Moments, second and perhaps even minutes went by without Peter saying something; simply allowing Emma to silence her own feelings on himself. But there was still much to be said, so Peter made up his mind to speak once he felt her quivering stop and her sons quiet down.
"Emma, you-" Peter breathed out softly a few minutes into Emma softly crying in his neck, stabilizing her breathing more and more as the minutes flew by, but his words were immediately cut short.
"Peter…" Emma interrupts as she removes her face from his, now with her face significantly less flushed and with less tears; holding onto his nape with her left hand while wiping her eyes clean with the right "I-I know I should probably not be screaming all of this, but please, don't tell me I shouldn't hate those men that-".
It shouldn't really be a surprise to her if Peter were to shower her with some of the wisdom he got passed down by his religious and peaceful aunt or his responsible uncle; but she is just not really in the mood to hear Peter defend those she hates - even if it's for her apparent sake.
Peter however, surprised her when his eyes showed surprise and indignation "What? You think that I-? No, fuck those guys!"
"W-what?" Emma asked dumbly, not expecting Peter to scowl at her words and say a swear word out of the blue like that, which is rather uncharacteristic of him.
"Emmy, you have all the right in the world to hate the people who unjustly hated you first without reason. And I don't have any right in telling you who to hate or not" Peter started saying as he locked eyes with Emma, his voice as equally serious as his expression.
"Really?" Emma asks shyly with a shy flush on her face, wanting to cling on to Peter's words.
Peter nodded at her with a small grimace "Of course!
I mean… I believe it'd be better if no one hated each other, but that's just regrettably fanciful. But here, they are the ones in the wrong, they are the ones that started this whole mess, and they are the ones who earned your hatred, not the other way around".
This conversation takes him back to the one he just had with Sally, in which he recalled the various things and people he has hated all over his life. And it's normal for a human to have that.
Hatred.
It is just a part of what makes living feel real. As there are things that fill your heart with joy and happiness in a warm way, there are gloomy things that make your heart bleed out in sadness and despair, as well as those who set your heart ablaze with uncontainable anger and resentment.
And Peter, being someone who hates things personal to who he is, understands perfectly why Emma would be devastated when seeing people so clearly showing their own aberration to her and her race.
Now, he could be a hypocrite, as he often is, and scold her for what she said since things like that could lead to disastrous outcomes. But that's not what she needs right now. Peter understands that she just needs someone on her corner right now; especially now.
And he is happy to be the one for her - much like she has been for him. He just wishes he could've been it sooner. Plus, she said something that made him very happy with her.
"Plus, you said it best" Peter smiled proudly at Emma as he rubbed her cheek clean of any tears with his right thumb in a loving manner while holding her whole face into his palm; prompting Emma to nuzzle into it "We are better than them, and we can't allow ourselves to prove our haters right, can we?"
Peter quipped while winking in what he hopes is a funny and reassuring manner to ease her; knowing that Emma loves feeling special and superior amongst the crowd - even sometimes going as far as berate people when she feels they're 'beneath her'.
It's… it's honestly abad and nasty trait of her. One that Peter can't find it within himself to dislike - as much as he actually knows how dangerous it can evolve to be.
Blame him if you want, but Peter truly loves her, and even her flaws seem like the most amazing of qualities one could ever wish to possess. From how smart and beautiful she is, to how proud and sometimes possessive she acts, Peter's rose colored glasses make any red flags look just as any other flag.
And despite Peter having the luck to know that Emma is actually someone sensitive and somewhat insecure, he can't help but feel amazed by how she is able to hide that part of herself in favor of her side that knows and reveres over the fact that she is worth… everything.
Despite the many masks Peter wears to hide himself, he can't make himself one like Emma's; which is an ability he admires from her.
So if some assholes want to make her feel less, then he will gladly fill her ego back up with what he knows is the truth. Because no matter what anyone says, Peter knows Emma better than most, and he knows she is great.
Plus, it's not exactly wrong of him to say so. Being better than those who use their powers irrepressibly and for self-satisfaction, being better than those unable to distinguish right from wrong, being better than those who give up on being good men for momentary pleasure. Peter needs to be better than that.
He is.
And he is not someone that is driven by his narcissism - showing off every chance he gets both his smarts and physical abilities; rubbing in everyone's faces how he is objectively superior to the rest - of course not! He finds that to be wrong; as previously mentioned.
But he still has an ego. And he is proud to say that he does the best of his abilities to prevent failing into the temptation of giving up being whatbhe considers is the meaning of being a good man.
Despite what happened - especially after what happened - Peter is proud of his choice of bieng a hero. And that makes him better than those who chose not to be when they have a chance of being so.
And as long as he has that pride in his heart, he knows that he doesn't need anyone's validation. He doesn't need the world shanting his name or talking about how great of a hero he is.
The world can hate Spider-Man while not even knowing who Peter Parker is. As long as he knows he is making the right choices, he can afford to be hated and forgotten without his resolve ever changing.
That's how much of a narcissist he is.
Emma smiled brightly at Peter's words, feeling her heart swell warmly with his words. Having him by her side, him admitting at how they are both better than 'regulars' - which he has no idea how much that means to her - and his proud smile.
…she loves him. She needs him to love her and vice-versa. Emma Frost is someone who can survive and thrive with no one by her side, she knows this, but Peter… with Peter Parker by her side, filling the gaps she can't by herself while she does the same with him.
They'll be unstoppable.
"Right" Emma agrees as she closes the distance between them once more, really enjoying all the hugs she is getting from someone like him. Could it be that her cold and distant childhood made her touch-starved?
Could that be the reason why she is usually so clingy with Peter? Why she finds herself so at ease now that has his arms wrapped around her smaller frame with his breathing tickling her neck ever so slightly?… who cares. She is happy where she is.
Even if right now, his arms are uncomfortably wet, which she lets him know in a muffled voice "… you're wet… and you feel colder than usual".
*Chuckle* "Yeah, I suppose that's what happens when you fight an ice golem" Peter mused after a light chuckle, agreeing with her that his clothes are still cold and wet.
"An ice golem?" Emma questions as she looks into Peter's eyes.
"Oh yeah" Peter answers almost proudly and excitedly while quipping "one of Loki's pranks. Thankfully, Thor and I were able to handle it. No biggie".
"Thor? Really?" Emma questions again with her eyes wide open while Peter nodded enthusiastically.
"He is as amazing as they say he is" Peter boasted in Thor's favor, still feeding giddy for being able to befriend someone like him "he really puts the 'Thunder' in his title".
"And how hurt are you? Because don't think I didn't see you limp" Emma questions with a raised eyebrow. She loves how strong and capable Peter is, but him getting hurt is still something that makes her stomach sink. Something that's unavoidable when you love Spider-Man, she supposes.
"Yeah, I uh, landed wrongly on my feet" Peter answered as sheepishly as he always does when Emma asks him of his injuries "it doesn't hurt at all, so I think it's just a small sprain in my ankle. Nothing seeing you safe won't heal~".
*Snort* Emma snorted cutely at what she knows is his - honestly - god awful attempt to flirt that for some reason always works wonders on her.
It's genuinely embarrassing for her to know how red her face gets while she tries to look away from him to avoid being seen with that blush and goofy smile she sports whenever he says something like that; but she can't help it! It's just too genuine of a statement for someone who is so used to 'hear' fake compliments all the time.
Almost every single person that approaches her on the daily has a mask on their faces while thinking of the most disgusting and abhorrent things she just gets tired of.
From how they would enjoy her money that they believe they should have, to how they would handle her pristine body as their personal fuck toy. And these people are both complete strangers, to her most 'trusted' staff members, who work for her father or even at her own home.
They do not go unpunished, obviously, with Emma always sending nightmares or headaches to the strangers while getting her staff's dirty laundry for her parents to see and punish accordingly.
But it's still so… disappointing.
And it's tiresome to live in a disappointing world, surrounded by disappointing and disgusting people with even more disgusting minds. Which is why she loves Peter so.
And even now that she doesn't allow herself to peek into his mind, she is still able to tell how relieved and happy he gets just when making her smile, which in kind makes her incredibly happy.
And to keep both their happinesses afloat, there's something Emma has to say before they walk back with the rest of their class; soemthing to erase any negative feelings that he may have towards her. Some true heart felt words to convey how sorry she is for what she's been doing to him all morning long.
Because she truly is sorry, and she doesn't want Peter to think otherwise. She wants to show him she is also able to make the effort to make things right between them; more so because all the blame of their little spat could be realistically placed on her.
"Hey, Peter? You know I didn't mean to embarrass you, right?" Emma suddenly asks as she ends the hug for good, rubbing her arm with some level of nervousness, not knowing how he'll react.
"Hm?" But Peter asks dumbly with his head cocked to the side, clearly not understanding her and the sudden change in her demeanor.
"I shouldn't have been so crass about what we did on my birthday…" Emma explains herself a bit better, seeing how Peter's eyes widened in understanding "And I-I didnt intend for it to sound like I didn't care much for it or anything like that. So I'm really s-".
As she spoke what is clearly an apology, Emma averted her eyes from Peter, who immediately grimaced at her with a tick on his left eye which he quickly shook away the monent she was about to say the 's' word.
"Hey, no, come on" Peter interrupts Emma gently as he puts on a smiling and fake easy expression she can't see through "you didn't embarrass me or anything like that. In fact, I should be the one apologizing for that too - I'd never meant to make it seem like I disliked what we did or anything".
And he interrupts her because he does not wish to hear that fucking word this day at all. For no reason at all. Not after the way Madame Web said it before leaving his head swirling with thousands of questions. Like a rusty nail being roughly nailed down onto the poorly closed coffin that is his brain after such reveal.
Emma screwed up? Yes. But is she showing remorse? Did she just cried her eyes out on him because of said reason? Like him, is her mind and heart swirling with thousands of things? Did she have an actual valid reason to do what she did… eh, kinda on that last part.
But in the end, who cares about what happened? It's the same as the reason he doesn't the his bullies - he'll just have to endure gossip during school hours, and then? He goes to live his life happily with his girlfriend.
She yelled, he yelled, she stormed out, he didn't follow. But now they are here, he made her laugh and she shot him a grateful smile for his words. Everything is fine now - everything can be fine. Why ruin it so disastrously with a single word?
Today… today has been a bad day. Too stressful, too, too heavy, too tiring and it's barely early in the morning. Peter won't be able to deal correctly hearing that word and he knows it. It's… he's allergic to it. Hiis inability to process an apology correctly is a sickness that ails him; one rooted too deep into him - and perhaps he knows it on a subconscious level.
But he doesn't care. He chooses not to care. He simply doesn't want to hear that fucking word today. Emma feels bad about what she did? Water under the fucking bridge. And he'll communicate so with a bright smile on his face so that she gets the message that there is absolutely no need for her to say 'that'.
"… I still shouldn't have said that, now everyone will be gossiping about it" Emma muttered as she looked slightly away, knowing that Peter dislikes being the center of attention due to all the secrets he has. It makes him somewhat anxious.
"Bah, who cares. Let them" Peter dismissed with a wave of his hand and a funny smirk who is so painfully forced on him - but doesn't let show "I don't mind those lifeless jerks being jealous of the fact that I have the most amazing girlfriend there is~ In fact, where I was not such a gentleman, I would scale the tallest building and yell out a brag each time I got a kiss from you~".
*Pfft* "You're such a dork" Emma snorted a small giggle at Peter's words, but it faltered once she recalled everything she had been doing so far, making Peter look at her in slight worry once again.
"God, I must seem like I'm crazy right now" Emma mutters with an exasperated sigh while covering her eyes behind her right hand while crossing the other arm beneath her chest "I hate being this emotional in front of you… or anyone for that matter".
"I-I don't mind it at all" Peter answers with some hesitation, not knowing if that's what she wants to hear, already shedding away the tightness of his heart born out of the possibility of her saying that word.
"… Thanks, darling. I know" Emma smiled gratefully at Peter with a blush, only to huff in annoyance "it's just, I'm feeling all emotional right now, and it doesn't help that I'm in pain all over".
" 'Pain'? D-did they hurt you!?" Peter asks with an angry scowl and an unbelieving voice; his eyes looking up and down on her to see any signs of injury.
"What? Oh no, no. They'd never get the chance" Emma shrugs with a small ominous threat, to then cower a bit onto herself with shyness - mentally scolding herself for saying that out loud "it's… it's just that time, you know?"
" 'Time'?" Peter repeats again in a dumb manner, clearly not understanding her. Taking out his phone quickly, he says "it's uh, around 10:30 am".
"Not the time, Peter" Emma mutters with an even redder embarrassed flush "the time… of the month".
"Mid April?" Peter questions again while cocking his head to the side, really not getting it. Something that was starting to annoy Emma.
"Are you being deliberately stupid?" Which causes her to ask with an edge to her voice, confusing Peter further for just one second until it clicked to him.
"Oh! Y-you're-! okay, okay, I got it, I got it" Peter mutters quickly with a nervous smile and his hands up in mock surrender, feeling really embarrassed for not understanding her before.
"D-does knowing that make you uncomfortable?" Emma asks with hesitation, not really sure of what the usual social protocol is here.
"What? No, no *Pfft* Of course not!" Peter chuckles nervously as he dismisses Emma's worry, not really sure how to handle this either. So he chooses to quip "That's silly; do you get uncomfortable each time I get thirsty or hungry?".
"… If I'd get uncomfortable each time you get hungry, I'd always be uncomfortable around you" Emma quips with a light smirk, teasing him of his increased metabolism while feeling immensely relieved with Peter's words.
*Snort* "Come on, I'm not that bad" Peter said with a fond eye roll and an entertained smile, happy at seeing Emma starting to be more lighthearted.
"Darling, last time we had pizza you ate six of the eight pieces and then the crusts I left behind" Emma reminds him with a teasing tone, which almost turns into full on laughter she says "or-or how about when you ordered wings and even ate the bones!"
It was a rather strangely amusing sight for Emma to see Peter eating and crunching those cheap wings he once ordered as if they were popcorn; not even realizing or caring about eating the bone.
"T-That was…! I didn't have breakfast and I wasn't paying attention!" Peter tries to justify himself with an embarrassed look, which quickly turns into an easy smile when Emma laughs cutely. Her laugh really has become one of the most important and favorite sounds in his life.
"Y-you're lucky I find you cute" Emma quips as she goes over to Peter to hold his hand and walk past him, starting to drag him back to their class.
"I don't know about that 'cute' thing" Peter quips with a light scoff, to then smile brightly at Emma while matching her pace and squeezing her hand gently "but yeah… I'm lucky".
Emma smiled back at him, now feeling most of the poison that she had all during this morning had faded away as she finally had her amazing boyfriend comforting her as she needed.
"I'm lucky too" Emma said as she squeezed Peter's hand, making him weirdly nervous.
"Heh, that's actually what I wanted to say before you thought I was about to defend those assholes" Peter said as he scratched his neck with a bright blush on his face, finishing with a quip as usual "thing that really shocked me that you'd think, by the way".
"Hm?" Emma questioned with confusion clear in her voice while ignoring that last part "what for?"
"…Because I'm able to be with you" Peter answered almost lovingly, with a shy but bright smile as he locks eyes with her "I mean, I'm not really sure of what I could say to make things better for you, because I'm sure it must be… really hard.
And I don't want to be those kinds of people who claim to understand what you're going through when I don't" Peter started explaining as both teens stop in their tracks - just a few steps away from the corner of the building "I might have powers, but I'm not a mutant, and whatever hate I've endured, I realize it pales in comparison to what you go through daily.
And it just shows me how great you are" Peter smiles at the way Emma's icy and deep blue eyes focused entirely on him and his words "Because you truly are amazing. I fear I might become repetitive and you might get bored of me saying it, but you are the most intelligent, eloquent, beautiful and amazing person I know.
And I'm unbelievably lucky to love you" Peter confesses his love for her once more with a slightly husky voice and the most charming smile he could muster to hide the slight hint of embarrassment he felt; which was not helped by Emma's quivering lip and - once again - crystalline eyes. Yet, he presses on "and I love you, not because you're a mutant or despite that fact, but because you're… you".
Peter doesn't know what else he could say about her situation but what he personally feels, which could be seen as something selfish and perhaps even self-centered, but he that's the only truth he can share with her.
He can't promise her a peaceful future, or a society that will come to accept them for who they are when they haven't even worked the differences amongst themselves; he can only reaffirm how much he really loves her.
"…You know, you can be such a jerk sometimes" Emma suddenly whispered loud enough for him to hear as she looked away from him, which made him sweat in nervousness "I told you I dislike getting all emotional, and here you are trying to make me cry again".
Peter let out a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding when Emma said that last part with her still holding onto his hand firmly. He was about to say something, but Emma quickly turned around to cup his cheek with her free hand; pulling him gently but quickly into a short lived but nonetheless sweet kiss.
Peter couldn't help himself but to smile in her lips as he made the small kiss just a little deeper, reciprocating her feelings with his own. She ended the kiss and rested her forehead in his own, keeping the deep eye contact they had been making before as she whispered with a loving voice "I love you too".
Both teens allowed a few seconds of silence after their declarations for the words to be properly felt; both closing their eyes to just enjoy the moment between them to the fullest. Their small moment was ended by Peter, who kissed Emma's lips with a small peck to then take his forehead off from hers.
"Hey, how about I make this whole day up to you?" Peter asks her with excitement in his voice, while matching her quiet volume "I don't think the tour is going to continue, and we don't have classes, so we're most definitely getting out of school early. So how about we spend the day together? Maybe there's somewhere you want to go?"
"I… appreciate the sentiment, truly" Emma said with an apologetic voice and downcast eyes as she began walking once again, prompting Peter to follow her lead "but I don't feel like being out in public today".
The idea of having a date day with Peter does sound really enticing, and perhaps it could be exactly what she needs to shake off everything from her. But it's also very true that she dreads encountering any other anti-mutant protest - at least for the rest of this day.
"Oh, uh…" Peter stumbled on his words, not really expecting to have his idea rejected like that. But he quickly bounced back "Oh! M-my aunt won't be home until way too late at night; we could spend the day at my place!"
"Your place?" Emma immediately perked up at the suggestion, really liking the idea "are you sure?"
"Of course! My aunt will be working til late on that new building FEAST opened up near Times Square, so we can have the place for ourselves!" Peter answered with more excitement at seeing Emma's demeanor change for the better.
"That… sounds beyond nice" Emma answered as she felt some of the pressure from her shoulders leave her; with her face softening significantly "I'd really like that".
"Yeah?" Peter asked again with poorly contained happiness, which made Emma feel even more at ease.
"Yeah" she agreed easily once again, but with her tone clearly more excited than it was before.
"Great! We can watch any movie you want, I have tons of board games we could try out and order whatever take out you wish for! You also said that you wanted to spend today with Chat, so we could invite her over - f-for a little while" Peter mumbled the last part shyly, giving Emma the idea that he prefers them to be alone, which she immensely likes and prefers as well. What she didn't like however, is Peter's next words "in fact, if you don't want to be alone today, we could invite all the others as well!"
*Ugh* Emma couldn't hold but groan with annoyance at the idea of having more people in what was sounding like a great time - especially them.
"Dont get me too wrong, but I really don't want to be around your friends either" Emma claimed with her brow furrowing into an angry scowl at Peter's confused face.
Peter contained his need to sigh at the way she emphasized the word 'your' when referring to what he always hopes could be 'their' friends, and the way her animosity toward them shows.
"Oh come on. I know that you girls… don't always see eye to eye" Peter said with a small sheepish smile to not say they outright dislike each other, and also slightly embarrassed due to the fact that they just turned the corner to see MJ and Gwen talking with Betty, who also spotted them "But I'm sure it can be fun if you give it a chance".
"I-I would normally agree… for you" Emma admits firmly with that same scowl on her face "but I don't want to spend time with them after what they did; especially with Watson".
" 'What they did'? W-what happened?" Peter asked as he furrowed his own brow at what was most likely going to be yet another problem; his gaze shifting between Emma and the other two.
And with the nervous looks on their faces and the way they were shuffling on their feet while Betty talked to them, Peter just knew that whatever Emma was going to say, was true.
"Well…" Emma started saying, also looking between Peter and the girls without an ounce of doubt as to what she was going to say.
….
"Oh god, she's definitely telling him" Gwen muttered with slight worry at the way Emma stopped at her feet to hug herself while speaking with her angry expression still very much present to Peter, who looked like he had a mixed expression between disbelief and anger.
"Well, you guys did kinda screw up" Betty added very bluntly from behind both girls, who turned around at her with offended - yet accepting - expressions, which made Betty raise her hands in mock defense "What? You did! If I was Emma, I'd be beyond pissed, and I'm like, super good friends with you two. Emma and you guys have never liked each other, sooo…".
Betty's words perked up glory's interest, who - together with the bullies - was close enough to the trio to be able to eavesdrop on them.
"Gossip? What do y'all got?" Glory turned around with a playful smile, not really understanding a whole lot of what was happening, but interested in seeing why that nasty Frost chick would be angry "More of how Peter screwed her or something?"
Her words made Gwen tense while MJ turned her body away from all her friends while hiding her face in her right hand, not wanting to hear those words at all - much less how Peter's bullies unintentionally snickered at it. All except Sally and Randy, who were still very grateful to him for what he did.
"D-don't say that" Gwen sighed with the same tension weighing on her, not liking how her band mate is making fun of her best friend - especially with something that makes her so weirdly uncomfortable.
*Ugh* "What a mess" MJ groaned with the impossibility to refute Betty's words while massaging her temples and ignoring Glory's words. Her supposed effort to keep Peter away from gossip was just backfiring really hard on her.
"Oop, speaking of the devil…" Kenny snickered as everyone saw Peter approaching with a tired look on his face and his leg still somewhat limping; leaving Emma slightly behind him due to her slower pace - clearly not heading towards them, unlike Peter, who clearly is.
Peter rubbed the bridge of his nose just as he was about to reach the group, giving the clear signal that this was not something he wanted to do at all, which only made Gwen and MJ all the more nervous.
"H-hey, guys" Peter greeted everyone with a tired voice and no real emotion, inwardly cursing the fact that he has all these eyes on him. Before anyone could say anything, Peter spoke again "Uhm, Gwen, MJ, is what Emma said… true?"
Gwen outwardly sighed with annoyance at the fact that the other blonde did snitch on them to Peter, most likely twisting the story for her entire convenience. What Emma said about her not liking Peter hanging around her and MJ is really worrisome - more with her doing things like this.
The silver lining for her is that Peter is doubting Emma's words, because instead of outright demanding them to make things right or angrily asking why they would do such a thing, he asked if what his girlfriend said was indeed the truth; which gives her and MJ the perfect chance to make things right.
They just need to explain how things went wrong and-
"I-Im sorry, Peter" MJ says, interrupting Gwen's train of thought and causing her to look unbelievingly at the redhead for the sudden admission "I - we - know that what we did was wrong and I'm really sorry for making-"
"M-MJ" Peter interrupted her as he motioned his hands forward and backwards as if asking for a pause; his voice wierdly low and his face showing contempt and barely contained disgust "…why the fuck are you apologizing to me?"
Peter's question wiped the smirks that Kenny, Glory and even Betty had; with Sally tensing and Gwen and MJ feeling their hearts squeeze.
It's unusual to hear Peter say any kind of swear word, even the mild and innocent ones, and him saying it to Mary Jane? One of his only and closest friends in the whole world? Something was off.
And everyone was reminded of what they lived and heard from when Peter yelled out at his bullies in the classroom after Dr. Connors died.
And more than that, Gwen was indignated at MJ's idea to apologize for something she is not even sure of. Sure, they did screw up, but what if Emma blew what happened out of proportion while leaving herself out as the victim who did nothing wrong?
They had the perfect chance to make things correctly right, so why would MJ do something so… stupid?
Everyone stayed silent for a few moments, in which everyone saw the way Peter's face crumbled from the angry-looking one into one of regret while becoming increasingly pale.
"T-Thats not- I-I didnt mean to say… Mary Jane I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" Peter hid his eyes behind his right hand while the other rested at his hip once he got frustrated at his own inability to talk - thwarted off by his own voice saying that word, only to mutter "God dammit…".
MJ squeezed her shirt in front of her heart as she debated what to do inside her head, shifting her eyes between the tired and frustrated looking Peter that must be regretting what he said, to the unbelieving and hurt look Gwen was shooting at her.
The only small silver lining is that the jocks got uncomfortable - yet again - and started backing up from the trio, with Betty following Glory with both having conflicted looks on their faces and Flash muttering lowly "Geez, that Parker sure is a jerk…".
"…leave him be" sally muttered back as she clung herself to Randy, showing for the first time a wish to defend Peter from what is most likely a justifiable dig from Flash "A-at least for today".
Which shocked the rest of the clique just enough to not let it show, specifically Flash, since Parker did in fact just do a rude thing to one of the few people that put up with him. And Flash is always deeply disappointed and angered when Peter acts like a jerk.
But Sally got a tiny little glimpse into Peter's life - of who he really is - for the very first time. And beyond his kindness, which is his main attribute, Sally was able to see that he was weirdly troubled… and hurt. And she knows that she has no way to even fathom what's happening in his life, she knows that he is not someone to just do that.
He just saved her despite everything.
And he doesn't hate her, and it's just not like him to get stressed out like he seems to be today. So in a very uncharacteristic way to her, she is willing to give Peter the benefit of the doubt over Mary Jane. Something that she saw Randy smiling proudly at her for.
MJ meanwhile looked back from the retreating jock group to Gwen, who was mouthing a 'What the hell!?' to her, which made her shrink into herself.
Her plan as to why she immediately apologized was to show Peter that she is conscious that she did something wrong, and she wanted Peter to understand that however Emma must feel, she too feels bad about this whole situation.
And her whole plan pended on the fact that she hoped that Emma explained everything properly to him - just like how she truthfully would've done if she had the chance to do so first.
Because she had hoped that Emma would still hold on to what she said about them trying to get along for Peter sake's - back when he and Emma started dating - and that she was only being kinda historical when saying how she hated when Gwen and herself spent time with their best friend.
And she is aware that it's her and Gwen's fault for making it so hard on Emma the majority of times where they have their petty little fights… but she still hoped that Emma would not be a freaking lying snitch like a petty child.
"I-it's okay, Tiger" MJ mumbled awkwardly with a shaky smile, feeling awful for hearing Peter actually curse her way, and for her being the architect of his current mood.
"W-what? No, no, of course it's not okay! I-I should never talk to you like that - especially to you" Peter claimed with his eyes showing nothing but remorse and stressful tiredness, with his voice weirdly low and collected "I told you that I wanted to be the best friend there is, and here I am screwing it up already *Sigh* I just- I'm just…".
"It's really okay, I… I get it" MJ shot the most reassuring smile she could muster, which didn't quite match the hurt that her eyes showed. Because she doesn't want to admit it, but it really does hurt.
Because… It's him! It's her best friend! The one who is always so sweet, and innocent, and looks at her with a bright, caring, goofy smile that makes her feel all warm inside now looking her way with stressed eyes and a tired demeanor - as if he'd rather be anywhere else that is not talking to her.
And she can understand why. As his best friend, MJ is painfully aware of how much he wishes for everyone around him to get along, and her nasty attitude towards Emma and vice versa always sours his mood - pair that up with the fact that his internship is being terminated and he just got out of being almost killed by a monster and well…
MJ wants to be someone that makes his life better - easier and happier - just like he does with hers. And she's failing miserably at it… she has been for several months actually.
"…I just" Peter mumbled again, not really knowing what to say next after that little slip, shifting his eyes between the redhead and the blond with incredulous eyes "W-why would you guys do that to Emma? Say those things?"
"W-what did she tell you we did?" Gwen asks back, wanting to know what lies that snitch told Peter to get them on his bad side.
Peter inhaled deeply as he suppressed the need to rub his eyes or nape - really not liking how Gwen is suggesting that Emma lied; more so because MJ already apologized, giving a clear indication of guilt.
This teenage drama… Peter is too stressed out to deal with it as he would have done any other day before yesterday.
"…that you guys cornered her in the bathroom to question her on what she said, to then have one of your regular spats that ended with one of you calling her a slut because of her clothes… or something?" Peter explained in an even and calm tone with his eyes narrowed ever so slightly to notice the light shifts in their expressions and body language.
The way their pupils contracted while their eyes widened slightly, how their chests heaved up and stayed put as if they were holding onto whatever breath they had, and how little - but very obviously to him - their entire bodies tensed slightly.
"That's… not entirely… inaccurate" Gwen replied after one second where it seemed like she wanted to refute Peter's claim, but her voice became sheepier by the word.
"Why then?" Peter insisted again while maintaining his demeanor.
"W-we… didn't like what she said… about what you guys d-did on her birthday" MJ admitted while rubbing her left arm with her right hand, avoiding looking directly at Peter - much like Gwen is also doing "We thought that you might've been embarrassed because of it, and we just…"
"Called her a slut?" Peter finishes for her with a sarcastic tone and an angry undertone behind it that makes them look even more guilty "Because that's… that's really not cool".
Peter wanted to say it differently, maybe that it was kinda messed up how they thought that he needed help with what Emma did - 'help' that helped absolutely nobody.
But Peter believes himself to be mature enough to understand that they had their hearts in the right place when they approached Emma, but things quickly turned sour for them - as it usually happens.
So he doesn't want to make things any worse than they are by saying something rude to them again, so he chooses the most lighthearted way to say what he thinks. 'It's not cool'.
"I-Im sorry" "yeah, we kinda messed up, sorry" but their continuous apologies dont help in the fucking slightest to make this situation any easier for him. Hearing that never does anything right for him.
And why can't they just get along and be done with whatever problem they have with Emma and vice-versa? That way no one gets dumbly and honestly pathetically upset over little things - and no one would have the fucking need to apologize to one another! EVER!
"…she also did say some pretty mean things though" MJ muttered once she began feeling like she apologized enough to that girl. After all, Emma did say things that hurt her badly.
"What?" Peter asks with a confused face, snapping out of whatever trance he gets whenever he is forced to listen to continuous apologies in which he knows he can't - and won't - ask them to simply shut up.
"Y-yeah, she told MJ some rude things that I think she should apologize for too" Gwen stepped in on MJ's behalf.
"She said that I should go-" MJ began explaining, hoping that Peter would - if not side with her - at least comfort her and say how she does belong in the city.
She however was quickly interrupted by a frustrated groan from Peter "O-oh my god, girls. Why are you telling me this now?"
"Huh?" Both girls almost dumbly asked at the same time at Peter's words.
"Why do you keep dragging the problem? Instead of just admitting that you guys messed up and move on, why do you cling on what she did or said after what you guys did?" Peter asked in a bothered tone and tired tone.
Because it's just so fucking dumb. It's such a petty and childish thing to be having a fight over that Peter - after everything he has been through - simply can't compute why his best friends keep doing this.
All the arguments and little fights he has been forced to witness or been told of between his girlfriend and his best friend are always so, so ridiculous and small it just bothers and tires him.
And he knows it's wrong, and that little problems like these are the entire world for teenagers his age, and these people are more than vital to him, and he loves them all so very much that he should never, ever think of their problems as nuisances. But… but Jesus Christ could Peter not care less about these types of problems.
Peter is dealing with magic ladies, his fate and destiny and the role he has in the multiverse, which was revealed to him on the grave of the man he killed - and even if he forgets about all of that, there's a group of murdering thieves going around the city doing whatever they want and he doesn't have the slightest clue of who they are, what they'll do next or what are they planning with all the equipment they are stealing.
And without the mask on, Peter simply wants to relax with the people he loves and not think of the burden that 'Spider-Man's' life is going through. Which is extremely hard to do if all he hears is how 'she said that!' Or 'No, she said that!' from yet another squabble between them.
And it just makes himself feel bad because he knows he is not above this kind of stuff, he shouldn't believe that his troubles are grander than those of his friends - which they admittedly are - because they are important to them, so they should be important to him as well.
And he usually does an amazing job at concealing his disinterest in times like these, but… but god damn it, can't they give him today? Everyone around him has a lifetime to nag him about stuff like this, and a lifetime where he won't be a jerk that shrugs their problems away.
But can't they just give him today? And perhaps it's not even the fact that they are having a squabble, or that Emma is at odds with MJ and Gwen once again over who knows what - Peter can deal with that. He can deal with everything.
But why did MJ have to apologize to him? Sorry… sorry, sorry, sorry. That's… That's what made Peter be as he is now in front of his best friends; and he knows it's unfair to MJ because he was able to stop Emma from saying it and he was unable to stop the redhead, which just… sucks. But, really…
Can't they just give him today?
MJ meanwhile felt her indignation bubbling up from within her at what he said, because while yes, this is mostly her fault, Peter still should care about how she feels after what his asshole of a girlfriend said to her.
Her father… It's a very delicate subject for her, one that she doesn't even want to think about. So a girl she dislikes uses him as a way to hurt her, and then her best friend dismisses her as rudely as that - something he's never done before?
Mary Jane Watson is not someone to take that. Not from anyone.
"Oh, so what, you don't care about what she told me?" MJ asks with clear irritation in her voice, but with her eyes showing a slight hint of fear for what the answer could be "…at all?"
*Sigh* "…honestly?" Peter asks with sarcasm laced in his voice while raising and dropping one arm - as if he himself wasn't sure of that; really feeling shitty for being unable to stop MJ from apologizing when he was able to stop Emma.
"Peter…" Gwen breathes out with disappointment in her face, and a saddened expression on her face.
"Forget it then!" MJ says with what seems to be like a renewed optimism and a bright smile that seems so painfully fake to both Gwen and Peter that they can't help but cringe at it "Forget everything I said, forget how I feel and forget that I suggested your sweet and delicate girlfriend was anything but perfect!"
"M-MJ, come on, I didn't-" Peter said as he deflated even further, really not wanting MJ to be like that.
"No! It's perfectly understandable! In fact, I'll leave you be so that you can coddle her up or whatever while I go have some fun today" MJ said as she turned her back from Peter so as to not show the vulnerability in her eyes "so don't worry about me!"
That's right, MJ has known this for a long while. If something is bothering her, making her feel uncomfortable or bad, why would she deal with it if she can simply run away to do something fun?
If she can go to her bandmates and friends - of which she has many, unlike Peter - then why would she be stuck with him to try and fix a bothersome situation when she can simply ignore it and have fun?
Eventually, Peter is sure to either forgive her or forget about this. In fact, knowing him, Peter is most likely going to feel bad about all of this and apologize to her himself. He wouldn't let her be in a bad spot with him, he loves her!
So why face something unpleasant when she can have a good time anywhere else?
It's the same when she ran away from her dad, it's the same when she ran away from her sister, and now it's just a tiny little run she needs to make until everything is well again.
Peter will make things right eventually. He always does. And she'll be waiting for that moment while ignoring how heavy her heart feels by searching for immediate comfort. Why do something she doesn't want to do, when she could be taking it easy instead?
Eventually, everything will be made right by him, and MJ is confident in that.
"MJ, come on…" Gwen muttered as she saw the redhead walk away, shifting her head towards Peter to see the clear regret in his face.
"W- MJ, wait!" Peter said as he stepped forward to try and stop MJ from walking away with unresolved issues "I-I'm, s-, I didn't mean-".
*RING-RING* Suddenly, Peter's words were interrupted by his cellphone ringing loudly for the three to hear, causing Peter to groan out loud in frustration.
"God DAMMIT!" Peter shouted very uncharacteristicly of him as he fished out his cellphone to shut it up. MJ looked over her shoulder to see what Peter was going to do, but instead of shutting it down immediately to pursue her as she wished, she saw how his shoulders dropped in resigned tiredness.
"M-MJ, w-wait just a second, please" Peter pleaded as he answered the phone, to immediately say "Hey, May. Uhm, listen, I'm okay, but I need a second to… no, no, I swear I'm fine, I just need to… y-yes, a monster, but Thor was here!… no, nobody is injured, I swear you don't have to pick me up…".
As Peter reassures his lovely aunt to the best of his abilities, Gwen and MJ are reminded that they, in fact, also have families who must be very worried about them. So, following Peter's example, they each fished out their phones to find dozens of messages and calls from their respective guardians.
"Hey, Peter?" MJ called out the brown haired boy that was still trying to convince his aunt to remain in her work with the promise of him - and everyone they know - being safe and sound "I'm going to call my aunt over there, but I'll see you later, right?"
Peter didn't answer for a few seconds, neither to May or MJ as he analyzed the latter's words. The lack of the usual nickname 'Tiger', the way she still wanted to get away from him and how she admitted to not wanting to see him after her call was done was a clear indication that she is still upset with him.
But the fact that she still smiled warmly when saying their usual goodbye, made Peter feel just a tiny bit better. Perhaps it's what happened with Emma, and as Chat said, maybe MJ also just needs a bit of time to herself.
"I- ehr… y-yeah, definitely" Peter said with resignation, clearly wanting to talk with the redhead, but not wanting to be too pushy about it when MJ was clearly not feeling like doing so. Something she was genuinely grateful for. So with a small smile, Peter repeated "I'll definitely see you later".
MJ nodded with that same smile, and turned her back on him to start walking away, quickly being followed by Gwen, who was already talking with her dad of her side of what happened. She did turn around and shot Peter a small sad but encouraging smile before getting too far away from him.
*Sigh* Peter sighed tiredly as he saw both of his best friends walking away from him, knowing that it was his words and dismissive attitude that warranted this 'God, I can be such a jerk sometimes…'
"Peter?" May asked with a worried tone from the other side of Peter's phone, snapping him out of his self-deprecating thoughts "Are you absolutely sure you don't need me for anything?"
"No, no, of course not" Peter dismissed with what he hopes sounds like a lighthearted tone "I'm really fine and I'm sure they need you more at FEAST than I do here. The only thing that will change is that I will be home sooner, so, really, I'm okay".
His words were meant to be reassuring and encouraging because he dreads being a burden to May. His leg is lightly injured, but there's just no way he would ever admit that to her. He knows how much her job means to her, and he doesn't want to be a reason for her to neglect what she loves to do.
Because of it, Peter was unable to see the way May's face grimaced with hurt. Because she would have honestly loved to hear that, even though he is physically fine, he still would have loved to have her by his side.
Needed.
May knows that perhaps it's wrong, and she is aware that she has raised Peter to be an independent and self-sufficient man… but she would love to know that he is still that little boy that needs her.
Because she is painfully aware that she was unable to provide all that he needed back to them because of her own baggage, and now that she is able and eager to help… he no longer needs it.
He no longer needs her…. That… doesn't seem right - shouldn't be right - but it just makes her realize how much more she is needed there at FEAST, where she can be the helping hand she now desires to be for her son - just like Peter said. She has more value there, than she does back home - something she has felt for years and years by now.
"Y-yeah, you're right" May mumbled with uncertainty into the phone "Uhm… if there was anything wrong, you'd let me know immediately, right?"
"Of course!" Peter lies through his teeth, allowing himself to grimace at himself now that he is not face to face with her "You know I I'd never keep anything serious from you!"
"Right… yeah, okay. I'm really glad you're not hurt" May mumbled with what Peter noted as genuine relief "You get home safely, or if you are going somewhere with your friends, please let me know".
"Oh, actually-! Uhm, c-can I have Emma over?" Peter asked hopefully. He is not unused to having Emma over when May's gone, but it's always kinda nerve wracking to ask permission for this.
"Sure, you can have whoever you want over" May spoke almost absentmindedly, to then correct herself "Just don't have too many people for a party or anything like that. I trust you, but I don't want anything broken".
"No, no, of course not. We'll be careful and clean after us, I swear" Peter said with a smile forming on his face, already imagining the time he'll spend with Emma.
"Then sure, just remember I won't be home until late" May reminded him while hearing someone shouting out for her, making her groan slightly "Well, looks like the world stops for no one".
"It's all right, I understand. I'll see you later!" Peter talked easily to make May understand that everything is indeed fine "I love you!"
"Love you too, sweetie" May said with a resigned but equally easy tone "I love you too".
Peter hung the phone first after hearing May say that, and allowed himself to release a comfortable breath while looking into the sky, feeling at least one weight off from his shoulders. Clearing things with May can be a really difficult task sometimes, so it was actually nice that this time she dropped the subject somewhat easily.
"There you are, dude" Harry caught Peter's attention, making him look directly on front of him to find the Oscorp heir staring at him almost impatiently "the teachers are making a head count, if we are all there and without injuries, then the principal agreed to let us go on our own with our parents approval… of course, I had my own father move some strings for that to happen".
Harry bragged to Peter with his chin raised up high, not really wanting to delve into the details of how this came to be, with it being the fact that Norman is currently overseas, and instead of him answering his own phone, Harry was redirected to one of his many assistants.
One who, knowing Harry very well and actually having a good relationship with him, helped him get the principal's permission for this early release for a little plan he was working on.
It's not uncommon for his dad to be away from home, and without any more nuclear family members, he effectively has the whole giant penthouse for himself.
Still, Harry would've loved to at least know that his dad is sufficiently worried about his well-being as to be informed of what happened, but even the assistant told him how much of a bad idea it would be to 'bother' him with such trivialities - given how Harry was left unscathed after what happened, of course.
And as he walked to Peter, he couldn't help but see how every single person he walked by was talking and texting their loved ones while he was stuck with the assistant. It… feels unfair sometimes - to know that you can have everything but the one thing that you truly crave.
But well, he still has everything else he could crave.
"Oh? And why would you have your old man do that?" Peter asks with an entertained raised eyebrow, not being able to properly imagine Norman Osborn doing something quite like that - which was entertaining Im a way.
"Because I want to throw a party!" Harry beamed as he revealed his plan, unable to see how Peter struggled to contain a groan.
"A party? Like, in your penthouse?" Peter choked out the question. He was imagining being alone with Emma, but had been enough of a jerk to his friends already to deny Harry's invitation right then and there.
"Thats right!" Harry answered happily, now with a dreamy look on his face "I was talking with Liz about how my dad wasn't coming back for like two more weeks, and she was like 'oh, how I wish my mom would leave for even a weekend to throw a party or something - which you would be like, totally invited' ".
Peter snickered at the way Harry tried and failed to imitate Liz's voice and mannerisms in a funny way and with a small blush on his face. Though Peter still had to admit, he felt pretty bad every time he heard anything about Liz's parents.
Perhaps he could've done something for Mr. Toomes and prevent him from going down the path he went down into; something like not leaving him tied to a crashed plane for the Avengers to find and the police to take away.
And Peter beat himself over for that for many months, because he genuinely didn't know what else to do! What was he supposed to do with a grown man that had already taken his choice - his path?
And now Peter knows that while, yes, it was Adrian's choice to become The Vulture, it was also already written for it to be his fate. What an awful thing for one's fate to end up like that, especially with his wife and two daughters.
Does that mean that Peter, with his reward and all, could change Adrian's future for the better? Could he really give him a helping hand and actually give him an actual second chance?
Because if so that'd be amazing! Something really worth considering when thinking about all that stuff about 'The Champion' and whatnot.
"She wants to party with me!" Harry repeated again with excitement after Peter's little snicker, successfully snapping the latter out of his head "So first I thought that I'd organize one this weekend, but since everyone is free right now, I thought 'what better time!?' right?"
"Aren't parties usually at night?" Peter asks with his little snicker still present on his face as both friends head over to the larger group.
"Oh, so you're the party expert now?" Harry huffed with a halfhearted mock and an entertained smile.
"Just saying" Peter replied with his hands up in mock surrender.
"We can stay there until late, and I can provide everyone with food and whatever since it's my idea" Harry shrugged away Peter's statement, to then look at him with a raised eyebrow "you are coming, right?"
"Uhm, sure!" Peter replied with an empty smile "but can Emma also tag along? I promised her we'd spend the whole day at my place and she seemed excited at the idea".
"You got your house to yourself and you wanted to bring your girl alone?" Harry asked with a teasing and entertained look "you really are a horndog, aren't you?"
"W-wha? No, dude, what?!" Peter's flustered face and nervous voice made Harry laugh a little louder "I-it's not like that at all! I just… made her angry before, and I wanted to make it up to her".
"Oh, right. She really sounded pissed" Harry recalled with a slight grimace "what was all her yelling about anyway?"
"She got into a petty fight with Gwen and MJ because of what she said, and I said something she didn't like" Peter sighed with dissatisfaction while Harry groaned in annoyance.
"Again?" Harry asked, referring to the petty fighting, which is not something unusual between the three.
"Yup" Peter said while popping the P, to then add with an even more downcast tone "and what's worse is that after Emma told me, I went to MJ and Gwen and I just ended saying some stupid things again. So now they are most certainly angry at me too".
"Jesus dude, so you and Emma are just going to be awkward around basically everyone at the party?" Harry asked with frustration.
"Uhm… who else is going?" Peter asks sheepishly while hiding a bit under his shoulders.
"Liz's group, Gwen's whole band, some of the academic decathlon Betty insisted on bringing and two or three from the theater kids that Glory said she was going to invite" Harry explained as he counted everyone with his fingers - much like a little kid would do.
"Huh, you move fast with the invites" Peter muses as he purposely avoids answering Harry.
"Yeah, it's thanks to Liz really" Harry said as he returned to his smitten behavior "I suggested the idea and she looked all excited about it, so I blurted it out the moment Flash and the others walked by! And, oh man, you should've seen the look in her eyes, Pete. I tell you, she'll officially be my girlfriend before summer starts!"
"That's great, man!" Peter beamed as well, feeling genuinely happy for his friend who he knows just how much he likes Liz "you're going to confess or something?"
"I, ehr… don't have a plan or anything like that" Harry admitted sheepishly as he scratched his cheek "It's just a feeling, y'know? And I know that by showing her more of my 'cool side', things will go faster! Which is why I need this party to go smoothly!"
Harry eyed Peter as he started to see that perhaps telling him of the party was a bad idea. He hadn't told MJ or Gwen yet, and they are sure to agree, but is the mood going to be uncomfortable thanks to Peter and his girlfriend? That'd be a mess.
And it's not like he can't invite MJ and Gwen when he invited their bandmates - and they are his best friends! - nor can he uninvite Peter. The majority of their little spats have been because of how Peter is a no-show to whatever they do.
But he really needs things to go well with Liz! And with Peter and Emma at odds with basically everyone, that won't happen!
'Damn it… I shouldn't have invited him' Harry realizes with a tired sigh, thinking of how uncomfortable things currently - and always really - are between Peter and the jocks. Harry just hoped that things would be better after Peter's little heroic act with Sally, but perhaps that's a stupid thought in retrospect.
Years of animosity can't be erased by one single act.
"Peter!" Both boys focused their attention on Emma, who called out Peter's name as she walked outside the little student crowd that gathered around the teachers with Chat close behind her. Once she was close enough to both boys, she talked less loudly while not acknowledging Harry at all "I talked with our teachers in your stead. We are free to go".
Emma closed the distance between the two just enough to be at arm's reach and extended her hand for Peter to hold, which he immediately did without an ounce of hesitation - something that amused Harry when mentally comparing him to a trained puppy.
"Oh, sure. But, ehr…" Peter stood his ground and made himself unable to be dragged away by Emma while glancing back at Harry quickly "Harry here invited us to his penthouse for a little party".
"Y-yeah" Harry followed up with resignation and slumped shoulders "I have my place to myself, so I'll have some of our 'friends' over. Y'know, 'our' usual group, Liz's, some theater kids… it's gonna be fun".
Emma didn't have to be a telepath to know that Harry doesn't want her there with his facial expressions, body language and his use of the word 'friends' and 'our' as strained as it was. But she is a telepath, and she was able to see how he actually wanted neither her or Peter to go.
Mentally beating himself for inviting Peter due to how weird the mood is with their friend and bullies, thinking of how that's going to ruin his chances at getting together with a girl that originally had a crush on Peter. That whole plan sounds atrocious.
"That'd be…" Emma wanted to say something that showed her vexation, but not wanting to get on the bad side of yet another of Peter's friends, she instead shot him her best pair of puppy eyes "But Peter, I-I thought we were going to spend the day together at your place. You don't want to be alone with me?"
"W-wha? O-of course I want to be alone with you!" Peter quickly said, fearing that he might've made her sad or angry again at the change of plans "I didn't mean it like I don't! H-Harry just invited us and I thought… I just thought-!"
"That I would want to be around 'your' friends after what I just told you?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow and a slight hint of hurt in both her eyes and voice "or… you just didn't care about what I said?"
She knows it's deceptive to manipulate and guilt trip Peter - and Harry to some extent - like this, but it's the easiest way to get out of the invitation without it being Peter's 'fault'. Plus… it'd be nice if he had yet another reason to dote on her.
Being spoiled by Peter is… different than being spoiled by anyone else. It's not cold or just an excuse to show off money or 'entrepreneurial power' - it's genuine, warm, sincere in a way that makes her heart swell.
And she loves the feelings he brings her, but she knows it's meanly manipulative, so she squeezes Peter's hand in hopes of getting her thoughts across to him since she can't communicate telepathically with him. An honestly frustrating aspect of him.
"T-That's…" Peter mumbled lamely, feeling slightly annoyed by the way she said 'your' when referring to everyone, but he let it go for the sake of keeping things well. So he also said "O-of course I care about everything you say! I didn't ignore or brush it off! I'm not-"
*PFFT* Harry snorted out loud at the way Peter freaked out over something so silly as his girlfriend getting mildly annoyed, so he elbowed Peter in a friendly manner while teasing him "she's really got you on a tight leash, doesn't she?"
Emma glared at Harry for the remark, trying to contain herself from blushing due to the idea of Peter being on a leash at her hands was weirdly arousing to her.
"Come on, man…" Peter groaned embarrassedly as he looked away from them both, trying to avoid showing his blush with his free hand while still holding Emma's on his right.
"Hey, I'm not making fun of you here. I actually feel envious of you" Harry defended himself with his hands raised in mock defense - with Emma holding herself from groaning out loud due to her knowing how true that statement is "And believe me, dude, the last thing I want is to cause you trouble with your lady. So it's fine if you can't make it today".
"…really?" Peter asked with some half levels of hesitation and relief; which the former appealed to Harry and the latter to Emma - both knowing that he does want to make things right with them, but being unable to please them both.
"Sure" Harry shrugged, barely containing the smirk his face wanted to show "You can be with your girl as you promised her, you let all that steam between you, MJ and Gwen flow away, and I can have a party without a tense mood. Win-win for everyone!"
"Right…" Peter agreed with Harry's words as he felt yet another tug on his hand from Emma for him to start walking. As he does, he shoots Harry an uncertain smile "Uhm, let's hang out another time?"
"You got it, man" Harry agreed with an easy smile and a dismissive wave of his hand "I'll tell the girls you couldn't make it".
"Thanks" Peter shot his friend a look of gratitude over his shoulder while Emma merely waved an uncaring hand without looking back; with her leading Peter to her chauffeur, who had been waiting outside for her due to her mental command.
Harry stood still for a few moments, watching with some level of amusement Peter's clear hesitation of getting into Emma's luxurious car while she looked exasperated; reminding him of the many times where the same thing happened to him.
Harry knows that Peter is not someone who is concerned about being surrounded by the 'high life'; if he was, he wouldn't be his best friend - or have gotten himself a rich girlfriend. But Peter can really be so damn stubborn about dumb things like 'bothering their chauffeurs' when the 'subway works perfectly fine' that it's hard for him not to relate to the blonde girl.
Eventually Peter got into the car, following after Emma who did so first, and soon enough, the car with both of them left.
"Uhm, Harry?" Said boy turned around to see Gwen next to MJ looking all over the place; her attention not really on Harry despite talking to him "where's Peter? Have you seen him?"
"Yeah, I invited him to the party, but Emma didn't really seem like she wanted to go. Something about that little fight you had or something" Harry began explaining with a disinterested tone as he walked past her, prompting her to quickly follow after him with a downcast look "so to save Peter yet another fight, I told him it was fine if he didn't come".
There were many things MJ could've focused on what Harry said, mainly on the fact that either Emma or Peter told Harry what happened between them, and Peter leaving with the former despite the little spat of their own.
She had hoped that Peter would try and try to talk to her until things were made right between them. But instead, he left with his girlfriend to who knows where. And that disappoints her.
But honestly? MJ is at much fault for this as Peter is.
MJ has never been able to realize that her little game where she pulls away from Peter in hopes of him reaching over time and time again has never been successful - or helped her in anything she's wished for, for that matter.
Every time she seemingly preferred Flash's company over Peter's, everytime she went along with Harry while leaving Peter behind, every time she wanted Peter looking her way with some sort of devilish and playful scheme, she achieves the exact opposite of what she wants.
She wants to pull him in, but he feels pushed away.
Because they are both morons who each have some demons as to what should be something normal.
One too innocent and naive that believes jealousy and envy born from the desire to belong is something fun and playful when used right; too scared of confrontation and fights due to her situation back home.
And the other too dense and both too self-centered and selfless in a messy way, who needs social cues such as hers to be told explicitly to his face so as to not cause him any confusion in his already too convoluted and messy life; too repulsed of any form of apology to handle them correctly.
And without each expressing their feelings and thoughts properly due to their demons, MJ left peter first, and he didn't follow after when she wanted him to. Leaving her with many unpleasant thoughts swirling around her mind that she knows can be stopped with a question.
"Are my ears ringing, or did you say 'party'? MJ seemingly ignored every word Im favor of that one; asking Harry with a raised eyebrow and an enchanting - but fake - smirk.
"You got it in one, Red" Harry said with excitement "You guys, some other people and yours truly partying it up at my place now that we don't have classes and I don't have a dad to worry about. How's that sound?"
"Sounds like something a lady needs to forget this day" MJ replied as she feigned a playful dismay "But who will take is there?"
"Why I'm glad you ask" Harry chuckled as he motioned to his limousine waiting for him "I just happen to have a car waiting for me with a little to many seats for my lonely self, and I couldn't feel of better people to fill it up".
… besides Liz, of course.
"That all sounds great, Har" Gwen said with an uncertain smile "But is Peter really not going? Because I really wanted to talk to him about what happened. Right, MJ?"
"Hey, Pete made his choice about where to go and with who. I don't think it would be fair to us if we don't get the same treatment" MJ shrugged, internally miffed at Gwen and her desire to go make things right with Peter while she wants to run away from the problem "Besides, he couldn't stop apologizing before. I want to give him a few minutes so he can gather his thoughts and doesn't blabber away".
"I guess…" Gwen muttered unsure of herself and what MJ is saying. But Harry yelled an 'alright!' while walking away, prompting MJ - and naturally her - to follow after.
"Whoo! Party time!" MJ exclaimed with fake excitement as she followed Harry into his car; barely containing her need to reach out for Peter in this instance.
Either way, time will make everything right. She just has to wait. And why shouldn't she have fun in the mid time? She should, and she will.