Fight Or Flight | Peter Parker & MJ

Tension

                I sat in a coffee shop beside Dani and Olivia, I was on my phone looking at a picture of Spider-Man and sliding back and forth between him and Peter. They definitely were the same height if I'm remembering correctly. They also had the same muscles and shape of Peter's chest... Obviously, I knew this was far fetched- but I love a good mystery. Would it be so impossible for them to be the same person?

              "MJ!"

               I look up at Dani and an ever so patient Olivia, "Girl, what color curtains for your room?"

             "Oh, um... Gray."

              Olivia and Dani look at me, I look around and Dani sighs, "Okaaaaayyy." Olivia smiles at me and tilts her head, "So, how are you and Eddie?"

              I remember last night... "Oh, we're good."

              Dani shook her head, "Nono, Liv, you're asking the wrong question."

             "Oh?" Olivia asks, looking between me and Dani.

              "... How are you and Peter?" Dani asked, her eyes challenging me.

              "What?" I snort, "What are you talking about?"

              "Look MJ, you can either light up when you talk to someone or look dull. Right now you're dull as hell with Eddie." Dani said confidently.

              "You've never seen us alone."

              "True... But there's more action with you and Peter's eyes than you and Eddie anything." Dani said, I could tell she was being honest but that's not what I wanted to hear. I shrug and look down, "Peter and I are just friends."

               "Right." Dani said, "keep telling yourself that..."

               "Dani, I'm serious."

               "So am I." Dani looked at me, and I looked away. I pull my backpack over my shoulders.

                Olivia took a deep breath in, "I like both Eddie and Peter. So..." I could tell she was trying to ease the tension. "I think Eddie's cool." Olivia added.

                Dani laughed, "Liv, you don't need to do that."

                I sighed, getting up, "I'm going to go back home, can I catch up with you guys later?"

               "Ok." Dani said and Olivia nodded, waving goodbye as I left.

                I walk down New York and go down to the subway, as I turn a corner I run into Peter. We both abruptly stopped but Peter looked shocked and relieved to see me, placing his hands on my shoulders for a moment, he smiled a smile that was both forced and real, "Oh-MJ-" he let go of my shoulders awkwardly: "It's great to see you." He said, out of breath. "Were you running?" I ask, confused.

               "Oh," he breathed, "I thought I should get some exercise, you know, from being cooped up in a lab all day heh." He looks over me, "Everything... Um, cool with you?" He asked, trying to find a natural standing position.

               "Yeah... Why wouldn't it be?" I ask.

                Peter catches his breath, "Good question."

               "O...kay?" I thought about my research earlier, "So... You were at your school's lab earlier?"

               "Yeah..."

               "He sure was!" Eddie calls from behind Peter, throwing an arm around Peter's shoulders and shaking him a little. Peter tensed and Eddie continued, "I went over and told him we should go for a run, right Pete?"

               "... Right. A run." Peter looked down when Eddie let go of him and put his arm around me, pulling me by my waist close to his side. Peter couldn't seem to look at me once Eddie had joined us. We got onto the subway and Eddie and I sat down as Peter stood and held onto a pole, not looking at us unless Eddie asked for his opinion... Why was Peter acting so on edge? I didn't want to ask because it seemed he just didn't want to talk.

                When we make it back to the apartment, Peter doesn't go off to his room, rather he lingers in the kitchen. Along with Eddie and I on the couch. I bite my lip, feeling a weird tension in the air. Eddie suddenly asks, "Hey, would you want to go to Coney Island?"

               I think, "To swim? Or for the fair?"

              "Why not both?" Eddie asks, "It can be just you and me..."

               My eye catches Peter, I see him bite his lip and clench his cup of water... "Ok... sounds fun." I said. "I haven't been to Coney Island in a while."

                Eddie looks over at Peter, "You can hold the fort while we're gone?"

                Peter nods a curt nod.

               "Perfect."

                We decide to get there when the sun goes down. We took the subway and I told Eddie I didn't want to swim but sitting on the beach would be nice. So we got into the park and walked onto the beach, it being crowded but we found a nice secluded area. We sat on the beach, I felt the sand between my toes, the wind made the air feel peaceful. The beach was very different from the park, as it was very crowded. But here, it felt nice. We stayed there for an hour before Eddie asked me to go on a few rides with him. I didn't really feel like it but I said yes anyway. We walk around the fair, the crowd being thick and hard to push through. Eddie had gotten separated from me and pushed ahead by the crowd, once I was out of the crowd, I couldn't find him.