Summary:Peter invites Mary Jane out to the beach to cool in the sun. They talk relationships! Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Brooklyn might be trashed, but Brighton Beach has its share of swimmers, sunners, lifeguard, layabouts, beach bums and beach bunnies.
Peter stepped out of the changing booth, looking down at himself. The loose brown t-shirt with ALCATRAZ IRONMAN TEAM on it, with the symbols of a person running, climbing, and swimming is over the baggy swim trunks that go down to his knees. His lower legs show, but there's nothing too visually interesting about them. And the bruise he got from the LightMaster (whatta name) was fading quickly.
He hefted the cooler, the towels, and the sun umbrella and made his way down to the beach, staking out a bare patch of sand. MJ was going to be here soon…
After many assurances to Flash and Eddie that she'll be okay, MJ hit the uber with the intention of pure and unadulterated fun. And the fact that she's a redhead, she wanted to test the theory on if she'll burn different than anyone else..
But she arrives not too long after Peter, stepping out in her sandals and the white laced cover up that she wears. The straw hat and sunglasses hide her face well enough, but eventually she'll be recognized. But the sun was enough, the cover-up was soon shucked and wrapped around her arm and sunglasses tucked into her bikini top. She holds onto her hat as she walks, stepping over items, pausing for kids to run by, offering up a smile and a wave as someone happens to whistle, and a 'Hey MJ!' is called out. Yeah, today is looking to be totally normal!
Peter looked around, his eyes protected by cheap black sunglasses, and then he spots her.
…hoo boy. Nothing like The One That Got Away to remind you you're at a beach. She was raising pulses as she walked towards the public beach area, and then Peter raised his hand and waved. "Hey! MJ! Over here! I got us a spot!"
Mary Jane says, ""
The sun was already starting to that point; the movement, the waving, the laughing. She was starting to feel the burn where if she would have stayed still, it would have been easier! But from one who gets cold so easy, one could understand her discomfort!
"Peter!" She calls out, taking to a slight run, flipping and flopping sand everywhere like an awkward Baywatch guard. He picked a really good spot, which was arrived with, with excitement! "Oh.. See. I knew I should have came with you. I feel bad for making you lug all of this stuff." Her towel, cover-up, and soon sandals were discarded to the side. She was ready for some relaxation.
Peter chuckled. "It was just bulky, not heavy. And i made sure to get the drinks you liked. Aunt May made ham and cheese sandwiches." He had already laid towels over the beach chairs that were already there. "I'm just glad you're okay, MJ."
MJ was okay! The bruises were healing nicely and she no longer had her arm in a sling, even though it looked a bit gnarly. But her striped rainbow swimsuit took away from everything, while not eager to show herself off, she was eager to get a tan. So with a plop down upon the chair already laid out, her feet kick up and soon she was at a lounge. "I'm not hungry just yet." She confesses. "And I'm always going to be okay. But.. next time you get a sense that something bad is about to happen, let me know? I actually went into the mens bathroom!"
Peter lays on the chair next to MJ's. He smiles wryly. "Unless someone in there meant you harm, I wouldn't get any bad vibes. Besides, I WISH I could sense a sudden loss of dignity like that.
He actually doesn't. With Spider-Fail.com getting hundreds of visitors a day, he might never leave the house again.
"But if you get in *real* trouble…if I can be there, I will."
"Gosh, I mean I'm glad no one was in there but eesh. I had to sneak out.." MJ laments on this, but with a smile. Still, it was all in good fun, and no one got hurt. The real trouble though? She shakes her head. "Peter, it's okay." She says, finally taking off her glasses to look towards him. "I play everything pretty close, I mean it when I say you don't have to look out for me. And.. to ease your mind I'll be extra special careful." She grins. "I do feel bad for Flash though. His leg got hurt pretty bad."
Peter nodded. "Yeah. I…met Flash, recently. It…wasn't as ME, exactly. He and a couple of his team-mates got mousetrapped and i swung in. It was a bit iffy for a bit, but no one got hurt. Flash…man, he really turned around, didn't he? I remember having nightmares and him and Carl and the others, but…man. That sort of thing actually gives me hope."
"I wish he knew about you!" MJ nearly squealed with glee. But she'd never really tell a soul, and he didn't have to ask her not to. It was just a given. But it was surprising to hear this all the same! "Flash never told me that!" She laughs, though it would be a wonder. Being saved by Spider-Man. "He did turn around though, yeah." She says quietly. "It was a hard start for him after he left Midtown. He told me he had gotten into some bad things and after his break-up, he spiraled. But.. I'm glad you have hope for him. I do too. Though now, I'm just .. I don't know. I feel like living with him could ruin his life or something. He's already hurt because of me."
Peter chuckled. "I never thought I'd say this about him…but he's a grown man. Grown in ways I never thought possible, but there you go. If he's with you…it's because he WANTS to be. And if he's become the kind of man he looked like he was…then he's willing to take the risk. Because when you want to be with somebody, it's going to be risky. What kind of risk you are willing to take…that's on Flash, MJ. Not you."
MJ stares at Peter for a moment, her brows furrowing. "You make it seem like we're a couple." She shakes her head, then slumps into her chair. "But that's good advice. We could have ran together. -I- could have ran. I just froze." She frowns, then slips her sunglasses back on, turning her head the other way. "How are you and Ms. Wayne?" Good change of subject!
"Helena?" That is a name with a lot of import. "Well…she's unlike any girl I've ever met. You are, too…she's just in a different way. Her family is…complex. She has a father who's a billionaire, and he is marrying a woman who used to be a criminal. And no one's saying boo to a ladybug about it." He paused. "Helena herself is…jeez. She's challenging. Every time I think I MIGHT understand her, she does something totally other. I like her…but I wonder if I'm ever going to understand her. She admitted she is…holding certain things back. I told her that was all right as long as she didn't lie to me…"
Mary Jane says, "@emit
MJ listens and smiles, turning her head to face forward so that she could get her face a decent burn easily. She knows vaguely about the Waynes, having met them briefly.. but now it was her turn to give some sage advice. "Just have a candid talk with her, Peter." She turns to face him now, this time laying on her side. "I know people have their secrets.. like me and you.." Well, Peter moreso than her, but we digress! "..but you do have to realize that understanding is a lot different than trust. Do you trust her? Can you tell her about that other life you lead? Did you?""
Mary Jane says, ""
Peter sighs. "Yeah. I did tell her. But only after I felt I could trust her not to say anything." He looked to MJ. "Because even when I felt I could trust you, I couldn't tell you…and we know how that ended." He rubbed his face. "So, I didn't want to make the same mistake." He chuckled. "I also didn't want Mr. Billionaire to get insulted by a flakey boyfriend to the Precious Princess Wayne and send a bunch of hitmen after me."
MJ was happy about that, but she does raise a brow. "Cripes Peter. You don't have to sound so glum about that." She leans forward now, rifling through her bag to look for some sunscreen. "At this point, just be patient. Don't -try- to understand her. Just go with the flow. We women are a bit weird and nuts sometimes." She finally pulls out the bottle, tossing it with a flip and catching it with one hand. "Or, if you want to shock the truth out of her, propose to her." She gestures with the bottle. "That's assuming she's hiding things too. Which you just said so.." Bad advice Mary! No wonder she's really never been truly kissed, or in a decent relationship that ended with someone leaving in the middle of a burger.
Peter actually does the lowering-of-sunglasses to look at MJ. "I don't want to shock the truth out of her. She's entitled to their privacy. Considering who her father is, I'm not that surprised." He lays back. "What I'm going to do is just tell her that I'd rather hear her say 'I can't tell you' than tell me a lie. 'Cause I have enough lies in my life. I don't care if I have to wait for the truth, as long as it's the truth when she does tell me." He grabs an Arnold Palmer from the cooler between them. "I screwed things up by lying to you. Let's see how well the truth works."
"I don't know why that makes me uneasy Peter.." MJ begins to apply the sunscreen to her legs, finally tossing her hat to the side as well as her glasses. "..maybe it's your tone but.." She shakes her head. "Be gentle about it? And maybe never bring it up again." She starts on her arms now, wanting a drink yes.. but not with greasy hands. "Just.. don't blow up your relationship over something the probably can't control, you know? Family secrets, blah blah blah.." She smiles a little. "And we're always going to be okay, it's.. we're adults. We've changed a lot over the years.."
Peter nodded, "…and in ways we never expected. Flash being a decent guy? Somehow that seems more unreal than what happened to me. Although you going to Juilliard seemed inevitable to me."
Mary Jane grins, "You going to somewhere like MIT seemed like a dream to me. A dream I hoped come true. But this.." She looks out towards the beach. "Us staying in the same place? It makes.. life better I suppose." She nods at that, almost wistful. "I don't think I'd live long without you."
Peter sighed. "I got accepted by MIT. And Cambridge. And Berkeley." He paused. "…Princeton. Then Uncle Ben died, and where could I go? Do you know how long Aunt May would be able to live on the MINISCULE pension Uncle Ben had? A week. BEST. She'd have been in a dark house with all the utilities in the house gone in a month, even if the house was paid for. I couldn't go off to some prestigious college in another state and just…ABANDON her. So…I became the breadwinner. Taking pictures of Spider-Man. Delivering pizzas. Becoming the best dog-walker in Queens. And now, going to ESU, a state college. Their science program is admittedly good, though. Because I have to support Aunt May now."
"That would be one thing to change." Mary Jane admitted. "The social security for anything in this country sucks. Either way.." Her feet were planted upon the ground now, the bottle of sunscreen tossed towards Peter for him to catch. "..if you need money, or at least a little cushion, I can help. I don't pay rent, and school is paid for. Part of the check from the movie came in already. I can just buy your house and leave the deed in May's name."
Peter smiles. "I'm actually good. The house is all paid for. And I have that lab assistant job working for Kane Industries. As long as I keep my grades up, they'll pay full tuition. Books, classes…and I already have housing covered." He grins. "I buy the food, and Aunt May says she'll do all the cooking as long as I do my chores. And the job has fairly flexible hours…so if I get delayed by the Vulture, I won't have to worry about losing my job."
"Good." MJ grins. "I just want you to know that I'm here, though." She nods, then lays back upon the chair, her hand blindly reaching for a drink. "I did the same for Aunt Anna. My mom and her really don't have anything to worry about." As long as MJ doesn't have to frequently go home.
Peter nods. "Listen…if Harry wants to come over, would you like me to call you up? See if you want to join us? I think it would be good for him to see you. With his dad being investigated and maybe getting ousted from OsCorp, he needs all the friends he can get."