Us Against The World ｡ Peter Parker [2]

2 - With Friends Like These

It was a sunny Saturday and the clouds had shifted briefly within the sky which overlooked the city. Which meant every free New Yorker had grabbed their scarfs and coats and ventured out into the late winter day. My small circle of friends had not been the only young teenagers milling around Central Park that day. Mary Jane had brought out her old ratty picnic blanket, spreading it across the dry grass and Gwen Stacy had made us a light lunch of finger sandwiches and a plate of mixed fruit. I had convinced my mum to make her special hot chocolate, which I had pulled out with a grin which actually reached my eyes. With the warm sunlight dousing over the city, the three of us sat back on our hands and laughed about old times.

"Do you remember when Pete was eight," Mary Jane was saying, picking at the fruit as the light wind blew her red hair around her pretty face. "And the three of us had spent the night at mine, remember? It was the time he broke his collarbone by swinging off the fire escape."

Gwen burst out laughing, clapping her hands together. "Yes, he was trying not to cry but we could all see the tears in his eyes. His glasses had smashed into pieces and little Florence had paid Colton to actually fix them. Who knew your brother was so handy."

"Colton didn't fix those glasses," I shook my head, letting the hot chocolate warm my hands. I remembered that day, it was a time before I had hated Peter Parker for showing me up at that science fair when we were ten. "He had gone to the mall and bought new ones. He just made it seem that way so he could be the hero in that story. My brother was much too clever and fooled us that day."

Both my friends gapped at me for a long moment and I suddenly felt bad for ruining an old memory about my brother for them. As eight year olds we believed everything my older brother used to tell us and well, that day we believed he had been a hero because he had fixed Peter's glasses. "Colton just paid for new ones?" Gwen faked a gasp. "That little liar."

Mary Jane gave a little laugh, "That was the day I realised I was utterly in love with your brother and it was based on a lie." She pegged a grape at me playfully, "That's for letting me believe he was so handy, and this--" Another grape came flying at my face and I swatted it away with a little giggle. "Is for letting me fall crazily in love with Colton when I was only eight."

I had known Mary Jane had been a little in love with my brother, what best friend didn't somewhat want to marry your older brother? She used to laugh about marrying him so we could actually be related. Her love obsession had faded over the years as we all grew up but when he had died, I saw the pain in her eyes and realised maybe that old flame wasn't quite dead. Not that any of that mattered now. "Why type of friend would I be if I didn't secretly want one of you to be in love with him? Remember we all wanted to be sisters through marriage."

"Who needs friends when we could all be sisters." Gwen cried out as she clapped her hands again wildly, reciting something we all used to say when we were eight years old and discussed who we wanted to marry.

We all burst out into a fit of laugher and the sound echoed through the park, even sending a few strange glances from onlookers in our direction. This was the sort of day I needed after last night, a day full of laughter and friendship.

"Why all the laughter?" A new voice sounded and I twisted around on the picnic blanket to spot Harry Osborn and Peter Parker heading in our direction. They were bundled up in thick jackets, a beanie even pulled over Harry's temples. "You're not laughing about me, are you?" Harry asked out loud when they reached us.

Harry bent down, dropping a kiss to Mary Jane's lips before taking his seat next to her and holding out a brown bag. I caught a quick sight of cupcakes inside before Peter was snaking into the free spot next to me, giving me a small smile. "We're always laughing about you, Osborn." Gwen sent Harry a devilish grin as she popped a grape into her mouth.

"Are you cold?" Pete asked quietly, running his gloved fingers against my cheek lightly. I placed a hand over my cheek, feeling my skin grow a little cold. I could only imagined how red and blotchy my skin looked now. Before I could even protest, Peter was yanking a blanket from his backpack and flopping it over my crossed legs and his own.

Gwen was watching us, blowing air into her cheeks as she hummed a song under her breath. I sent Peter a smile, "Who knew you were so caring?" I asked quietly, making light fun of his sense to always be worrying in the nicest way possible.

"I did, yes." Harry piped up, listening to our conversation.

Without the smile dropping from my lips I sent him a look, cocking up one eyebrow as I spotted him cuddled up next to Mary Jane, the two of them looking remarkably lovely dovey. It was Gwen that rolled her eyes, pulling her scarf around her neck a little tighter as a breeze rushed through the park. "Why am I suddenly the third wheel? If I knew we were bringing our boyfriends, I would have dragged Flash to show you both up. He's very committed to keeping me warm, if you must know."

"We did not need to know, no." Mary Jane giggled out as Harry groaned loudly, ignoring Gwen's comment about tagging along with two couples. "In lighter news, Florence has good news. She's gotten an interview for an internship."

The group fell quiet and it was Peter who opened his mouth to question what my redhead friend was talking about. I hadn't told anyone because I wasn't sure I would even get through to the second round of the application process. "I didn't know you were applying for internships." He sounded a little offended that I hadn't brought it up with him.

"I didn't think it was a big deal," I shrugged, playing with a thread from the blanket. I didn't like how the group was staring at me, demanding answers. I knew they could all see the dark bags under my eyes from my lack of sleep and I knew they all worried in different ways. "Plus I just found out yesterday night."

Harry frowned, "Where's this internship at? I heard there's an opening in that law office in Hell's Kitchen, some secretary opening. I could see you taking phone calls and shifting through legal documents. Miss Florence, please fetch me the Mason hearing papers." Mary Jane gave her boyfriend a quick jolt in the ribs with his mocking tone.

"It's actually at The Avengers Tower," I mumbled out quietly. "Well, not really with The Avengers though, more like an internship with Tony Stark. Something about a new program directed at young students wanting extra college credits. I thought it would look good for my college applications."

Another silence fell and I shifted my gaze around my close circle of friends, each a little stiff with the announcement. "I think it's great." Mary Jane piped up, giving me a big grin which I was very thankful for.

My smile faltered a little when my eyes took in Peter sitting next to me, his eyes still staring across at me. I wiggled in my seat, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. "What do you think about it all, Pete? Do you think I've got a chance?"

"Uh, well--" He was stumbling his words, something that I thought had passed within our relationship, apparently I had been wrong. "It's a surprise, sure. A really great opportunity too, Flo. I'm really happy for you." His words sounded very sincere but I couldn't help but feel like he wasn't saying something.

I edged closer to him, my voice dropping as Harry thankfully started up a new conversation with the girls, maybe knowing I needed a moment with Peter without the three of them looming. "What's really going on in that head of yours? You can tell me anything, remember?"

Peter's hand took my hand, warm and sweet. "I think it's a great opportunity and you would be crazy not to go for it, Florence." He started softly. "Just...don't over do it, yeah? With the insomnia thing, I don't want your running yourself too thin."

He was always worrying, a burden he did not need to carry with me. He already took so much of the world's weight on his shoulders and I didn't need to lug my own burdens with that heavy load. "I'm alright, don't worry." I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his quickly, wishing and hoping, my words ran truer than they sounded coming from my lips that day.