I barely had time to get myself cleaned up and pick up MJ before Thompson arrived. The funny thing was, Mary Jane was just coming out of her house to come get me. That was how things worked around here. Girls invited boys on dates, gave gifts, paid compliments, walked them home, and so on. We were laughing about how our intentions had crossed when Thompson's car screeched to a stop dangerously close to the Watsons' fence.
"Damn it, Audrey. I asked you not to drive like a maniac," Harry complained from the front seat.
I smirked. That was the first time I had heard Flash's first name in this world. Audrey, meaning "noble strength." How fitting. Her parents in this world had clearly been guided by the same principles when naming their child. And they had been just as wrong. Because of Eugene Thompson, that name had long been associated in my mind with anything but nobility. I was sure most of the girls in our class felt the same way about the name Audrey.
"Don't pout, baby. You know I drive perfectly fine," Flash leaned over and kissed Harry on the lips. He didn't push her away, but he didn't show much enthusiasm either.
Wow. I would love to tell the Goblin from my world that his son was dating Flash Thompson. Ha. Norman would have eaten his glider in rage.
"Shall we?" I led Mary Jane toward the car and started to help her inside, but this Mercedes Benz E class cabriolet didn't have rear doors. She just vaulted over the frame herself. Her short red skirt fluttered in the air, clearly chosen to match her hair.
Ha, different world, different rules, Peter. At least she didn't offer to help me in. I walked around the car and climbed in as well. I wondered how much more expensive Eugene's collectible Plymouth Prowler was than Audrey's production Mercedes. Well, at least this car had back seats. I remembered drunk Mary Jane riding home on the frame of that damn rarity. I didn't even know what I felt more when I saw scenes like that. Hatred for Flash or worry for MJ.
"Let's go," I shouted and slapped Audrey on the shoulder. "Let's tear it up."
It turned out I hadn't made a bad choice picking the Bunker as our date spot. Mary Jane was the lead singer of a band, and they had recently had their first performance right here. So entry for her friends wasn't free, but it came with a significant discount. Apparently, MJ had really torn it up that night. I hadn't even thought of that. I had brought money, of course. But what if entry was by invitation only or required tickets? I couldn't believe I was saying this, but damn it, I was lucky that in this world, it was normal for girls to handle the organizational details like this. And I still had to insist on paying for myself at the door.
The girls found this a bit strange. For them, my actions must have looked like I was drawing a line between us, signaling that I didn't want to take our relationship further. Even Harry looked at me with disapproval. It was impossible to keep up with local customs. But that was no reason to change myself. I just couldn't let myself become like the local effeminate men. Harry was different. Even though he let Thompson pay for him and sometimes acted too soft, he still looked almost normal to me. But the native men, it was physically painful for me to be in the same room with them. I thought the ones I had seen on the street were strange. Not even close. What occasionally popped up here left me speechless. A couple of anorexic looking guys in pink outfits kissing each other in the middle of the dance floor to cheers and applause, that wasn't even the strangest thing. And no, they weren't gay. Each of them had come with a group of two girls. They just suddenly started dancing together and making out in front of everyone.
At least I didn't embarrass myself when we hit the dance floor after downing a hundred grams of something Thompson ordered to get our courage up. I had been a Michael Jackson fan since childhood and had spent a lot of time practicing in front of a mirror with a brush in my hand. I never had a voice, and I never had the courage to show off my skills. I was the class punching bag and outcast.
Gwen Stacy was the first to overcome my shyness and get me to dance. By that time, my confidence in my own clumsiness was deeply ingrained in my self perception. Even my superhuman agility and flexibility from the spider bite didn't help. Childhood complexes aren't easy to erase, especially in front of everyone, especially when you aren't wearing a mask.
Mary Jane was surprised that I could keep up with her without looking like a clumsy nerd. But without preparation, flexibility, and basic muscle memory, I shouldn't get too cocky. I couldn't do the moonwalk in this body, and this commercial electro dance wasn't suited for that kind of move anyway. Most people here were just jerking around to the beat with no idea how to dance.
Meanwhile, Osborn and Thompson had disappeared somewhere in the crowd, and we finally had some time alone. The DJ changed the track. This time, it was some bubbling Latin beat, just what I needed. MJ felt the music well and easily transitioned to smoother, closer movements. Very close.
Mary Jane pressed her back against me. She writhed so passionately. My sweaty palms roamed freely over her body. I was more turned on than I had ever been in my life. I thought I could hear her heart pounding wildly, even through the noise of the dance floor. Or was that my own heart? This was some kind of trance.
Suddenly, the music stopped, and the dancers slowed down. The room fell into silence and semi darkness. I caught MJ's glazed over gaze. Slowly, the haze of arousal faded from her eyes. Embarrassment appeared on her face. She looked away, not knowing what to do in this situation. Seeing her like that, I felt an unprecedented surge of joy in my chest. She was so innocent and so sexy at the same time.
"Mary Jane," I called to her softly.
She lifted her head to look me in the eyes again. I leaned in carefully and kissed her. With my right hand, I ran my fingers through her hair. With my left, I pulled MJ toward me. My hand was just an inch from ecstasy and ruin. I was simply happy in that moment, my mind empty of thoughts.
She was so inexperienced. She just froze, afraid to breathe, not daring to move. But this was one of the best kisses of my life. It was exactly as it should be.
Finally, the lights came up. Mary Jane flinched and pulled away from me, as if afraid of being caught. I had never known this side of MJ. The woman I had once married wouldn't have hesitated to show our intimacy to everyone around us. That was because I had waited so long. My first love had gone from being a carefree girl to a mature, experienced woman. I loved her that way too, but there was sadness in my heart. I regretted the lost time. This time, things would be different.
"Let's go to the bar," I suggested, and MJ agreed.
In the noisy crowd we had to push through to get to the bar, Osborn and flash were nowhere to be seen. I held the flushed MJ tightly against me.
People were staring at us with their mouths open. Two androgynous lesbians looked at Mary Jane with envy in their eyes. But they quickly looked away when our eyes met. Oh, how touching. One girl was trying to act butch, the other was trying to act feminine, but they looked exactly alike. Apparently, they were ready to move in together and had only come here to pretend to flirt with each other. Was it really so hard for a girl to find a man in this world that she had to resort to such tricks?
The bartender gave me a sly squint and offered me another cocktail. But I ordered sparkling water. I hadn't come here to get drunk. The girl just smirked condescendingly. MJ followed my example. She had never liked alcohol. Most children of alcoholic fathers didn't. I hadn't seen her parents in this world, but I suspected MJ's childhood hadn't been the easiest.
After taking a break, we went looking for Thompson and Osborn. That was MJ's idea. Apparently, she was just buying time to collect herself. The two of them weren't on the main dance floor or the back one.
"Maybe they went out for some fresh air," I hinted that the couple, wherever they were, didn't want to be found. MJ didn't seem to get it.
"Yeah, it's stuffy in here. Let's go outside."
"If you want." We crossed the back dance floor and went out into the courtyard. But there were still a lot of people, and our lovebirds were nowhere in sight. Mary Jane headed toward the other end of the yard.
"Maybe we should just stand here or go back to the dance floor," I suggested. If they were back there, they probably wouldn't appreciate our company. But the girl didn't listen. Was she really so curious about what those two were up to, or was she just afraid of continuing our kiss?
When we reached the trashy, not particularly pleasant smelling back courtyard, it seemed empty at first. But as soon as MJ stepped out of the bottleneck leading from the main yard, she stopped, then recoiled right back into my arms.
"Oh, you found them. Congratulations. Now what are you going to do?" I chuckled to myself.
Thompson had Osborn pinned against the wall of the back dance floor and was kissing him passionately. She was practically licking him. Her hands were groping him through his fly. I really wish I hadn't heard him moaning.
Before they noticed us, I pulled MJ to the other side of the entrance. Wow. Dirt, crunchy beer cans, and used condoms underfoot. This place was totally in the spirit of the Flash Thompson I used to know. If Audrey had chosen places like this before to grope and try to fuck Osborn, it was no wonder that such a decent guy like Harry hadn't let her get to home base yet. And I was afraid that joke wasn't too far from the truth. What a crazy world.
So what now, MJ? Are we going to stand here listening to Thompson's heavy breathing and Osborn's moans, or are we going to risk slipping back into the courtyard through the illuminated area? I leaned close to the frozen girl's ear and whispered.
"Is this what you wanted to see?"
She flinched and turned to me.
"No, I..." MJ fell silent, not knowing what to say. Then, gathering her courage, she looked me in the eyes.
She put her hand on my chest, pressed her whole body against me, stood on her tiptoes, and hesitantly tried to kiss me. We could have kissed just as easily on the dance floor or in the clean courtyard. Oh, MJ. I returned the kiss. This time, Mary Jane wanted to take the initiative. She even tried to use her sharp tongue. But out of inexperience, she bumped her teeth against mine a few times.
We pulled apart, and I gave the uncertain girl an encouraging smile. I remembered how scary it was the first time. How scary it was to be rejected. I felt her hesitant touch on my pants.
"May I?" MJ asked, barely audible. She was trembling with excitement.
This was wrong. All wrong. I was starting to understand Osborn. I didn't want to do this in some dark alley surrounded by beer cans and other garbage. But I could see that it had taken all of MJ's courage to take this step. I didn't want to push her away now. Besides, I doubted she would go too far.
Instead of answering, I smirked and kissed MJ. Much rougher and more demanding than before. Like an adult. With passion, tongue, and biting her lips. Not expecting such pressure, the girl moaned into my mouth and closed her eyes, surrendering to the kiss. She didn't get scared. She grew bolder, fumbling for my belt buckle and wrestling with my stubborn zipper.
She finally got my pants open. She freed my soldier and began stroking it without stopping the kiss. Soon, she ran out of air. We pulled back slightly. She was breathing heavily. Finally, thanks to the scent of her perfume, I stopped smelling the stench of this place. She looked down at my erect cock. Well, erect was too strong a word. Hey, weren't you bigger in your past life? What the hell... although, I was sixteen again. I didn't remember when I had reached my usual size. Wait a minute, it wasn't because of the spider bite. Damn, I didn't remember if gaining superpowers had affected that. At the time, I was only cheating on my right hand with my left, and the girls weren't picky about size. At least Mary Jane didn't look disappointed. She finally looked away from my magnificent teenage dignity and met my eyes.
"Do you like it?" Her voice sounded much more confident than before.
"Honestly?" MJ nodded. "I'm not a fan of hand jobs."
Mary Jane looked at me blankly.
"Oh... what... what would you like me to do?" Her confidence had diminished.
The Mary Jane I knew had always preferred to say what she wanted directly. She expected the same from me. She got annoyed when I tried to hint at things. But she got much more turned on by dirty talk. Should I be gentle now? This MJ was still a girl.
I leaned to her ear and whispered.
"You brought me to this place. You took my cock in your hand. And now you're asking what I want you to do?" Mary Jane held her breath for a few seconds, then nodded. Good reaction, I smiled to myself.
"I want you," I said, slowly enunciating each word, "to suck me off."