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Okay so, before you ask, no, he is not a stalker.
Stalkers are creepy for one thing, they have truly disgusting intentions and are just awful people. They’re constantly watching your every move, leave creepy notes on your door, memorize your schedule. All of which Peter is not doing, so, yeah, he’s not.
(No matter how much Ned insists he is.)
Karen looked up the definition -a person who harasses or persecutes someone with unwanted and obsessive attention, she replies in her curt tone- and assures Peter that he does not fit the description in the slightest.
He thanks her, feeling much better.
It started out little, really, casually coming across MJ during one of his patrols. Peter instantly spotted her wild mess of curls in between the crowd of people, her earphones in and thick novel in hand as she strolled down the street.
He figured he might as well make sure she gets home carefully. After all, she did live kinda far so that by the time decathlon practice ended and her bus finally dropped her off, the sun was already setting. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him checking in on her. Not that Michelle -BAMF- Jones couldn’t handle herself, but still, he was trying to be a Good Samaritan and a nice friend.
And if he were being honest with himself; Peter always felt a little bit better knowing she was upstairs safe in her room, reading books by authors with long complex Russian surnames. Not that he’ll be admitting that anytime soon.
Now, unfortunately, it was becoming routine.
Leave practice, (with MJ as captain he wouldn’t be missing any meetings any time soon)go behind the dominos near the school since they rarely take out the trash there, suit up, patrol, find MJ at her bus stop, and make sure she got home okay. Patrol for a bit more, go home and hang out with May and Ned for the rest of the night. Toss and turn all night and fail to find sleep.
It was a nice schedule, solid.
He would watch her from the rooftops, amazed no one had yet to notice spiderman following a teenage girl, but he was so not complaining. He already had enough embarrassing pictures of spiderman leaving an outhouse with toilet paper stuck to his foot and videos of him falling on his ass in slow motion, thank you internet.
But then he noticed that she would lend her arm to an older person having difficulties crossing the street. And for as cool and indifferent as MJ appeared in school, she never failed to wink and stick out her tongue at any kid she caught staring at her. That always got a good laugh out of them and a grin out of their parents.
(“Michelle seems very nice.” Karen said, not at all subtle. “Very nice.”)
And, she would always be caught reading on the bus without fail, as if beyond motion sickness. And once she got off she would reach into her jacket, pull out an ibuprofen bottle and pop in two in her mouth and swallow as if they were candy. Peter would watch as she hummed along to whatever song she was listening to that day, as she once told him during gym, varied on her moods.
It was weird how she slowly started getting closer and closer to him and Ned as the year advanced. Opening up bit by bit until one day Peter looked up and saw MJ sitting right across from them at lunch, desperately attempting to hide a smile behind her thick book.
And before he knew it MJ was sitting crossed legged on the floor of his apartment, her socked feet splayed across his lap as she discussed with Ned over what an actual ass Snape was. And how bullshit it is that Harry had the audacity to name his kid after that douche when Hagrid was always there and deserved better, fight me on this Leeds.
(“But that’s the point of snape! He’s supposed to be a grey character! Not a good guy, but not a horrible man!” “Ned, actually fuck off.”)
The more he started to consider her a friend, the less creepy he felt whenever he ‘walked’ her home. He told this to Ned, after making him swear he wouldn’t tell Michell.
Big mistake.
“Still kinda weird dude,” Ned mumbled through a mouthful of chips. “Like, if it was anyone else doing it, it would totally be stalking, no offense.”
Peter pouted. “Whatever man.”
“Okay but like, why don’t you follow me home?”
“Because you’re always at mine.” Peter teased, taking a long swig from his energy drink, running on three hours of sleep took its toll. “There’s no point.”
Ned glared furiously at him, clearly not convinced. “No, that’s not it” He pursued his lips and cocked his head to the side in thought. “Is it because you like her?”
Peter spat out his drink, coughing hysterically as some of it went down his throat. Once he managed to compose himself, he smiled stiffly at the students who looked over and wiped the liquid that trickled down his chin. “W-What? No way! Wh-why would you even ask that?”
“Holy shit!” Ned murmured in awe.“No way! You do! You totally do!”
“Ned shut up, no I don’t,” Peter stammered frantically. “I don’t like her!
“Whom?” Michelle asked out of seemingly nowhere, having already sat down and opened her book without either of them noticing. Peter smiled briefly at her shirt which read in bold red print Make America Mexico Again! She quickly eyed the spilled energy drink with distaste. “That’s disgusting.” Scooting away, she peered at the boys from under her lashes. “Anyways, whose the she?”
Ned couldn’t feel his mouth moving, or him talking but he was. “Uh, y-”
Petter kicked him under the table, hard, efficiently shutting him up.
“Pepper Potts!” He spluttered, a sudden warmth beginning to spread across his cheeks and ears as he looked anywhere that wasn’t MJ’s perceiving eyes. “I was telling Ned that I saw her last time I went over for the, uh, the Stark Internship. And he was just being stupid.”
Ned massaged his sore ankle as Michelle’s scrutinizing gaze took in all of Peter’s pitiful excuse of a cover. She shrugged her shoulder and stole one of Ned’s chips and popped it into her mouth. “No offense to your sugar daddy dude, but she so could do better.” She muttered, smirking.
After that, the conversation divulged into Peter’s internship, with Ned stealing glimpses at Michelle whenever Peter would talk. She would lift her chin and lean forward somewhat so as to hear better. She would bite the inside of her cheek so as to not grin as Peter rambled on and on, instead choosing to raise an eyebrow, incredulously.
It sucked how obvious they both were.
“Did you meet any of the Avengers before they broke up?” Michelle asked lazily, after Ned stated how cool Peter was to have Iron Man in his contacts. “I mean, half of them suck but,”
Peter went starry-eyed and began to grin so hard, Michelle felt her own cheeks sting just by looking at him. “I talked to Cap for a little bit before he left. Rhodey's really nice too, he always talks to me whenever I see him. I met Black widow and said hi but she kinda ignored after that, since she was kinda busy, but,” He shrugged, not at all insulted. “Vision’s a little weird but, he has these really cool powers. And I didn’t really meet, meet Scarlet Witch or Falcon, but I uh, saw them fight once. And Hawkeye smiled at me! But I only saw him once too. They’re all just so great.” Peter gushed. He sighed contentedly as if he hadn’t fought most of them nearly five months ago.
Michelle hummed around her (Neds) chips curiously. Not at all interested in the actual hero’s themselves, just how Peters eyebrows would rise and fall with each sentence, and the way his cheeks would flush pink, making his freckles all the more noticeable.
There was a small lull of silence, where it was just Peter and Michelle staring at each other, not noticing there was nothing being said. Ned tapped his nails against the rickety lunch table and couldn’t help the words that bubbled out of his chest.
“I met Spiderman!” Ned exclaimed, perking up at Peter’s wilting stare. “He signed my all my posters and took a picture with me,” Michelle raised her eyebrows and grinned, already having heard this story before. It was his lock screen, Peter still in costume, giving a thumbs up as Ned’s beaming face took up half the screen. Everyone loved seeing the picture and gushing over how jealous they were at how lucky Ned was for getting such a close picture with the hero. Especially Flash. “Have you ever seen him?” Ned asked Michelle, eyebrows quirked and voice leaning on teasing. “Or like, met him?”
She pursed her lips in consideration, trying to rack her brain for jumbled thoughts. “When he saved you guys in Washington,” She hummed, shoving another handful of Ned’s chips into her mouth. “And he follows me home every day.”
“What?”
“No way.”
“Yeah,” Mj waved off their reactions with a mere shrug, pretending not to notice Peter and Ned gap at each other. “Whenever I get off the bus I see him on top of buildings just like, following me. Don’t know why but,”
Ned couldn’t stop beaming, not even noticing Michelle had stolen his bag of chips. “That’s actually the coolest thing ever.”
She rolled her eyes, all smug looking. “Kinda creepy but, okay, go off.”
Peter swallowed the nervous lump in his throat.
He toyed with his thumbs under the table as he spoke.“I think he probably just wants to make sure you get home safe, y'know?” He admitted, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I don’t think he’s trying to weird you out or anything.”
Michelle turned to stare at him and Peter felt himself start to shrink in his seat under her intense stare, feeling very much like a child about to be punished. “You think?” She asked, a genuine smile working it's way onto her face.
Peter furrowed his eyebrows in bewilderment. “Y-yeah?” It was Ned’s turn to kick him. “I mean-totally Yes! Yes.”
“I mean, I guess,” She ate the last chip, throwing the bag at Peter who caught it effortlessly, shrugging on her backpack, Michelle smirked at him. “Maybe you can ask next time you’re over for your internship?”
The bell rang before he could even respond.
~.~
Peter didn’t know if he should look out for Michelle today and just not, but decided against it. Because Peter was the one who she told, Spider-Man was completely unaware and just trying to do the right thing. Ned explained to him, that if Spiderman didn’t follow her the same day MJ told them about it, then it would really be suspicious.
Although now, as he leaped over buildings to keep up with Michelle -he never did notice how fast she walked- he wondered if it was just because Ned wanted to push them together.
Probably.
“Michelle has made a sudden right turn into an alleyway on fifth,” Karen’s voice disrupted his thoughts. “This is not part of her usual route home.”
Peter cursed himself for not paying close attention. “No, it’s not,” His heart sank deep into the pit of his stomach at the thought of her in danger. “I’m going in.”
Quickly making his way to the alleyway Karen pointed out, he landed down immediately. He looked around for a moment, quickly assessing the alleyway for any sight of a struggle before he felt a hand wrap around his wrist, twisting it behind his back. A hand clutched the back of his head and shoved his face into the brick wall, he felt a knee drive against his calf and had it not been for his powers, he would have been rendered utterly helpless.
“Ow! What the hell?”
“Why have you been following me?”
Mj’s voice was obvious enough for Peter to go at ease. He felt himself grin as her fingernails drilled deeper into his suit, and while he could have very easily flipped them over without breaking a sweat, he just, didn’t. Secretly enjoying MJ’s warmth so close to his neck, the thought caused his cheeks onto flush pink and stutter all over the place.
“I-I haven’t!” She hardened her grip on his arm.“Okay, okay! I just wanted to make sure you got home safe! Can you please let me go?”
MJ scoffed before breaking free of him, cleaning her palms on her jeans as she blew a strand of hair from her face. Running a hand through her hair, she winced when she came in contact with a frizzy strand before crossing her arms and scowling at Spiderman who didn’t seem at all afraid.
Nope, not at all.
“Why?” Michelle asked, and although Peter lowered his gaze to her beat up shoes, he could already hear her raised eyebrow. “Why are you following me home?”
Peter lowered his voice to answer, scared she would recognize his high pitched-voice. “Um, uh, why do you mean why? That’s kinda my job ma’am.”
MJ pointed an accusing finger at him and frowned. “No. Your job is to help lost old ladies and stop carjacking, not to make sure some random ass girl makes it home,” She jabbed a finger at his chest and snarled. “I can take care of myself you know, I take self-defense and I have pepper spray,” Tilting her chin up, Peter internally cursed the extra height she had on him. “I’m good spiderboy.”
He forgot how frustrating self-relying she could be sometimes.
Peter inhaled deeply before speaking, forgetting about keeping his voice low. “Look, I know you are okay? I just,” He stammered. “I just really don’t want you to get hurt. An-And if I can do this one little thing to make sure that doesn’t happen, then it’s totally worth it.”
He froze as soon as the words left his mouth, while very true, it would only raise more questions as to why spiderman cared so much about her. Peter thought for sure he just outed himself out in a disgusting alley and was already thinking up a great apology filled with him taking off his mask and everything when Michelle smirked.
She blinked a couple of times and used the back of her hand to rub at her eye tiredly. “Whatever, Still creepy dude.”
Relief could not even begin to describe what Peter was feeling. Awkward chuckling to defuse the situation soon turned into quiet laughter he was attempting to subdue. Karen was oddly silent as he motioned for them to move deeper into the alleyway, they were a little too close to the sidewalk for his liking. Once they were a safe distance, he turned to her, head turned in confusion.
“How’d you even see me?” Peter couldn’t keep the fascination out of his voice. “I-I was on the roofs”
Michelle smirked and flipped a strand of curly hair.
“I’m observant,” She shrugged off her backpack and kicked it on the floor. “And you literally have the ugliest colors ever, they’re bright as hell.” She teased.
Peter placed a hand to his chest in mock outrage. “Hey! Mr. Stark, Iron Man, made it for me.”
“Tell your sugar daddy to pick better colors then.”
They fell into a fit of giggles and stupid jokes, Karen informed him that it was almost six and that he promised May that patrol would end at five thirty. Glimpsing up at the darkening sky, Peter flushed at his next idea.
“So, uh,” He murmured to the ground, kicking a can out of the way. “wanna-want a ride home?”
MJ’s eyebrows lowered. “Like...your car?”
“Nope.” Peter winked.
He hoped popping the ‘p’ would make things start to click. And of course, they did, because Michelle is just so smart and the minute she figured it out her eyes widened and she smiled an actual, real, textbook definition smile. And why had he been denying he liked so much again?
“No way,” She muttered, already grabbing her backpack and slinging it on, she fixed her hair up in a bun. “Badass, come’re.”
She motioned for Peter to get closer, which he did a little too fast for his liking. Michelle wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself flush against Peter’s chest. He prayed she couldn’t hear his thumbing heart that seemed to hate him at this very moment.
“So, are you gonna do the thing or?” She pretended to shoot a web from her hands and that's when Peter realized it had been a good twenty seconds of him eerily staring at her and breathing heavily.
“Oh! Right, yeah, sorry-silly.” He faltered before squaring his shoulders. “Hold on Okay? I’ve never done this with a passenger.” He shot a web at the top of a building.
“Wait,” Her smile instantly vanished. “What?”
And then they were off.
Peter never heard MJ scream. He’s heard her shout at Flash for making snide comments, and yell at him across the gym because she was too lazy to walk all the way over. But for the first few seconds that they were in the air, that’s all he heard. She hugged him closer and dug her head into the crook of his neck, her apple-scented shampoo and coco butter lotion filled his mind the entire ride.
She started to enjoy herself not long after, raising her head high enough so that the wind slapped her face. Laughing at the many swoops and dives, and loudly cursing at Peter when he let them fall, before quickly pulling up. Michelle whooped and hollered as they swung throughout the city, not noticing that Peter was not at all making his way to her apartment, instead of taking the time to enjoy her pressed so close and smiling so much.
Peter had never seen her smile this much, never.
He then spotted her apartment complex, a shoddy little building decorated with bright graffiti and vines growing alongside it. There was a light on and a poster taped to the window that he could only guess belonged to MJ. She didn’t particularly like talking about her home life, although proudly showing him and Ned pictures of her adorable baby niece, she kept her mouth shut about her other family.
Which was fine, she told them she was okay and she never gave him any reason not to doubt her.
Peter swung to the back of her apartment, not really wanting to deal with the Spider-Man craze right now. The second they touched the ground, Michelle walked back to place a wobbly hand against her chest, Peter couldn’t hide the disappointment at her lack of warmth.
“Son of a bitch!” Michelle laughed. “Oh my god, I can’t breathe.”
Peter joined in, rocking back on his feet proudly. “Cool right?”
They feel into an uncomfortable silence, with only police sirens in the background.
“So,” Peter began, already preparing to leave.
“Thanks,” MJ blurted out, cringing at her weirdly pitched voice she coughed. “For stalking me I mean.”
“No problem,” Peter wished he could take off the mask. “Do you-do you want me to stop?”
Michelle squinted suspiciously, fiddling with en ends of one of her bracelets. “But You don’t want to.”
Peter shook his head and stepped closer. “But I will if you do.”
It was only a few seconds before Michelle spoke, but to Peter, it might as well have been ten years.
Shaking her head, Michelle chuckled to herself before smiling wide. “Thanks for the ride Peter.”
Relieved, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, anytime.”
“Practice is canceled tomorrow,” She cocked her head to the side. “Remember?”
They both knew he didn’t.
“Yep!” He coughed, chuckling at his own antics. “Yeah I do, thanks.”
MJ rolled her eyes fondly. “Night loser.” She waved before turning on her heel and walking to the front of her apartment.
Peter stayed as he heard her look for her keys, and as he heard her enter and close the door. “Night MJ.” He whispered into the air.
After checking his phone, Peter almost forgot to feel ashamed when he saw it was already six thirty. Not wasting a second, he ran alongside the building and shot a web up at the next one, swinging himself on and on.
“You seem very happy Peter,” Karen’s was almost teasing. “I’m glad the situation worked out.”
“Me too Karen.”
He never stopped smiling, it fell once he was inside his bedroom though.
May had left out a plate of Mac n cheese for him on his desk that he knew he didn’t really deserve, but nonetheless ate. Once he finished, he went to check on May to let her know he was back and safe and that he didn’t need a trip to the hospital, again.
He found her sprawled out on the couch, clearly passed out from exhaustion. Peter smiled at the sight, and carefully so as to not wake her up, took off her glasses and draped a blanket over her sleeping form. Picking up the files scattered on the floor, he threw them on the coffee table before leaning over and pressing a chaste kiss on her forehead.
May stirred slightly, before smiling in her sleep.
Scampering off to bed, Peter quickly brushed his teeth, swallowed his meds, and sent Ned a quick good night ‘I’m still alive’ text, (string of spider emojis following) and flopped on his bed with a loud squeak.
Peter buried himself under his blankets, inhaling the off-brand detergent May likes so much, and let his eyes droop to a close. For once in weeks, he found himself actually tired and in need of sleep. Maybe this is the night he actually makes it through the night without waking up?
It took all of two minutes before he was sitting up in a blind panic.
“Shit!”
~.~
Michelle wore a Spiderman shirt the next day and a shit eating grin for the rest of the week.