of the best nights of her life, mostly because of him. Another tear left her eye but she caught it before it left her cheek.
"Thanks, Tiger" She said, kissing Peter's cheek again.
With a blush, Peter just smiled. "No problem. I found it in another box of my old stuff my aunt brought with her. Managed to get it framed at the last minute with the Christmas bonus the Connors' gave me. I figured since I'm not really in a position to be handing out expensive gifts, I figured this was something you would like instead"
Mary-Jane let out an amused huff. "Peter, there's tons of expensive gifts underneath my tree and none would ever come as close as this. Thanks so much…And actually…I have a gift for you actually"
The redhead put the picture frame down on the glass coffee table in front of the couch and went to the tree. After digging from the many gifts from under the tree, she dug out a tiny box in glittery wrapping paper with a gold colored bow at the top. She was actually both excited and nervous to give this to him.
The supermodel/video game streamer presented the box to Peter who just smirked.
"Going all out for me this year, huh?" Peter asked, lightly teasing.
"Just open it, you wiseass" Mary-Jane said, lightly swatting him on his arm. Peter just chuckled and took the box. He took the box and held it right next to his ear to lightly shake it. He could hear a light jingly noise. After inspecting the box a bit more, he opened it. The contents were that of a single key. Peter could tell what this was about. He just gave a light smile but didn't react much other than that.
Mary-Jane just watched in anticipation of what he would say to this. She sat beside him on the couch, twiddling her thumbs.
After he just sat beside her for the longest time, he just sighed and shook his while still maintaining the smile.
"Is this what I think it is, MJ?" Peter asked his friend.
Mary-Jane sat silently for a second before giving a slight nod.
"...Yes" She said.
Peter then turned her head towards her and turned his small smile into a slight frown.
"MJ…we talked about this…several times actually" Peter said in a manner not unlike a parent that was talking down to their child.
"Just hear me out, please. I'm not asking you to move in. This is just my open invite to you to you know, just stay whenever you like. Crash in the guest bedroom, the couch…maybe even my bed" She slipped in that last part.
Peter caught in despite her whispering and just rolled his eyes. "MJ…I appreciate the thought but…I'm still not ready to pursue a relationship again"
"I…I'm not suggesting we have sex or anything. I'm just saying just sleep in the same bed and maybe just, you know…do some cuddling" Mary Jane almost insisted.
"MJ…" Peter said, going back to a sad smile.
"I…I'm just worried about you, Peter. I don't know why you're insisting on living alone in that rathole of an apartment of yours….no offense" Mary-Jane said, catching herself at the end with an embarrassed look on her face.
"Rathole is actually kind of a compliment, really" Peter whispered.
Mary-Jane's eyes began to water and little sniffles started to come out as she decided to further explain her reasoning.
"Listen…I'm not really supposed to say this…and this probably isn't the right day…but before…that night…Gwen and I had a conversation. We…we agreed that allowing me into your guys' relationship was for the best because if something had happened to…well…either of you…I'd be there to make sure that neither of you would be alone afterward…I want to keep my promise to her, Peter. I…I want to be there for you. Take care of you. Why won't you just let me?" Mary-Jane asked, her sad voice becoming more frustrated as tears fell down her face as she looked down to the couch. Peter looked into her eyes and saw she was being sincere. He took her hands and held them tightly.
"Mary-Jane…you are taking care of me. You're being the best friend I ever had. If it weren't for you, I'd be in a much worse off place than I am now. In a way…you saved my life. You don't need to do anything more" Peter said, smiling softly at her. He tilted her head up and looked deeply into her beautiful eyes.
"Who said this is because I needed to do it?" Mary-Jane asked, raising her eyebrows and squeezing his hand.
"...Look. It's not that I'm not tempted. Really I am. Any guy in my position would be thrilled. Hell, I even told Eddie while we were working at the lab about how much you want me to move in and he thinks I'm insane that I'd rather live in my bachelor pad than with a supermodel in a place like this…" Peter trailed, twiddling his thumbs.
"But?" Mary-Jane asked, raising an eyebrow.
"But…I…I just need more time…Listen…I know how you feel about me and…I feel the same…but I'd rather we just be where we are right now…alright?" Peter asked, looking into her eyes again.
Mary-Jane sat quietly for a moment, trying to conjure up what to say next. When she felt she had some idea, she slowly nodded.
"Ok…that's fine…but one condition" Mary-Jane said, her face suddenly growing a bit stern.
"Oh?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You spend at least a few nights here a week. At least 3…or else I'll have my attorney read over a copy of your lease and I swear to god, Peter Parker, I'll find a way to get you kicked out of the dump you apparently oh so love and you'll have to move in here permanently. Got me?" Mary-Jane asked.
Peter chuckled. "Alright…fine. I will"
"Good" Mary-Jane said, kissing his cheek.
"I'm surprised you're that willing to get me to move in. I didn't know you were that lonely. I…I thought you would have a date every other night here" Peter said, smirking.
"Pft. Please, after I went to bed with a stud like you, you think I would have anyone else?" Mary-Jane asked with a smirk of her own.
"Oh, really? You mean you never…?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow, suddenly getting curious.
"Not once…not since the last time you, Gwen and I were together…these guys who are after me, they only care about what's underneath my clothes. You, Tiger…you're extraordinarily different…and I'm saving myself for you, Peter Parker" Mary-Jane said with a growing smile.
Peter's face looked to be the color of a stop sign and gave a nervous chuckle.
"W…wow. I didn't realize you felt that strongly about it" Peter said, still chuckling.
"And you better save yourself for me, Tiger. No going around chasing hussies like that stupid Cat lady or else. Understand me?" Mary-Jane asked, giving him a kind of dangerous look but held a small smirk on her face.
"Y…yeah. I…I can do that" Peter answered, nodding vigorously.
"Good. Now…while we both wait…let's just leave this as a preview of things to come…and of a life beyond us pretending to be just friends" Mary-Jane declared. With that, she grabbed Peter's shirt, grabbed the back of his head and pulled him towards her until she smashed her lips onto his.
Peter's eyes were at first as wide as saucers but his eyes sooned to slowly close. They continued to close until they were fully closed and kissed back. It wasn't a sexual kiss or anything. There was no tongue action involved. It was just a sensual kiss. The redhead caressed and massaged the back of his head as their lips collided.
They kissed for 1, 5, maybe 10 minutes with a few times they momentarily pulled back to breathe until they pulled back.
Peter's face was less red than when Mary-Jane had announced she was saving herself for him but it was still hopelessly pink. He hadn't been kissed like that in a long time and…it was really good.
"...Wow…" Peter said, running his hands through his hair, trying to unsuccessfully fix it from all the caressing the redhead had done.
"I know…along with the key, consider that your second gift…Merry Christmas, Tiger" Mary-Jane said, resting her head back on his shoulder.
"...Merry Christmas, MJ" Peter said, resting his cheek on the top of her head. They sat silently as they watched their movie. Not another word was said between them. It seemed like enough had already been said between them. As they watched their movie, Christmas snow fell down from the clouds outside, covering the whole outside with snow in contrast to the warmth that was going on inside Mary Jane's condo.
For the first time in a while, it seemed that Peter was actually…happy. He was still in pain over the loss of his first love but the redhead resting her head on his shoulder made it better than it usually was. It also seemed like she would always be there to do that whether Peter liked it or not…and he was fine with it.
The 19 year old continued to watch the movie and felt something about his future he hadn't felt in more than a year…optimistic.
(A/N: So yeah, consider this my unofficial late 'Fighting Crimes, Spinning Webs' Christmas Special. Just wanted to add my own insights on what could have happened between 2010 [The story time in which the main story ended] and 2013 [When they officially got together for good according to the timeline posted in the story]. Hope you enjoyed it).