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I was in a bit of a predicament. For once, it wasn’t anything hero related. But, that didn’t make things any easier. If anything, it might have made things more complicated.
At school, before an Academic Decathlon Team meeting, MJ announced that the team was going to do Secret Santa. I… had some reservations about it. It was no secret that I wasn’t exactly in the best financial situation. I was put at ease when MJ encouraged everyone to not spend more than twenty bucks for the gifts. Then we drew names. I was hoping I’d draw MJ or Ned – the former because I had a crush on her and the latter because it would have been easy. But, I didn’t get either of them.
I got Flash.
Flash and I weren’t exactly friends. Actually, we weren’t friends at all. I was often the butt of his jokes, and it really grinded my gears whenever he made fun of the fact that I wasn’t that well off money-wise or claimed that Spider-Man was his best friend. For different reasons, there wasn’t much I could do about either one.
So, as I stood on the roof of The Flatiron Building, looking out towards the city, I thought about what I should do. If I did get Flash a gift, he’d probably make some snide comment about it. If I didn’t, though, I’d be the jerk. People would understand if I didn’t get Flash a gift, I figured. And yet, the more I considered that last option, the more I felt awful about it.
“Why am I like this?” I said to myself. I frowned underneath my mask. “Hey, Karen, can you do me a favor and call up Michelle Jones?”
“Calling her now,” the AI replied in the speakers in my mask. The line rang twice before MJ picked up.
“Hey Loser,” MJ said from the other side of the line.
“Hey MJ,” I greeted back. “…Um, can I come over?”
“Sorry, Peter, but booty calls must be made at least one hour prior to my bedtime.”
“…MJ.”
“Yes, Peter?”
“I hate you.”
“You love me, Loser.” She then became serious. “But, for real, is everything okay? You didn’t get hurt or anything, did you?”
“No, it’s been a quiet night. I… I need some advice. It’s about Secret Santa. Something’s been eating at me and… I could use a second opinion.”
“I see.” She paused for a moment. “I’ll meet you on the roof of my building. Can you grab some cocoa along the way? It’s rather cold outside.”
“I got you.”
It took me a half hour to get there. Finding a place that served hot cocoa to go was easy. Webslinging while carrying the hot cocoa, however, was a feat. I was afraid the drinks would be cold once I reached MJ. But as I gingerly landed on the roof, the drinks still felt very warm in my arm. I walked over towards MJ, who was standing next to the door to the stairwell, leaning against the wall.”
“You ever considered being a delivery boy for a food spot?” MJ asked. “The way you swing through the city would cut down on wait times.”
“I thought about it once,” I answered. “But carrying food while webslinging is a pain and a half.” I handed her one of the cups of cocoa. “I tried taking home a pizza that way. It was not intact by the end of the trip.”
“A shame.” MJ peeled back part of the lid and took a sip. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I moved next to her and leaned against the wall. I lifted up my mask, leaving just my mouth exposed before I took a sip. We remained there for a while, just drinking cocoa in a comfortable silence. Once we were done, MJ spoke up.
“So what’s on your mind?”
I looked towards her. “…I got Flash for Secret Santa.”
MJ looked at me with a neutral expression. “I see.”
“I… I don’t know what to do.”
“You’re having trouble trying to figure what to get him?”
“It’s not so much as what to get him as it is that… I don’t want to get him anything.”
MJ stood up from the wall and moved in front of me as she glared at me. “Peter, you’re not backing out of this,” she said sternly.
“I’m not,” I said. “But… I’ve been tempted to.”
MJ frowned. “Flash gets to you that much?”
“…He does. It’s like…” I paused for a moment. “…I don’t like it whenever he brings up my financial situation as a joke, and it’s not just because of me. I…” I paused again trying to find the right words. “I lost my parents when I was way younger and lost my uncle my freshman year. Because of that, my aunt had to take on a lot. It was just her raising, and she went out of her way for me, like taking extra shifts at work so I could see a therapist or saving me extra money so I could actually go one some of the school trips. So, whenever Flash makes fun of me for not having a lot, it’s like he’s saying that what my aunt is doing for me is not good enough. Because of that, I don’t really want to get him anything, but I feel horrible for thinking of doing that because I know it wouldn’t be right.”
MJ didn’t say anything for some seconds. She then nodded slowly. “I get that.” She pressed her lips together for a moment. “…I’m going to let you in on something. What I tell you stays between us. You got it?” I nodded. “The reason I did the whole Secret Santa thing is because some of the people on the team aren’t exactly expecting a happy holiday season. Flash is one of them. Both of his folks are out of town on business trips and won’t be back in time for Christmas. From what I understand, that seemed to be the case for a long while. It’s a huge reason Flash is able to host parties at his house without his parents finding out. On the inside, he’s hurting.” She frowned. “I’m not saying that it justifies how he treats you… and I apologize for not speaking up when it happens around you –” I opened my mouth to say something. “– and don’t you dare say ‘it’s okay’, because it’s not. That being said, that’s his situation is. Also, you’re kind of not totally innocent in this either.”
I stood up from the wall. “What do you mean?” I asked incredulously.
“Peter, you have to understand something,” MJ said calmly. “In the eyes of a lot of people, you’re a flake and not exactly dependable. May, Ned, I, and the others in the know understand your reasons for not always being present or on time. But to those who don’t know that you’re Spider-Man, you’re unreliable. And in Flash’s point of view, he’s right about you – the fact that you’re still in high favor with the team despite being quite the flake while he’s disliked by others is a bit disheartening.”
I wanted to say something. I really did. But I had nothing. Instead, I bowed my head as I leaned back in the wall. “You’re right,” I finally whispered out. I then felt something on my shoulder. I looked to my left to see MJ’s hand on it. I looked at her. She was smiling at me.
“I’m not trying to chastise you, Loser,” she assured. “I’m just trying put some things into perspective, you know?”
I nodded. “I get that.” I sighed. “I guess I’ll go think about what to get Flash.”
“Don’t overthink it.” MJ withdrew her hand as I stood up. “And get home safe, okay?”
“Will do MJ.” I turned away and brought my arm out. I then lowered my arm and looked back at her. “Hey… um… while I’m here… do you want to do something over the holidays, just the two of us?”
MJ narrowed her eyes. “Peter, are you choosing now of all times to ask me out on a date?”
I blinked a couple of times. “…That depends.”
She tilted her head. “On what?”
I smiled cheekily. “On if you say yes.”
MJ closed her eyes and took in a breath. She scoffed as she shook her head before she opened them and looked at me. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
I smiled. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes, Loser, it is. Now get out of here before I change my mind.”
“Yes ma’am!”
Over the next few days, I thought about what to get Flash. Nothing came to mind at first. But then Aunt May told me about wanting to host a pre-Christmas get-together and have Mr. Summers… Scott… over, along with Ned, MJ, Betty, Craig, Carmilla and Kitty. I was ecstatic about it. And then a lightbulb lit up in my head. I asked May if I could invite one more person.
The next day, I walked up to Flash while he was at his locker. Before he could even say anything, I practically jammed the small envelope into his chest.
“What the hell is this Parker?” Flash sneered as he grabbed the envelope and looked it over.
“Your Secret Santa gift,” I said. With that, I walked away.
“What makes you think I want anything from you?”
I stopped in my tracks. I closed my eyes and took in a breath. I then turned around and faced him.
“Different people go through the year dealing with things other people can’t or don’t understand. I like to think Christmas is the one time of year where we can all just put that to the side.” I nodded towards the envelope in his hand. “I did my part in Secret Santa. You can take the gift or don’t. That’s up to you.”
That Saturday night, everyone came over. Much to a lot of people’s surprise, Scott didn’t just come with Craig, Carmilla, and Kitty. He came with a rather tall woman named Joanna. MJ, Ned, and Betty came over as well. As Aunt May went back to cooking the food, everyone paired off. Craig and Carmilla was on the couch, talking among themselves. Kitty was sitting with Scott and Joanna on the sofa, asking a lot of questions, much to Scott’s chagrin and Joanna’s amusement. Meanwhile, Betty and Ned were talking in a corner, drinking Cokes as they did so. As everyone else was in the living room, MJ and I stepped out onto the fire escape and talked.
“I invited him,” I told her in the middle of our conversation.
“Here?” MJ asked as she raised her eyebrows in surprise. I nodded. “…Wow, that’s… pretty big of you.”
“I wouldn’t have done so without you… and Aunt May.” I smiled slightly. “Think he’ll come?”
“We’ll see.” She nudged my shoulder with hers. “The only thing we can do now is wait.”
Eventually, we all sat down at the table as May and Scott set it. As I sat next to MJ, Craig gave me a knowing smirk. I felt my face heat up a bit as I averted my gaze. Fortunately, I was given an excuse to get up when there was knocking on the door.
“I got it.” I got up and made my way to the door, ignoring the snickering I heard from Ned. I looked through the peephole. I grimaced and started whispering to myself. “He’s a guest, Peter. He’s a guest.” With that, I opened the door and looked at the person beyond the threshold. “Hey, you made it.”
Flash looked at me with a neutral expression. In his hands was a large Tupperware container.
“Yeah, I did,” he said. He lifted the container slightly. “I brought tamales negros.” I smiled before I stepped aside.
“Come in. Leave your shoes by the door.”
I looked over at the table. All of them looked a bit surprised… except for MJ and Aunt May. May looked at me with a proud smile while MJ gave me a knowing wink. My face warmed up a bit as I closed the door behind Flash.
“You must be Flash,” May said as she walked up to him. “I’ll take these.” After taking the tamales from him, she smiled. “I’ll get a spot ready for you at the table. If you want, you can wash your hands at the kitchen sink.”
Flash nodded. “Thank you.” He then looked back at me with a neutral expression. After a moment, he nodded. I nodded back at him. He gave me a small, brief smile before he made his way to the kitchen. I made my way back to the table. As I sat down, Scott cleared his throat.
“Let’s keep outside business outside,” Scott declared. I knew what he really meant – no superhero talk.
“Fine by me,” May said as she grabbed another chair.
“So, who’s saying Grace?” Betty asked.
“I got it,” Craig volunteered as Kitty raised her hand.
“Why can’t I do it?” Kitty protested.
“Because we’re not trying to wait 100 years for you to be done,” Carmilla deadpanned, causing Kitty to glare at her.
“I can do it,” Flash offered as he walked back in. “…If no one minds, that is.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” May encouraged.
“Just as long as someone does it,” Ned added. “I’m starving.”
As Flash took his seat, we all bowed are head. Before we prayed, I couldn’t help but think to myself…
Maybe Flash isn’t so bad, after all.