5(A/N: I do not own Spectacular Spider-Man or 'Fighting Crime, Spinning Webs'. That right belongs to Sony and the author 'thebandragoness' respectively.
I found some time in between classes to make a short and UNOFFICIAL one-shot chapter. I decided to make another one because I enjoyed writing the first chapter a lot and I enjoy the original story so much. This is likely the last chapter I'll write as I believe writing too much is a bit disrespectful to the original material which is great on it's own.
As for followers of my story 'A Broken Spider', don't worry. I'll be writing a new chapter in the upcoming weeks. This is just a separate idea I had floating around in my head.)
Peter and Mary Jane walked into the Osborn penthouse from the elevator. Peter wore a casual blue button down shirt (He was kind of incapable of wearing anything that didn't have the color blue it seemed), khakis and some plain loafers that he had stored away while Mary Jane wore a strapless silky maroon dress that ended just below her knees along with black stiletto heels. Immediately, a good chunk of the male (And some females) alumni population turned and gawked at the redhead. The girl in question's arms were wrapped around Peter's who had on a mopey face. He was not particularly happy to be here.
It was a one year reunion party of people that had graduated from Midtown. Harry had decided to throw a party for the occasion to try and make amends for all the, er…misgivings Harry had throughout the past few years, with the whole globulin green steroid incident greatly damaging their school's reputation along with the fact that he had ended up in Ravencroft after starting a superhero team that lasted all but a few days before Peter's final battle with his dad. Even though he wasn't really a true alumni so to speak as he didn't graduate from Midtown, the students weren't ones to turn down a party (A good bit of them were college students, after all).
Peter had also guessed Harry threw this party because he was lonely. He and Harry weren't speaking anymore and the only person he had left in his life was his butler Bernard and his girlfriend Liz Allan. He would've liked to have reconciled with him….but there wasn't really much hope. There would always be a barrier between them that nothing could really fix.
So he didn't want to be here so…why was he? Honestly, it was because of the redhead currently attached to his arm. She had insisted he get out and actually socialize instead of cramming himself up in his moldy apartment reading books. She felt this was an opportunity for him to expand his social circle from just her and Eddie.
They made their way through the crowd. Peter still had on a sour face.
"I can't believe you dragged me down here" Peter said with a miserable sigh.
"Oh, lighten up, Tiger. It's not so bad. Besides, you need to be socialize a bit more. I know I'm a hoot but you need more friends in your life" Mary Jane, almost refusing to let go of his arm.
"I don't really have anything to say to these people. In case you forgot, I wasn't exactly the most popular person at Midtown" Peter said, still in grumpy mode.
"Just relax. I'm here, ok? I'm not going anywhere. Now come on, I think I see Glory. Let's go talk to her" Mary Jane said, kissing his cheek. Peter lightly blushed in response.
The two walked towards the former 'In-crowd' consisting of Flash Thompson, Sha Shan Nguyen, Glory Grant, Kenny Kong ('King Kong as he was called), Sally Avril and Rand Robertson. Peter lightly groaned as they approached the group.
"Mary Jane! Good to see you" Glory said, giving one of her best friends at Midtown a hug.
"Glor!" Mary Jane said as she let go of Peter's arm for a second. Peter just stared at the sight and gave a light smile.
After they parted, like a magnet, Mary Jane was back latching onto Peter's arm.
"So uh…Parker…how've you been?" Flash asked, not really knowing what to say. The former star jock, now turned marine on approved leave had not seen the brunette boy since…the funeral.
Peter shrugged. "Been okay. Just college life. Lots of studying. You?"
"I'm ok. On leave for a month so back with my girl for a bit" Flash said as he wrapped his arm around Sha-Shan and held her close.
"Very nice" Peter said with a somewhat sincere smile.
"Yo, Pete, my dad told me a few months back you ain't takin' any more Spider-Man pics anymore. What happened?" Rand asked as he held Sally, who just stayed quiet. It seemed she had finally matured past the whole 'blonde high school bimbo cheerleader who hates nerds' phase as she soon realized that High School did not really emulate real life.
Peter and Mary Jane grew visibly uncomfortable but Peter answered nonetheless.
"Something…happened. Triple J didn't see the need to have me on anymore" Peter answered, half-honestly.
"Seriously? Aside from being King Geek, you were like the most badass Spidey photographer in the world" Kenny said, surprised with a raised eyebrow.
"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me" Peter said, slightly amused, causing some light chuckles.
Mary Jane could still sense some uncomfortableness in Peter so she decided to do something about it.
"Say, Tiger, why don't you get the both of us some punch over there? Glory and I have some catching up to do" Mary Jane suggested.
"Yeah, I got it" Peter quickly agreed. Mary Jane kissed his cheek in response as he turned and left, leaving Mary Jane to talk with Glory, Flash and the others.
As Peter walked towards the snack bar where a large punch bowl was, he lightly bumped into someone. Peter offered a quick apology and the person in question turned towards him. Upon seeing each other face to face, there was a dreaded silence.
Standing before Peter was a boy around his age, dressed in a crisp black tuxedo fit with a black bowtie and designer black shoes. His stripey red hair was slicked back as the CEO of Oscorp's hair should be.
After a long and extremely uncomfortable silence, Peter finally mustered up the courage to speak.
"...Harry" Peter finally said.
"...Pete" Harry Osborn said in return.
If it weren't for the murmuring voices of former students around them, you could actually hear sweat drops hit the floor.
"It's…been a while" Peter said, his face completely void of any emotion.
"Yeah…it has" Harry said, emulating his former best friend's face.
There was that dreaded silence again. After a few moments, Peter eventually spoke again.
"Maybe….maybe it's best we keep it that way" Peter finally said. He didn't like saying that…but he knew deep down it was better for the both of them if they had done just that.
One could swear they saw the slightest hint of disappointment in Harry's face as Peter said this. However, they kept the stoic face on as best we could.
"I…guess so…Nice…seeing you again for a bit" Harry said, refusing to say anything more.
"...Yeah…you too" Peter said, slowly turning around and going towards his initial target of punch for him and his friend (Yes, they were just friends as he told several people. Nothing more. At all)
Peter had finally made it to his destination of the snack bar and stood by the punch bowl. He picked up two plastic cups beside the bowl and proceeded to use the ladle inside the punch to pour two servings of the punch into the cups.
"Hey excuse me, can you pour another cup for me and my-...Petey?" A familiar voice had asked the boy in question.
The brunette boy turned to see Liz Allan, his first and ex-girlfriend, standing in a gorgeous purple dress similar to the one she wore to the Fall Formal a few years back.
"...Liz. Hi" Peter said, stunned.
"...Hey. You…getting some punch?" Liz asked as that was the only question that she came up with in that short amount of time.
"Y-yeah. For me and MJ. She's over there" Peter said, gesturing to MJ who was still chatting to Glory and the rest of the former 'In-crowd'.
"Oh…cool. So…you and her are…?" Liz asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No…no. We're…just good friends right now" Peter explained though he had a feeling she probably didn't quite believe him.
"I see…hey, Petey- sorry, Peter, I…I'm really sorry about what happened to…to…" Liz had stammered. It was still hard to even say her name with her guilt regarding to how she acted to both her and Peter was still a bit overwhelming.
"It's okay…really…so…how's Harry?" Peter asked, desperate to continue the conversation (He guess that's what it was).
"Oh, he's good. Really doing a lot better ever since he got out of Ravencroft" Liz said, smiling at his boyfriend.
"That's cool. I'm happy to hear it. I'm really glad things worked out between you two" Peter said, smiling slightly. While him and Harry weren't exactly friends anymore, he was still happy to hear that he had been doing mentally better.
"Yeah, thanks" Liz said. Afterwards, the conversation died down. Clearly, there was still a bit of tension between the two, Peter noticed. He gave a bit of a defeated sigh. He put the two punch cups down and decided to address the elephant in the room.
"You know…Liz…I never truly apologized for how I acted when we were together…I was hardly ever there for you when you needed me and you know, you were so devastated about Mark and I just up and did you wrong like that by breaking up with you out of the blue. I…I know it doesn't mean much…but I'm truly, truly sorry" Peter said.
He really was sorry…but he wasn't regretful of the fact that he broke up with her, given the circumstances. It brought him one of the best times in his life as a result.
"Oh. It's ok, Peter. I saw the way you looked at Gwen and the way she looked at you. You guys really did seem to love each other" Liz said. Then after a moment, she let out a sort of light grunting chuckle. "I kinda envied you guys for that, whenever I saw you walk down the halls hand in hand. Even when I was with Flash, I never had a relationship like that"
Peter let out an apologetic smile. "Well you have Harry though now, right?"
"Yeah. Yeah. He's…he's good and he's really doing better, honestly…but I always think we could be doing a little better, I guess" Liz said, her eyes darting toward the ground.
Peter's smile then turned to a look of concern. "Well…I hope you guys end up being happy together. You both deserve someone special in your lives"
Liz then looked back up to give Peter a light smile. "Thanks…thanks, Petey. I appreciate that"
The Latina girl then proceeded to give him a friendly hug. Peter tried his best to return it even when he was holding two punch cups. She then darted her eyes towards Harry who was just looking at them with a frown on his face. From what it looked like, it didn't look like he was jealous (Or at least not too much anyway). He just seemed…uncomfortable with the view. Seeing this, Liz lightly pulled back after a few moments.
"Well it really has been nice talking to you again, Peter. You know, maybe you and MJ can hang out with me and Harry sometime" Liz suggested, although it seemed more obligatory than anything.
Peter's lip muscles did their best to force out the smallest smile he ever could have put on and just said "Y-yeah…maybe. I'll…let you know if I think of anything"
"Yeah…Cool" Liz said, nodding her head. She was then about to make up some excuse to leave. However, at that moment, another person of interest in Peter's history had come up to the both of them.
"Hey, Lizzie, have you seen-" Mark Allan said in his crisp black tuxedo, similar to one he wore on Valentine's day a few years back, as he finally saw who Liz was speaking to. He and Peter locked eyes for a second as they said nothing. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity (But was really about 15-20 seconds), Mark spoke.
"...Parker" Mark said, his tone completely monotonic. Although they had mostly made up from how he treated Liz when they were still boyfriend and girlfriend, there was just a tension between them that would never truly go away. It was as if they were just bound to be in that sort of friend/hate relationship, especially since word had it now that he was dating Mary Jane, which he wasn't….not officially anyway. They hadn't even properly kissed in god knows how long.
"...Mark…uh…hi" Peter said, wanting to just throw the punch cups into the air and dash for the elevator. However, it was like his feet were cemented to the ground, bound to any tension that arose from this.
"...Hey" Was all that Mark said.
Liz sensed this and looked between her ex-boyfriend and her brother. She then told the two that she had to go back to Harry to check up on him and walked away from the explosion that could quite possibly come from the both of them.
The two guys were forced to engage in an awkward silence as they both just stared at each other with fake smiles.
Mark was the first to break the silence.
"So…hey…I…I never got to say…sorry about…you know…" Mark managed to get out. Peter stopped him before he could get anything more out
"It's fine…I'm…I'm recovering" Peter got out as well.
"Yeah…I can see that" Mark said as his eyes came across MJ in her gorgeous dress, recalling all the memories he had with her and then looking back at Peter with a small trace of jealousy in his eyes.
"...Listen…Mark…it's not really what you think. We're just best friends right now" Peter said. He didn't need a spider-sense to get the sense of anger within Mark's voice.
"Oh…so…you guys never…?" Mark said, raising his eyebrow in a curious manner.
"Uh…well…I mean technically…" Peter said, trying to find a way to explain this delicately.
Mark just closed his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, that's what I thought"
"Mark, it's really not like that-" Peter said, trying to defend himself. However, before he could do so properly, a certain redhead came up beside him.
"Hey, Tiger, what's taking so….oh…." Mary Jane said as she held Peter's shoulder. Ex-girlfriend and Ex-boyfriend came eye to eye with each other. Mark's eyes then softened and looked the woman of his dreams with a less confrontational manner.
"M…MJ…hi" Mark said, his voice much more cooler than before.
"Uh…Mark. Hey…how's it going?" Mary Jane asked, her figure becoming stiff.
"Not much…just…hanging out, I guess" Mark simply answered.
"Cool, cool…say uh, Tiger, why don't you let me and Mark talk for a bit. I'll come by later" Mary Jane said to Peter, taking one of the punch cups before shifting her eyes back at Mark.
Peter looked at her with a raised eyebrow for a bit before MJ cupped the back of his head and pulled him closer.
"It'll be ok. I swear. Just need to talk to him for just a second. Just go around and talk with people for a bit. I'll come find you when I'm done" Mary Jane whispered to the brunette.
Peter internally groaned. Great. While he was happy to get away from this very awkward journey of simply getting punch, now he had to deal with the former In-crowd alone. He would have tried to find someone like Hobie to talk to…but considering he also had a history with Mary Jane and the rumors going around the penthouse, that might not have been the best decision. He also didn't really want to chat with Seymour Reilly. The guy was kind of a creep, recollecting the time MJ told him about the fact he tracked down her number from god knows where. He slinked into the crowd and began chatting with Flash and Rand again.
As he walked away, Mark and MJ were finally given time alone. Mary Jane took a light but deep breath, preparing herself for this.
"So…you look great…as usual" Mark said with a smile that would have made MJ squeal with delight a year or two ago.
"Thanks…you look pretty dapper yourself, Mark" MJ said with a friendly smile.
"Thanks…so…you and Parker, huh?" Mark asked, his eyes darting towards Peter.
Mary Jane gave her ex a stern look. "He has a first name, Mark"
"S-sorry. I was just wondering…you and Parker-Peter…you guys are…?" Mark somewhat asked but MJ got the idea.
"Well…nothing's official. We're trying to help the other heal" Mary Jane said, gazing at the boy in question for a moment before turning her eyes back at the Latino boy.
"I see…hey…hey, MJ?" Mark asked the redhead who just raised her eyebrows in response.
"Yeah?" Mary Jane asked.
"...I really miss you…I…I'm really sorry about how things fell out between us" Mark said, his voice suddenly trembling.
Mary Jane gave an internal groan of her own. She was hoping to have avoided a talk like this with her ex.
"It's ok, Mark. I've all but forgotten about it" Mary Jane said, although it was a lie. One can't really forget almost burning to death in their own apartment while their gambling junkie of a boyfriend was in subdermal armor covered in fire running towards her.
"No, no it isn't. I lied to your face and I went back to my addiction even though I know everyone closest to me were begging me to stop…but I really do have it under control now and I have a steady job now working for my dad's business. I really have changed. For the better" Mark said like he was a friggin' salesperson and Mary Jane couldn't say she was particularly interested in what he was selling.
"That's great, Mark. I'm happy for you" Mary Jane said with a small smile.
"I…I was wondering…could we maybe…have dinner sometime?" Mark asked with a hopeful tone.
Aaaaaaand there it was. The bomb that MJ was hoping he wouldn't have the guts to actually drop but lo and behold, he did it. Welp. Now it was time to deal with the fallout.
After giving out an audible sigh, she shook her head. "Mark…I think it's best if we just forget about what happened between us…for both of our sakes"
Mark's eyes began to tremble. "I…I don't I think I can though. I…I never met a girl like you, MJ. Losing you was the worst thing that ever could have happened and I'd do anything to get you back. Come on, MJ. You can't say that after everything we've been through, even after…you know…Molten Man"
Mary Jane just rolled her eyes.
"Mark, Molten Man has nothing to do with this. There's…things you don't know about me. Stuff I've hardly told anyone in the world, not even my Aunt Anna but…I'm not the MJ you fell in love with. The MJ you were in love with was this wild party girl that prided herself on looking sexy just for the sake of looking sexy. I'm…I'm not that girl anymore, Mark. I'm legit now and I want a serious relationship…and I can't have that with you" Mary Jane attempted to explain.
"What do you mean? We had a serious relationship when we lived together" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No we didn't, Mark! All we did was either make out or have sex! It…it wasn't at all like when Peter and…and Gwen were living together. After the apartment burned down and I had nowhere to go, I latched onto them and I saw everything they had together. They cooked together, watched shows together while they held each other and sometimes…they just talked. Sometimes not even about anything. They would just talk about whatever was going on their mind. I watched all that and I got super jealous. I…I wanted what they had" Mary Jane said, her voice trembling as she spoke, getting more emotional as she went on. She even garnered a few looks but neither of them were focused on that.
"Well…why didn't you tell me, then? We could have done all that" Mark insisted.
"I shouldn't have needed to tell you. If we were truly in a relationship, we should have already been doing it. We hardly did any of that which makes me think that we never were a true couple. We were just a couple of horny teenagers who were drawn in by each other's good looks. That's fine for like a high school relationship but in the adult world, that only goes so far. I'm not interested in those kinds of relationships anymore, Mark. I need something more…and you can't give that to me" Mary Jane stated.
Mark looked down to the ground at his leather shoes. He put on a sad face for a second but his expression grew more stern.
"And I suppose Par…Peter can, huh? Have you guys…done it yet?" Mark asked, not exactly looking thrilled at the thought.
Mary Jane sighed. "That's none of your business, Mark"
"That's pretty much a yes right there" Mark said, huffing and rolling his eyes.
Mary Jane gave a bit of a glare. "If you want to know so badly, Mark, yes. We've had sex before but it's been several months since we've done anything"
"Several months? What, you did it after she died?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course not. It was…a bit before" Mary Jane said, choosing her next words carefully.
Mark was getting more confused by the second. "But…but wait. Hold on a minute? Parker…cheated on Gwen? But…he…he was in love with her!"
"He did, Mark and he didn't cheat on her either…We…Gwen…" Mary Jane stammered, not sure she had the strength to say what she was about to say next.
Mark just stood there, clueless. "What are you talking about?"
"I…We…..You know what? No. No, it's none of your business. Peter didn't cheat on Gwen and that's that. They loved each other and I loved them being together as they were everything a couple should be and a couple that you know nothing about right now. We're done here, Mark. I was hoping we could have a civilized discussion but it's quite clear you can't let go and move on from some things…something I know quite well at this point" Mary Jane said.
"Oh, you just had to go there, huh?" Mark said, straight up glaring at her now.
"You know I didn't mean it like that! I do wish you the best and hope you find what you're looking for. It's just it can't and won't be with me….goodbye, Mark" Mary Jane said. She took a quick swig at her punch and threw it in a nearby trash can. She gave Mark's shoulder a quick pat and left him alone at the punch bowl as he just stayed there, motionless and expressionless.
Mary Jane let out a sigh. Sheesh, how she wished Wild Party Girl MJ was here right now. She'd know what to say and do in this kind of scenario. Legit MJ was completely out of her depth here.
The redhead scanned the room for the cute brown-eyed boy she came with and saw him talking to Jason Ionello. Nice guy, MJ thought but she never really spoke to him even when they were casted in Midsummer's Night's Dream together. She walked up to Peter and grabbed him by the arm.
"Hey, Peter. Let's get out of here. You were right. We shouldn't have come here. How about dinner and a movie? My treat" Mary Jane suggested.
"Uh…but I thought you were enjoying yourself?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nah, you were right. It's kinda awkward here. Come on, I know an Italian place near here. Good seeing you, Jason" Mary Jane said as she pulled Peter away. Poor Jason. Mary Jane didn't really believe the guy knew what was going on half the time. The trip they took to Miami a few years back was a bit of an indicator on that.
The both of them went to the elevator to take a ride down. There was a bit of a deafening silence.
"Sooooo….what'd you and Mark talk about?" Peter asked, thinking that may have had something to do with their premature exodus.
"Nothing important, Tiger. Guy just can't let go. I'm just hoping he takes this is as a sign to move on and find someone else" Mary Jane said with a stoic look on her face.
"Oh…alright then. So…since we're leaving early, is there a chance I can go…you know…study?" Peter asked, politely asking if he could go patrol. Normally, he would be open with this kind of stuff with MJ but since they were in an Oscorp manufactured elevator, it was best to stay discreet.
"Uh uh. You've been 'studying' for 5 nights in a row. You owe me a night out. We're going over to Luigi's and then going back to the condo for a nice movie" Mary Jane said in the same monotone voice, looking straight ahead and keeping a tight grip on his arm.
"Oh, uh….ok then. I mean Luigi's can be pretty expensive. I have a 20 in my wallet if-" Peter started to say before he was interrupted.
"Tiger?" Mary Jane simply said.
"Y…yeah?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Shut up" Was all Mary Jane had for a response.
Oddly enough, Peter did just that, not thinking another word was needed. Well, this night was certainly an interesting one to say the least. At the very least, it looks like there was closure between the both of them and some of the people of interest in their lives where tension existed (And not the good kind). Was it worth it? Maybe, maybe not.
All that mattered now was the couple (of friends) were now looking forward to a good night to themselves with only themselves to focus on.
There was only one other question that needed answering in MJ's mind…did she want pasta or steak. Pasta was always good but she wasn't sure she needed the carbs. She did have a shoot that week after all but a nice plate of ravioli sounded sooooo good right now.
The redhead contemplated this as the elevator continued going down and held her arm around the male suitor she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.