[Third Person's PoV]
As they weren't going to reach a concrete answer about why Felix's magic was sealed, they reluctantly moved on from the topic. Yet, it never left Felix's mind. The mystery gnawed at him, lingering like a dark cloud. The group spent the remainder of lunch exchanging idle chatter and, at times, sitting in a comfortable silence as they read. Occasionally, Felix's gaze would drift off, deep in thought, his brow furrowing as he mulled over his sealed powers. But the school day pressed on, routine and unyielding.
They moved from class to class, focusing on their studies, though Felix's mind often wandered. It was a pattern that repeated itself until the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. As Peter stepped out of the building, the crisp afternoon air hit him just as a sharp car horn blared.
"Yo! Parker!"
Peter turned, squinting toward the sound, and saw Johnny Storm lounging in his sleek red convertible, sunglasses on, looking smug with one arm draped casually over the passenger seat. His car gleamed under the sun, polished to perfection, the engine purring softly.
Peter walked over with a smile, leaning down by the driver's side window. "Looks like you finally pimped her out," he said, giving Johnny a playful smirk. They exchanged a cool handshake, one that spoke to their easygoing camaraderie.
"Damn right I did!" Johnny grinned proudly, revving the engine for emphasis. The car let out a deep, throaty roar, vibrating with power. "Just listen to how she purrs," he said, clearly enjoying the attention.
Harry Osborn strolled up with the rest of the group in tow, letting out an impressed whistle. "Talk about a ride. So, Pete, you gonna introduce us?"
Peter blinked, momentarily realizing the introductions had yet to happen. "Oh, right... You guys haven't met, have you?"
Johnny, ever the social butterfly, extended a hand toward Harry. "Johnny Storm."
"Harry Osborn," he responded, shaking Johnny's hand firmly.
Johnny raised an eyebrow. "As in Oscorp Osborn? Damn, Parker, you've got some serious connections."
Peter shrugged with a modest smile, rubbing his chest and blowing on his finger in mock pride. "I know a few people."
The others rolled their eyes, used to Peter's humble-bragging by now. Johnny turned next to MJ, extending his hand. She shook it, introducing herself with a friendly smile. "Mary Jane. You can call me MJ."
Johnny, ever the charmer, kissed the back of her hand, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Johnny Storm. And you can call me anytime," he added with a wink.
Peter watched the exchange with a raised eyebrow, but he bit his tongue. MJ, on the other hand, gave Johnny an awkward smile, pulling her hand away and discreetly wiping it on her jeans.
Next in line was Felicia Hardy. She crossed her arms, sizing Johnny up with a raised eyebrow before scoffing, "Felicia Hardy, and no, I'm not giving you my hand to kiss."
Johnny chuckled, nodding in respect. "Noted."
Felix, however, fumbled his introduction. Twice. "Sup Un—uh, I mean, Felix Pa—Petterson."
Johnny shot him a confused look but chose not to comment, his eyes moving onto the next person, Lizzy who also introduced herself.
After the introductions, MJ leaned over and kissed Peter on the cheek. "I've gotta head to the Daily Bugle for my internship. Can't stay too long. It was nice meeting you, Johnny," she said with a wave as she walked away.
"Yeah..." Johnny muttered, watching her leave before glancing back at Peter, eyebrows raised. Felicia, noticing Johnny's reaction, smirked mischievously.
With MJ's departure, the others began to make their excuses. "Guess we should get going too," Harry said, throwing a nod to the group. Felicia leaned in and kissed Peter's cheek as well, her voice dripping with teasing charm. "Byeee, Peter~," she said, wiggling her fingers as she sashayed away.
Peter just stood there, cheeks slightly pink, while Gwen shot Felicia a look—one that was calm but spoke volumes. Felicia only giggled, finding amusement in Gwen's subtle expression before leaving the scene.
Johnny, still staring at Peter in shock, finally spoke. "Dude... What's your secret?"
Peter smirked and motioned to Johnny's car. "Drive us to work, and I'll tell you."
Gwen, standing nearby, gave Peter a playful elbow to the side, her eyes rolling. Peter chuckled as Johnny waved them toward the car.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Johnny asked, motioning them inside. "That's the whole reason I'm here in the first place."
Peter and Gwen tossed their bags through the windows, jumping inside without using the doors. Johnny stared at them, his face deadpan. "You guys couldn't enter like normal people?"
"Nope," they said in unison, causing Johnny to roll his eyes before revving the engine again. The car roared as they sped off down the street.
As they cruised through the city, Johnny couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. "So...what's up with those two girls? Mary Jane and Felicia, was it? You all seem... rather close."
Gwen, leaning forward from the back seat, sighed. "MJ's Peter's girlfriend."
"Huh!? I thought you were his girlfriend! Are you guys, like, having a relationship behind her back or something?" Johnny asked, eyes darting to Gwen in the rearview mirror.
Gwen scoffed. "No, I was with Peter before MJ. We just... decided to date him at the same time."
Johnny's jaw dropped. "Wow. I mean... just wow." He glanced at Peter, eyebrows raised. "So you guys have, like, an open relationship?"
Peter chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, I'm way too selfish for that."
Johnny blinked in confusion. "So how the hell did you manage to convince three girls to agree to date you at the same time? I need to know what kind of magic you're working here."
Gwen groaned. "Felicia isn't his girlfriend. She just likes teasing him... and you, apparently. MJ and I have known Peter forever, which is probably why we don't mind sharing."
"Ah, now that makes sense... sort of. You guys are still weird, though," Johnny said with a smirk, shaking his head as they continued down the road.
…
Later, when MJ arrived at the Daily Bugle, Betty greeted her with a wave. "Hey, Mr. Jameson wants to see you in his office right away. The other intern's already there."
"Thanks, Betty," MJ nodded, her heart skipping a beat. She headed towards Jameson's office, the sound of muffled voices reaching her ears. Just as she was about to knock, she heard Jameson's gruff voice praising someone—Eddie, no doubt. She raised an eyebrow.
Knocking lightly, she stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, Mr. Jameson?"
Jameson looked up from his desk, a wide grin on his face. "There you are, lassie! Tell me you got some good shots of this morning's event," he said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
MJ let out a sigh. "Sorry, Mr. Jameson, but I'm not always going to get lucky with the news…"
She thought to herself, 'This actually works out. It keeps suspicion off me and stops people from thinking I have some special connection with Spider-Man. It's a good thing I didn't get a photo of us losing—it would only fuel more rumors.' Despite the close call, it seemed like things were turning in her favor.
Jameson sighed deeply, shaking his head in disappointment. "I get it, but I'm still let down. Lucky for us, though, Eddie here managed to get some pictures from the scene in Times Square."
MJ's spoke too soon.
"You did?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Eddie.
Eddie grinned smugly. "Yep. As soon as I heard about the weird portal showing up in Times Square, I rushed over. Got there just in time to snap these." He motioned toward a stack of photos on Jameson's desk.
MJ picked up the photos and leafed through them. The first one showed them landing from the portal in dramatic superhero poses. Another captured the Time Lord stepping out, with the glowing portal behind him. Her heart sank when she saw the next one—a shot of Felicia getting stabbed in the stomach. The final one showed Spider-Man, enraged, tearing into the Time Lord's shield.
'The sudden urge to tear these pictures apart…' MJ thought bitterly as she placed them back down on the desk. "They're... nice pictures," she forced herself to say.
"Thanks," Eddie replied, grinning proudly.
Jameson's eyes lit up as he grabbed the photos. "I can already see the headline now: 'The Spider-Menace Becomes an Even Greater Threat After Losing One of His Own.'"
Eddie smirked. "Or how about 'The Failure of Spider-Man'? It's short, simple, and right to the point."
"That's brilliant! Glad I thought of it!" Jameson declared, puffing up his chest.
Eddie scoffed quietly under his breath. "Your genius is truly unmatched, sir."
"Damn right it is!" Jameson boasted.
MJ, standing there with her arms crossed, fought the urge to roll her eyes. 'Tiger doesn't care about what they write in the papers, but hearing this garbage still annoys me,'she thought, stifling her frustration. But for now, she played her part and kept her head down, knowing that the last thing she needed was to draw more attention to herself.
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