Spider-Man - Love, Peter

Chapter 8.

I look up from the spot I stood in as a portal opens. Peter flips through it, landing in his 'superhero' pose before he looks over his shoulder.

"I have to try." He mutters before it closes, Ned grabs my arm and we all run up to him.

"Dude what happened?" Ned asks,

"I had a fight with Strange, and I totally won!" He spews out excitedly as he rips his mask off.

"What!" Ned exclaims, sharing his excitement.

"Look, I stole his ring thing." Ned Oo's at it and snatches it, putting it on his fingers.

"I was swinging through the city and I went through this massive mirror thing. And now I'm back here." Peter explains out of breath.

"Wait, where is he?" MJ asks,

"Uh, he's trapped, but I'm not sure for how long." I laugh and pat his back,

"You could've just left us to die. Why didn't you." Dr. Octavius asks,

"Cause that's not who he is." MJ says, looking at Otto.

"I think I can help you guys." Peter says, walking forward.

"If I can fix what happened to you, then when you go back, things will be different and you might not die fighting Spider-Man." He explains,

"What do you mean fix us?" Max spits out questioningly,

"Look, our technology is advanced—" He's cut off,

"I can help you, you know I'm something of a scientist myself." Norman says, leaning against the wall of his cell. Peter looks up at him and nods.

"Octavius knows what I can do." We look at Otto,

"Fix? You mean like a dog? I refuse." He growls out, like a dog.

"I can't promise you guys anything. But at least this way you get to go home and have a chance. A second chance. I mean come on, isn't that worth trying?" He practically pleads with these people.

"Trust me Peter, when you try to fix people, there are always consequences." The lizard warns him,

"I mean you don't have to come. I also didn't know you could talk." Peter says, the Lizard shrugs.

"But if you stay here... you're going to have to deal with the wizard." Peter sighs,

"Ah, so, we go along or die. Not much of a choice, is it?" He mumbles,

"I just wanna go home." Sandman butts in,

"Well I, myself, don't wanna be killed, especially by a guy dressed like dungeons and dragons, so, what's your plan?" Max peers down at Peter from his cell.

"I-I have it all under control." He turns around and rushes to us and huddles in holding the relic in between us all.

"What are you gonna do about this thing?" Peter asks in a hushed voice.

"Uh, well, we need to find somewhere safe for it, right?" MJ asks,

"Yeah, sure, you gotta take it." Peter shoves it into MJ's hands.

"Wait what?" She looks at him like he's bonkers,

"If something bad happens, you just gotta push this and then it's over and they'll all be gone." Peter hurriedly explains,

"We're not gonna leave you." She says,

"You can't come with me it's too dangerous. You guys have already done enough." Peter says,

"We're in this together." She says, as stubborn as she's always been.

"I know we're in this together Ned, but I can't do this if I know that your in danger. Okay? So for me, MJ, please just take it." Peter pleads, she inhales and looks at him.

"Please." He says, a begging in his voice.

"Fine." She grabs it from his hands,

"But Peter, I swear if I don't hear from you, I'm pressing the button." She warns him, he nods.

"Sure." He says.

"Okay. And I will do it." She says the last part louder looking at the celled villains.

"Yeah we all believe you Michelle." Max says, looking away.

"No way that's his girlfriend, no way." The lizard guy mumbles.

"She'll do it."

"She really will, I mean she's Serious Jones." I shrug and Peter slaps my arm looking at MJ as she pauses and looks back at us.

"Okay... I'll see you later." Peter grabs Ned's hand and they do their handshake.

"Be safe." Ned says in their moment of utter bromance,

"You too." I stare at them as they have unwavering eye contact as they continue their, very long, handshake.

"Okay, okay, okay. We get you'll miss each other but this is too long." I push their hands away and look at Peter.

"Pete, be safe. I'm serious. I will beat your ass worse than anything you'll ever experience." I glare at him and he laughs pulling me in for a hug. We pull away and he looks at MJ. They kiss and I make an 'ew' face as I run off with Ned.

"PDA is prohibited, we talked about this!" I yell as I go up the steps. I hear laughter echo from below.

#

I sit on the couch in a daze as the creator of the Bugle website talks in the background.

"You saw it with your own eyes. When will people wake up and realize that everywhere Spider-Man goes, chaos and calamity ensue? Everything Spider-Man touches comes to ruin."

"Mary?" I hear a quiet voice ask me, a hand on my shoulder. I blink a few times and look up, my vision blurred by my tears.

"Are you okay?" She asks with a quiet voice, I nod and blink a few more times to push the tears away. One falls and I brush it off my face.

"I'm fine." I mumble, Ned's Lola sets a cup down on the table and hugs Ned's head before stepping away. I turn my head back to the TV as it cuts to an actual news report.

"We are told that multiple people have been injured, and we can confirm at least one person has been killed."

I place my head in my hands and stare at the hairs standing up on my arm.

"Still nothing?" Ned asks,

"No." MJ gets up off the couch and comes to sit across from the relic. I look up from my arms and watch as she stares at it anxiously.

"I'm gonna press it." She states, Ned sits up,

"Wha-what no, he—" He tries saying and she cuts him off,

"I know he told me to wait... but, I'm gonna do it." She says, Ned lifts his hands as he closes his eyes,

"I just wish... I just wish we could see him." He drops his hands and opens his eyes, sharing a sad look with me. Before we both snap out heads up at a little buzz behind me.

"Ned?" Mj asks.

"Yeah?" He replies, looking at where a portal appeared and disappeared when he moved his hand.

"Do that again." She says,

"Yeah." Ned lifts his hands again and flails them a bit as he closes his eyes.

"I just wish we could see him." He says as he moves his hands, a tiny portal spins open only to close. We slowly get up out of our chairs. I shuffle back and away from the portal.

"Okay." Ned mumbles and extends his arms,

"I just wish we could see Peter." He says again, a full portal opens showing a Spider-Man in the distance. I squint, he looks taller.