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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 17:36:50 GMT -7
Spider-Man Under normal circumstances web-slinging was something of a joyous relief for Peter Parker. When he was swinging around town, feeling the wind whip past him as he got a view of the New York skyline most could only dream of, he felt as if his worries washed away. Between the stresses of his everyday life and the weight and responsibility that came with being the Amazing Spider-Man, times like these when the city or world was not in immediate danger, where he could just enjoy his abilities were therapeutic. Tonight however, his thoughts were getting in the way of any enjoyment. The world is getting darker and we used to be the beacon of light to hold it back, to inspire those who can't spin webs or wield magic hammers. But now? Now, we can barely get along with each other, he thought bitterly. Ever since the registration act passed and hero fought hero in the so-called Civil War, things were different. Though it was over following Ultron's defeat, the dust had not exactly settled. Grudges were still held and rather than interacting based on past team-ups and shared experiences as costumed adventurers, many heroes still chose allegiances based upon pro- and anti- registration lines. When they did get along it was often because circumstances forced it and the occasional cutting reference to the event wasn't uncommon. It was disheartening to say the least. Sure, some folks tried to forge ahead. The Avengers were back together and he had even told them he could help, albeit on a part-time basis. But it wasn't the same. Friendships were strained and so was the public trust. Case in point, he thought as he eyed an Oscorp billboard. Norman Osborne, the Green Goblin and perhaps the greatest nemesis of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, was running around with a team of supposedly reformed supervillains playing at being a hero. Worst still was that the whole operation had government sanction. To Peter it was proof the heroes had lost the moral high-ground, that the authorities and the public would put their faith in something like the Thunderbolts rather than the men and women they used to look up to. Rather than rotting in prison like he deserved the Green Goblin was getting ready to throw a huge party in honor of the opening of the new Heart of New York building. As for Spidey, well he was the outsider once more. His brief stint as an Avenger had upped his status, but the fallout of Civil War had dropped him back to a public menace status. Perhaps it was worse now. Not only did Jameson and the Bugle paint him in a bad light, but he had become the poster boy for the New York branch of the No More Heroes movement. So it was back to basics for the webslinger. Back to him acting solo, running from the cops, and being reviled by the people he saved. Well, solo isn’t the right word. I still got Mary Jane. Speaking of which, why am I out here moping over the Emerald Elf’s celebrity when I should be home with her?Just as he turned to do just that there was the sound of gunfire from across the way. It sounded nothing like the movies, more like a ruler or a book slapped down hard on a school desk. “Jinxed it Spidey, you jinxed it just by thinking it.”
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 1, 2016 18:05:38 GMT -7
Spider-Man landed on the side of a wall and watched as a number of men with guns and fancy suits blocked off the entrance to a building. Form the looks of it, they were hitting a tavern that traditionally belonged to the Irish Mob, interrupting a secret backroom poker game. Goody! Mobsters hitting other mobsters! It really is back to basics, but I do hope I’m protecting lives and not just property. Evil, dirty, ill-gotten property.Carefully he lowered upside down on a webline until he was positioned just over the assembled thugs’ heads. “So is this a private game or can anyone deal in?” he asked. The me looked upwards in time for him to drop between them, knocking them out cold with a split kick to their faces. “Never mind! I’ll just ask the dealer.”
Crawling through the open door and along the ceiling he smiled to himself. Maybe, just maybe things were not as bad as he had thought they were. Sure the public was ticked off and rightfully so, but hey, it wasn’t as if the Kingpin’s absence had caused as big a vacuum as he’d feared. The city wasn’t at war over territory. As the battle broke out in earnest he felt a little bit like his old self again, at least the Pre-Civil War him. He quipped, flipped, and thwipped his way around the tavern aggravating the Irish mobsters that owned and operated out of it as much as he did their uninvited guests. It was a good feeling. So good, he thought he should do something he hadn’t been able to since the hero on hero battles that had dominated his life. Crouched upside down in the ceiling he caught a baseball bat the barkeep swung at him with one hand, used it to knock him out, and dialed a number on his cellphone with his free hand before switching his Bluetooth, a gift from MJ back when the modeling gigs were a bit more stable. “Hiya hon,” he said as the call connected. A webline shot out catching one of the invading mobsters just below the chin while a good yank sent him crashing face first into a support beam. “So you know, I’ve been thinking. I know, I know, rare for me, but…” he dropped from the ceiling, backflipped over a charging tough guy, and kicked him in the back of the head. “You and I haven’t really been out in a while you know? After all we’ve been through I think we ought to correct that as soon as superhumanly possible. So…tomorrow is Friday. What do you say? Date night?”
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Post by Super Chick on Mar 9, 2016 17:53:23 GMT -7
Mary Jane wasn't as bored or destitute as her husband might think. Sure, her modeling had slowed of late, but honestly she was kind of bored with the business. Oh, she was never bored with the attention so don't take that the wrong way! But she wanted something else; something more. So the feminine beauty with red locks and a figure to kill for was exploring her options in other areas. Specifically, she was trying to break into Hollywood, but as she quickly discovered New York was not exactly the best place for such a thing. It had been perfect for her modeling career, but unless MJ could sing and dance on Broadway, breaking into show biz from here was turning into quite the challenge. Of course, she'd gotten that gig to voice the femme fatale in that popular video game where they also used her likeness, but beyond that things had been slow going. It didn't mean she wasn't pursuing her dream, though. Mary Jane had canvased the Square today, going up and down Broadway Avenue in the hopes of rubbing elbows or bumping into someone with contacts. Her agent was working the other angles while she walked the beat. This girl wasn't a quitter!
And that's precisely where she was when Peter called. Walking down 42nd Ave down Theater Row and heading for the subway. It was getting late and she wanted to be home when her husband - if her husband - came home. Sometimes he would stop in between his tours of the city. Sometimes it was was a snack, and other times it was for a snack of a different flavor. Either way, MJ hated to miss him. (Besides, after the shows started on Broadway for the night, rubbing elbows came to a standstill. There was very little to be gained in staying.)
She answered the call immediately, noting how he paused and seemed to grunt with some exerted effort while trying to speak to her. She raised a brow at a grunt that was obviously not from him and shook her head. "Are you calling me while you're fighting again?" she asked rhetorically. Of course he was. Another pause then an invitation out for a date night with the Amazing Spiderman. Mary Jane just grinned to herself as she squeezed between people and made her way across the street at the light. "I'd love to," she replied. "A girl would have to be crazy to say 'no' to Spiderman." She saw the entrance to the Metro station ahead. She would probably lose signal once she was below ground. MJ hurriedly asked, "Will I see you tonight?"
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 9, 2016 18:27:49 GMT -7
Peter smirked. “Am I fighting while calling? I…yes.” he replied while ducking a thrown bottle that promptly shattered against a far wall. “Hold on a sec. Keep it down will ya? Yeesh.”Flipping over a thug’s head he kicked him in the back, twisted, and performed a perfectly executed hurricanrana on his friend. The maneuver sent the mafia tough guy flying into a table that broke with a loud clatter. “I think so yeah. Tonight is actually looking pretty decent. I can’t believe I am saying this, but so far it has been a walk in the park.”At that point he saw one of the bulkier thugs looking at him incredulously, as if he had just insulted a deity or personally dissed his mother. “C’mon dude, it’s not like you guys are crème dela crème of the criminal underworld. Think about it, I fight guys that throw lightning bolts and have robot arms. This is kinda Bush league when you think about it.”
The thug blinked stupidly then nodded, conceding the point. “Glad you agree,” Spidey quipped before pulling the ceiling fan down on him with a well placed webline. “So, any preferences for where you’d like to go? I would suggest we go to the place where we are treated like royalty, crowns and all, but somehow I think that would be a bad idea.”
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Post by Super Chick on Mar 10, 2016 15:53:41 GMT -7
It was both amusing and scary to hear Peter mocking the bad guys on the other end of the phone. Mary Jane knew he was Spdier-Man and she knew that he (almost) always won his fights. but his fights often involved more than the casual street thug, and MJ was well aware of how many cuts and bruises and a plethora of other injuries (both benign and severe) that her husband came home with on his body. The world believed their hero was seemingly indestructible, always the conqueror and ever the paragon of good over evil. Mary Jane knew him as a human man with a body that got hurt like any other and a heart that could be broken. He was simply more agile, more determined, more burdened with responsibility - and a lot more lucky! - than most men. He wasn't indestructible. God, how she wished he were.
"Be careful, Peter," she cautioned but her husband was too involved with punching to hear her. She sighed and waited at the top of the subway steps for him to come back on the line. Pete mentioned Burger King (in so many words) as an unlikely possibility for their date night. It made her smirk in spite of her worry. "Not enough jewels in the crown to be worth it," she agreed.
From the clatter on the other end of the call, MJ assumed his brawl was going to continue for as long as his focus was divided. "Why don't you wrap that up and meet me at home? We can talk about it over a sandwich and plan it all out." The wind lifted her hair off her neck and Mary Jane involuntarily shivered against the spring breeze. She looked toward the subway tunnel that would offer some warmth. "I'll grab us some hoagies and meet you in twenty?
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 11, 2016 17:01:46 GMT -7
Have I got a great girl or what? he thought. I suggest BK and she doesn’t even get irked!“Sounds good toots!” Spidey said, instantly wincing. “Yeesh, I have been spending too much time with these guys lately, they are starting to rub off on me. Next thing you know, I’ll be talking about goombahs and trading in the webs for a track suit and gold chains.”Without even glancing he delivered a backhand blow to the thug sneaking up behind him, knocking him out instantly. “Oh! And extra onions on mine please! K’ay, love you, bye!”Turning around to look at the trashed room as a poker chip rolled near his foot, he smiled. “Okay guys, who’s next?”-------------------------------- A Short Time LaterFor once Spider-Man and Peter Parker had been able to keep their word and arrive on time. The skirmish with the mobsters had ended fairly quickly. In fact the whole thing went like clockwork, without any real close calls or other issues. No super villains jumped out of the shadows revealing themselves to be the masterminds of the operation, no mercenaries hired to protect the loot, nothing. It was too good to be true and as Spidey landed on the side of the apartment building and began crawling towards the Parker’s floor, he half expected the sky to open up and start raining goblins or symbiotes or some other world threatening menace. For now at least, the Parker Luck seemed to be staying at bay. Inching along the wall he stopped briefly and looked out over the city, trying both to visual confirm everything was okay and also allow his spider-sense to work should someone be watching. All was quiet on both fronts. Reaching the window he glanced inwards and knocked rhythmically to the beat of “We Will Rock You” for no particular reason at all. “Honey, I’m hoome!” he announce in his best Jackie Gleason impersonation.
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Post by Super Chick on Mar 15, 2016 14:05:41 GMT -7
Mary Jane frowned into the phone as Peter called her "toots". He tried to claim it was due to his current company and make a joke of it, but MJ was not impressed. She refrained from saying anything only because he was in the midst of fighting off the bad guys at that moment. It was better, in her mind, to let him finish the task with as few cuts and bruises as possible - even if he did deserve a few for calling her that!
Pete ended the call with a request for extra onions. Mary Jane just shook her head as she pocketed the phone and made her way down into the subway. Their favorite sandwich shop was just around the corner from their apartment, so her first order of business was getting into their neighborhood! MJ waited down in the sub-level station, then boarded the next train taking her down the right line toward home. She exited it seven minutes later and came above ground within twelve minutes of ending her phone call. She checked the street for safety, then headed toward the deli shop.
Footsteps followed her, but when Mary Jane looked behind her she noted it was just another woman about ten years her senior. She exhaled and ignored them until, a few moments later, Mary Jane noted she didn't hear them anymore. The young red-head entered the sandwich shop and smiled at the man behind the counter. They were great friends at this point, since MJ and Peter frequented this place at least twice a week for a quick dinner. (So, MJ wasn't a great cook. So what?) She ordered their hoagies and remembered Peter's request for extra onions. Mary Jane may have had the guy go a bit overboard on that, but she still figured Peter deserved a bit of harassment after his comment. She smiled with her payment, said bye to Joey the deli-man, and walked around the corner to her apartment building. All told, she was upstairs and in their home with two minutes to spare.
Mary Jane had just removed her coat and hung it on the hook by the front door when she heard the knock on the window. She had left it unlocked as always, but for whatever reason Pete wanted her to come open it for him. She silently wondered if the "toots" thing was going just a a bit too much to his head, but she went anyway and raised the window to allow Spider-Man entrance. MJ chided Peter for his public announcement to the world, calling her "honey" as his costumed self waited outside their window.
"Not too worried about stealth tonight, huh?" she asked, stepping back to let him inside. She didn't look down to ensure no one had seen him because she figured Peter already had that covered. MJ rose her brow at her husband as she crossed her arms from the chill coming from the outside air. "Funny, you look OK. Not like you couldn't 've opened the window all by yourself or anything...."
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 16, 2016 13:00:12 GMT -7
“Sorry hon, tonight was just a good night. No costumed freaks to worry about other than myself that is, no dodging lightning bolts or guys that toss fire from their eyes or other body parts, and even organized crime seems to be hurting for good help these days. For the first time since the whole Civil War debacle I feel like things might be turning around for the better out there,” he announced. “Plus, things are always good here. I mean with you how could they not be?”Stepping in and giving her a kiss on the cheek he glanced at the window. “Weird. I could have sworn it was locked a second ago,” he said quizzically. “I must not be getting enough sleep or something. Maybe joy while in the webs is just such a foreign concept these days that it’s throwing me off my game.”Awkwardly slipping out of the costume and into casual wear he sighed contently. It was good to be home, good to be Peter Parker again, and better to be around Mary Jane who he felt he had been neglecting far too often lately. She was far too good to him and far more understanding of the whole Spider-Man thing than anyone could be expected to be. And yet she was always here for him when he got home whether it was a good night like tonight or a very bad night, of which there had been many, especially recently. Still she was there to put him back together whether physically or mentally, and she even remembered the extra onions when he requested them. He could think of nothing and no one better. “So, about that date night? I think I have an idea and I think you are going to love it, but it is a surprise. And don’t worry, it isn’t going to be me cooking. We all remember how that turned out last time. Also, I scratched off anything even vaguely nerdy, so there will be no viewing of the new Star Wars…again and the planetarium is out too. I think I might actually have a winner this time.”
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Post by Super Chick on Mar 21, 2016 22:54:35 GMT -7
Mary Jane accepted the kiss to the cheek and the moderately believable explanation Peter gave regarding his forgetfulness. When Peter was out on patrols, MJ rarely locked the window. It was how he left at night and how he came home, often just popping in for a quick visit if he was in the neighborhood. But then, he thought he saw it locked because he was distracted by a good night. Mary Jane decided to just let it go.
She watched as he changed into his casual clothes then led him into the kitchen where they had a small table. Two hoagie sandwiches, one with extra onions, awaited their dining pleasure. She sat without ceremony and opened the sandwich wrapping as Peter positioned himself beside her. MJ was just digging, taking her first big bite of the sandwich when Peter spoke up asking about 'date night'. The model chewed her food while he finished his thought, insinuating that he had something in mind that would be better than anything else he had done in the past. MJ wiped her mouth on a napkin and swallowed, obviously skeptical and amused.
"Oh really?" she asked with a tint of humor. The red-head clutched the napkin in one hand and rested her elbows on the table. "No Star Wars, no planetarium and no Burger King. Hmm, whatever does that leave?" she teased. "Maybe a night browsing the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.? Or will it be binge watching 'Doctor Who' on Netlfix?"
It was all in fun, and Peter knew that (or he should!), but it was no less fun to play with him over his odd choices in the past. Mary Jane giggled as she picked up her sandwich to take another bite. Peter really was too easy to tease.
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Post by Rift on Mar 22, 2016 13:56:19 GMT -7
Peter snickered over the teasing. Considering the huge failures he'd planned in the past, not to mention all the interrupted and postponed dates both before and after marriage, he couldn't complain about some good natured ribbing. His wife was far too understanding, more than he deserved really. Between his responsibilities as Spider-Man and his colossal nerd factor he didn't just think, he knew how lucky he was.
"Oh well, if you really wanted to I could sit through Doctor Who again," he joked, even if he HAD binge watched it while she was out of town doing voice work. "Of course, I hear Game of Thrones is good as long as you don't mind all the...uh...naughty bits. Ooh and there is a new documentary about the effect of airborne toxins and a supposed link to higher rates of children born with the mutant gene."
Taking a bite of his sandwich and he tried hard not to smile while chewing. She really was too good to him and he could gush for hours if given half the chance.
"Truthfully," he said after swallowing. "I think I might have just nailed it this time. It's a surprise, but I can tell you there will be food. GOOD food. Oh, and maybe, just maybe, a chance to remember the good old days."
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Post by Super Chick on Mar 24, 2016 21:13:48 GMT -7
Mary Jane dropped her sandwich from her lips. "Oh God," she breathed. "Don't tell me it's time for another high school reunion!"
They had been out of high school a decade now, but truly it never seemed to disappear from her mind. Peter was a science teacher, for goodness sake, so she could never quite forget what high school had been like. Oh, it wasn't that she was bullied or unpopular or anything like that, but now that she had grown up and married and gone on to work on her career, the things they did in high school - the people they used to be - well, it was all like a terrible C- movie with subtitles and badly done green screen. She looked at him over the food.
"Really, I don't want to relive our high school days if it's all the same to you," she deadpanned with mild conviction. Chances were that Peter was using the phrase metaphorically, but Mary Jane could play along - and she definitely was! She shook her head and pretended to shake off a chill that ran up her back. She moved the sandwich to her lips again and took a small bite, then halfway through her chewing spoke again.
"I mean, you were such a nerd back then. I really just don't know if I can handle having to relive that."
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Mar 29, 2016 13:41:10 GMT -7
“Oh c’mon! I wasn’t that bad!” Peter protested. “I mean in some circles sweater vests, thick glasses, and pocket protectors are popular! Sure those circles are at Rent a Geek, but still!”
Laughing Peter couldn’t help but share Mary Jane’s sentiments. High school seemed both forever ago and just yesterday at times, but the fact was so many things had chanced for him since the days of getting stuffed in lockers he could do without a reminder of those days. Between what happened to Gwen, getting married to MJ, having and then just as quickly losing his daughter, not to mention all the tribulations that came with Civil War he wasn’t sure he could ever go back to that time. Even a reminder that there was such a time when his biggest issues were impressing girls and making good grades seemed like a bad joke.
“Okay, so maybe by good old days I don’t mean THAT old of days. Think more like when we first got together in college. But fear not, I did not tape a NOVA special for you this time! I think I’ve learned a thing or two about mixtapes and the like since then,” he assured her. “Unless, you are now into that kind of thing? Because I mean there is this really good one about the mating habits of indigenous wildlife in the Galapagos islands that I’ve been meaning to grab.”
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Post by Super Chick on Apr 1, 2016 15:20:45 GMT -7
Mary Jane laughed at Peter's joke about Rent-a-Geek being his circle or popularity. She couldn't argue too much, as he was pretty much all into science rather than fashion in high school. Not that she was a fashionista, but even she knew that to wear a button up shirt with a collar to school meant being a target for bullies and jocks. MJ didn't think there was anything particularly wrong with Peter in high school, but neither did she see herself being associated with him and committing social suicide. It wasn't until college that she was mature enough about those things to stop caring so much about what other people thought of Peter, and after their first date she was hooked.
Maybe it was his sense of humor that helped Mary Jane look beyond the nerdy glasses. God knows she needed some humor in her life! Her family had been the biggest joke in her life until she met someone who taught her that a real family, real love, was something not to be mocked, nor was it out of reach. True love was attainable. It was that kind of love that Peter showed her, and precisely why she smiled at him across the table now. Her eyes sparkled with more than just humor this time around as she stared, captivated by her husband. MJ knew there would be no getting out of him what he had planned, but she didn't mind. She liked his surprises (most of the time). So, instead, she turned the conversation to a topic more presently within her reach.
"The only mating habits of indigenous life that I'm interested in is sitting across from me right now." She gave an alluring lift of her eyebrows as she let her fingers walk across the table top to his hand. "Especially when you frame it with such an enticing adjective like 'wild'."
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Apr 1, 2016 16:29:54 GMT -7
Peter found himself grinning ear to ear and blushing more than a little. No matter how old he got or how many years passed he still couldn’t help but feel like a teenager around her. Not for the first time he thanked the stars above that somewhere in this crazy universe filled with aliens, and goblins, and color coded villainy someone or something thought he deserved some semblance of happiness and for him that happiness was and would forever be the beautiful woman sitting across from him. To this day he had no idea how he was lucky enough to have her in his life, but the word’s she’d spoken when they first met still rang true to this day. He really had hit the jackpot. “Oh well, in that case I suppose we could always dispense with the televised specials and I could give a private lecture,” he teased, squeezing MJ’s hand tenderly. For a long moment he half expected sirens or an explosion to rock the apartment as these things always seemed to occur at the absolute worst times. When nothing happened, he gave a mischievous grin. “Of course there may be a pop quiz or extra credit involved,” he said as he moved closer, kissing her.
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Post by Super Chick on Apr 13, 2016 11:45:03 GMT -7
It was always cute when Peter had that boyish look of embarrassment cross his face and bring it more color. Mary Jane would never get tired of seeing it and knowing it was entirely of her doing! Anytime she was forward with her advances and flirted shamelessly with her husband, Pete almost always had redness rise in his cheeks and got that excited-yet-shocked look in his eyes that was a result of his chaste and utterly innocent boyhood. It was titillating for Mary Jane, and all together enticing.
Quite likely the hedonic smile she flashed him upon his reaction told him as much because Peter's reaction was to reciprocate with a promise of a "private lecture" in her near future. MJ grinned fiercely as they held hands on the table. He wouldn't hear any argument from her! Yet Peter paused as if listening for someone to deny him his prize before plunging ahead with the threat of pop quizzes and possible extra credit as he leaned in to kiss her. Mary Jane hungrily returned his kiss, enjoying the taste of her lover even as it struck her that there was far more to his flavor than usual. She broke the kiss but remained leaned close to him as she smiled.
"Mmmm, extra onions," she mumbled with humor laced glee. MJ ignored her half eaten sandwich on the table and wrapped a hand around the back of Peter's head. "I'll take it," she said as she pulled him into another kiss.
There was something wonderful about being in love with your best friend. No matter the years that passed or the pain and sorrow that you passed through, your bond just grew stronger. In many ways it became more comfortable, too, but with Peter's wild life they would never become complacent. They couldn't afford to take a single moment for granted, and this moment was no different. Mary Jane planned to enjoy Peter in every way before "Spider-Man" took him back out their window again.
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