Peter Parker's photography class was currently occupied by every student. There was no one late, or absent, and everyone looked genuinely enthused to begin the day. Especially Debra Whitman, who looked a bit too enthused in Mary Jane Watson's opinion.

There was one person who wasn't in the room at the moment, and that was the teacher himself. The bell rang, and shortly after, a dwarfish black man waddled in, a cup of coffee in one hand, a bag of greasy food in the other. Tucked under his chin, were the folders that no doubt contained the instructions that Peter had left for the substitute.

"Hello." He said apathetically. He didn't bother to introduce himself, or write his name on the board. He pulled his laptop from his bag and logged on to the Daily Bugle's website, projecting it on the screen beside the chalkboard. "Mr. Parker left me explicit instructions for us to watch the live newsfeed on the Daily Bugle's website. He didn't tell me why, but I'm sure he told you."

The class all mumbled in vague agreement, even though they new of no such web feed, or that they were instructed to watch it.

"Now, let's see what's on the news." He clicked on the video thumbnail, and a live feed of some area of the city began. For a few moments the class watched on in apathetic silence, then a giant grey man with a horn jutting from his head rolled into frame. He landed hard on the road, cracking the pavement.

The majority of the class jumped in shock.

Then, a dark figure with a white spider on his chest and back leaped into frame, he landed on all fours. Mary Jane recognized him from the photo Peter had sent her. It was Spider-man.

"Bad Rhino! Bad!" Spider-man stood up, wagging a finger and laughing as the grey man pulled himself to his feet. He turned to the camera, and waved, as if he knew that someone was watching. His white eyes were smaller on this mask then they had been on his old costume, and he looked grimmer. More mysterious.

Sexier, MJ thought to herself.

"I'm.. I'm gonna kill you, Bug." The Rhino staggered slightly, then charged at Spider-man, lifting him up and pushing him past the camera.

Loud noises and general cacophony blared from the substitutes laptop for several minutes, but the feed remained an unbroken image of the city streets. Then, the pained scream of a young man made MJ's spine shiver.

"That hurt, you jerk!" Spider-man yelled sarcastically, though his voice actually held a large amount of pain. He grunted, and the Rhino yelled as he was thrown back into frame. He again landed hard, tearing a new crater into the ground.

Spider-man crept back into the camera's view, his suit torn almost to shreds, his body bloodied and bruised.

"Man, this is a new costume!" Spider-man's fist clenched as he stalked slowly toward the disoriented Rhino. He grabbed the massive grey man under the arms, and hoisted him high into the air, "Can you pay for this costume? I sure as hell can't."

With that, he thrust the Rhino downward, sending his huge legs straight into the asphalt of the road. The ground broke underneath him, and Spidey shoved him all the way down, until only his head stuck out from the hole.

"Have fun in prison." Spider-man shot a web line, and pulled himself up and out of frame. The feed faded away.

"Well that was interesting." The substitute said. Mary Jane asked to go to the bathroom, and left school.

Mary Jane Watson knocked politely on the door of May Parker's quaint house, and then she did it again but less politely.

"Hang on a second!" Peter's voice boomed from inside the house. MJ did as she was told. Exactly a second later, a soaking wet Peter Parker opened the door, a black bathrobe covered him, and he looked, frankly speaking, like hell.

"Hey, Peter..."

"Mary Jane..." Peter coughed once, then again, but the second one sounded fake, rehearsed almost. MJ noticed.

"Where were you today?"

"Sick." Peter said, bluntly, "You wanna come in?"

"Won't you get me sick?"

"I'm not contagious."

"How do you know?"

"I'm a scientist Mary Jane, I know these things." Peter said, smiling slightly. It took MJ a while to realize that he had been trying to be funny, she chuckled, "But please, come inside."

"I really shouldn't."

"I insist... wait a minute, what time is it?" Peter dug his cell out of his bathrobe pocket, and stared at the time, smiling, "Shouldn't you still be in school?"

"Frankly, Mr. Parker, I don't think that's any of your business."

"You should still be in my class right now, I think that makes it my business... come inside, please," There was something about his smile in that instant, that was irresistible to MJ, "I won't tell anyone you skipped."

They looked at each other for a moment, not a word exchanged between them. Peter opened the door even wider, and Mary Jane walked inside.

"Seriously though," Peter began as he led MJ to the living room, "You'd have to, like, uh, kiss me or something to catch my, uh, flu."

He was flustered, but not from the flu.

"Really?" MJ asked, almost daring him with her tone.

Peter coughed again, "Well. Yeah. I guess."

"You know I could use a few days out of school-"

"Huh?"

"-And if you got me sick I'd have an excuse for being home from school today." She was inches from his face.

"Uh." Peter was blushing furiously.

"But... you aren't really sick, are you."

"I. Well, I. Know. I'm not." He admitted, dejectedly.

"So?"

"So what?" He asked, honestly confused.

"Show me the pictures!"

"They aren't uh...," he hesitated, "developed yet."

"You still shoot on film?"

Peter found himself delving deeper and deeper into photo-nerdom, "Less compression that way... and to be honest I love the developing prrocess."

MJ blinked at him, and Peter worried he went over her head.

"Yeah, me too." She finally said.

"What? Really?"

"My Uncle used to own a photography studio, I loved the dark room with the red lights and the water, it was like a whole other world."

"Mary Jane?"

"Yes?" She answered him.

"You are one special lady." Peter said un-shyly, taking MJ off guard.

"Thanks Peter." Mary Jane surprised herself as she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"Mary Jane, if you really want, I can show you the photographs-"

"Yes please."

"-at dinner saturday night." Peter finished, no trace of nervousness in his voice.

For the first time in her life, Mary Jane Watson was flustered, "Why, Mr. Parker, what has gotten into you?"

"Well this is the first time I've had a beautiful woman in my house," MJ looked away shyly, "And I'm in a robe, we're practically married already."

'So, Y do u like Spidey so much?' MJ stared at Peter's perfectly punctuated and poorly spelled test. Despite the boy's attempt to be hip, his educational background still shone through in his typing.

She looked up from her phone to take a five dollars in ones from the sweaty man in front of her.

"Thank you," She said handing him back his change. She thought about saying 'come again', then thought better of it, "Have a nice day."

"You too." The sweaty guy replied in a gruff voice.

MJ mustered a smile as he walked away, then turned back to her phone.

"Who you texting, Janey?"

"Oh, just Professor Parker." MJ said, winking at her friend.

Liz smirked, "Ohhhh, hot for teacher are we?"

"Oh, oh, oh yes."

"What happened MJ, did his rugged Dr. Jones appeal get to you? Or was there a Police thing going on?" Liz said, surprising Mary Jane with her pop culture references.

"I didn't know you were so well educated Liz!"

Liz winked, "There are a lot of things you don't know about me!"

"Like?"

"Like that me and Mr. Parker are having our own secret affair." Liz said dramatically.

"The same Mr. Parker you helped Flash cover in pig's blood at homecoming?"

Liz faked a laugh, "Very funny, it was just glitter!"

"Yeah, knowing your luck, Peter would have been a mutant and burned the school down with us inside." Something she said made Mary Jane's heart jump a little, and she didn't know why.

Liz, "Pete is too nice of a guy for that."

"You're right." MJ agreed, shaking off her pesky thoughts and replying to Peter.

'We have a special connection. It's like I've known him forever. I think he feels the same.' She quickly pressed the send button, feeling embarrassed at the hidden feelings she had revealed in a text. She shoved her phone in the pocket of her apron, dreading his response.

bzzzzzz

She smiled wide at his reply, 'I know what you mean.'

MJ pulled her fuzzy sweater tight around her as the New York breeze blew past her. It was getting dark, and Aunt Anna would be peeved at her for walking home alone, but Mary Jane knew that Liz's mom would be more mad, so she had to escort her friend home, leaving MJ to walk the next few blocks by her lonesome.

"Hey." She heard from behind her, but when she turned around there was no one there.

"H-hello?" She asked warily.

"Up here." She looked at the building next to her, and spotted a dark figure perched below a window sill.

"Spider-man."

"Care for a lift?" He offered her an outstretched hand, and she took it.

And he took her up to the sky.

"Can I tell you something?" Mary Jane asked, lying down on a roof somewhere in New York.

"Shoot." Spider-man said, propping himself up on his elbow next to her. She turned to face him, her eyes wet with fear.

Never being one to skirt around the problem, she bluntly said, "I think... I'm in love with you."

"Mary Jane... Parker told me about you, but apart from that, I don't really know you. You know?"

"Yeah..." MJ said, almost relieved, "Let's get to know each other then, okay?"

"Listen, I don't want to build you up for disappointment." Spider-man sprung to his feet and offered MJ his hand once again, "It isn't really right for a super hero to have a girlfriend."

"Yeah... I kind of figured that." She wrapped her arms around him as he leapt off the building, landing carefully on a fire escape across the street, "Hey, this is my mom's place!"

"Is it?"

"Yeah, I spent many a night out here," Sadness filled her eyes," She... she doesn't really have custody of me anymore though."

"I... I uh, see." Spider-man cleared his throat, "You want to uh-"

"No, that's okay. She'll be happy to see me and take me home."

"Oh okay, I'll leave you here then." He propped himself up on the edge of the fire escape, "Mary Jane?"

"Yes?"

"If I could have a girlfriend... I'd definitely pick you."

"Thanks Tiger." Mary Jane said honestly, winking as Spider-man swung away, his black suit blending in with the dark sky, "Crap."

She realized she had forgotten to ask about the change in wardrobe.