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“Peter!” Ned calls out from his modest living room. “Johnny’s texting you.”
“He’s so clingy,” MJ scoffs. “All day every day, it’s Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.”
“Are you jealous?”
“What? No!” MJ says. “Of course not. It’s just… give him a moment to like breathe.”
“That does sound like you’re jealous,” Peter tries to tease but it still feels awkward. “Sorry,” he adds quickly when she glares at him. “They don’t have phones like this where he’s from. He likes tech, it’s exciting for him.”
“He’s easily excited.”
“It’s young love,” Ned says dreamily.
“Woah,” Peter says, putting his hands up defensively. “Let’s not jump the gun here, man.”
“You don’t think he’s in love with you?” Ned poses the question like it’s the most ridiculous thing Peter’s ever said.
It’s not! It’s a very reasonable deduction. “We’ve been going out for like two months. I think it's too early to be anything. We’re not even officially… like y’know.” And he wanted so badly to be official.
“Boyfriends?” Ned asks and Peter nods. “You spend every moment together.”
“We’re not together now.”
“What would you be doing right now if we weren’t here?” MJ asks.
Peter shrugs. “Probably roaming the streets.” All three of them cringe at the sound of that. “Saving lives.”
“And he’d be flying around, waiting for you to save him again from something,” MJ glances down at his phone on the coffee table. “I don’t know,” MJ says. “He’s double texting.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Peter tries to move subtly, not show any of the giddiness that has overtaken his body. “With either of those things? I save people all the time.”
“He gets in harm’s way only so you can save him.”
“That’s not true at all.”
Twice it’s happened. And the first one had taken Johnny by surprise. His universe doesn’t have wannabe influencers who livestream themselves committing crimes to gain followers. Today, which was the second time Peter has had to save Johnny, admittedly, he had been a little too eager to have Peter use his super strength to carry him. Finally, with his phone in hand, he looks down at the now five texts from Johnny.
Johnny:
Hi Peter
What are you up to right now?
I’m lying in bed.
Thinking about how you saved the day.
How strong you are.
Frowning, Peter responds:
Going out with Ned and MJ.
I told you
I think
Did I forget? Wait why?
Johnny:
Discovered a fascinating use for these things.
“What’s Romeo saying?” MJ asks.
Peter shakes his head slightly, uncertain how to answer. “I think he’s just bored or something.”
“How can he not be when Spider-Man isn’t tending to his every whim.”
“You say you’re not jealous but then you keep talking like this and it’s really hard for people to believe you,” Ned says, sipping on his pre-game drink.
Peter pointedly nods in Ned’s direction.
“I am not jealous,” she repeats, glaring at Ned. “He just… talks a lot. I never trust people that are that hyper. Or that always have something to say.”
“Okay, yeah, he gets excited easily, but…” Peter looks down at his phone again. “I like that.”
Peter:
What use?
“Yeah, MJ, he spent like four years alone and depressed. He needs someone who’s hyper.”
“I wasn’t depressed…”
“You were.”
“Very depressed.”
“And lonely.”
“Oh yeah, like super lonely.”
“I get it, jeez,” Peter says, awaiting his response from Johnny.
Johnny:
Bob told me really.
And then a photo comes through and Peter feels his eyes bulge out of his skull. Johnny in a fogged up bathroom mirror, surrounded by steam. Shirtless, fully naked probably, so obviously flexing that if Peter wasn’t so down bad for him, he would’ve probably laughed at it. But as it turns out, he is actually really, really attracted to him. Johnny’s smooth chest glistening wet from his shower, flexing a nice bicep. The photo cuts off right at the abdomen where he can see a very thin sprinkling of blond hair disappearing below the frame, he blinks rapidly.
Johnny:
I can see you blushing.
He was not blushing.
“Are you blushing?” MJ asks.
“No!” Peter almost chokes on the word.
“What did he send to have you blushing?” Ned asks.
“I’m not blushing.”
Johnny:
There’s more by the way.
Peter gulps. That’s not safe. Johnny should not be doing that. Bob should have not told him about it.
“Did he send you something sexy?” Ned’s laughing and Peter tries to feign a laugh too but it comes out strained and so pathetically fake. “Oh my god!”
Johnny:
Did a whole photoshoot.
Usually I have a team of people who does it.
But these are just for you.
“Oh my god,” Peter mumbles to himself.
He could send off Ned and MJ. It probably wouldn’t even be that difficult to hack Johnny’s phone and print out everything to frame on his walls. No! That’s weird. Creepy. Insane. And nothing he hasn’t actually seen before. There was one part he was yet to really see but he’s felt it against himself, in his hand that one time. And sure he actually really wanted to see it but it was a lot to ask of someone who had spent four years celibate and isolated. And Johnny was from a different time where things like that weren’t just jumped to on the first date.
“Did he send you a nude?” Ned breaks him out of his spiraling thoughts.
“No!”
“Oh my god!”
“Oh my god,” MJ sighs. “That’s disgusting.”
“Let me see!”
“No,” Peter scrunches up his face, clutching the phone to his chest.
“So it is nudes.”
“It’s not-” Peter tries. “It’s nothing inappropriate, I promise you,” he says slower.
“Then why are you blushing?” MJ asks.
“Because you’re grilling me on personal stuff,” Peter counters. “And I’m not blushing, it’s just warm.”
Johnny:
Did all the blood drain from your brain, webs?
Can’t send a simple “oh my god Johnny you’re the hottest man I’ve ever seen?”
Peter:
I’m with my friends you dick
Johnny:
Can’t have a hard on around them
Peter:
It takes more than that
Johnny:
You are greedy.
“Stop sexting,” MJ says.
“I’m not!” That was the opposite of what he’s trying to do. Why can’t she understand he’s trying to stop it from happening. Not because he doesn’t want it. It’s the thing he suddenly wants more than anything in the world.
Johnny:
But I do like a challenge.
Peter:
Don’t
Johnny:
Or what?
Peter:
I’ll tell Ben about that dream you had.
Johnny:
You wouldn’t dare!
With a chuckle Peter responds:
Try me.
Johnny:
Well then I’ll just have a good time all on my own.
You won’t get to see any of it.
No matter how much you want to.
“Are we done?” MJ asks when Peter pockets his phone, eyes probably a little glazed over because he actually really wants to see all of it. Could be persuaded to gravel or beg if need be. Shaking his head, he decides that they are going to have a good time. MJ and Ned and him. Like old times just with some alcohol involved. And if Peter thinks about the fact that Johnny is on the other side of the city touching himself the whole entire night, no one needs to know.
“Sorry,” Peter says. “I think I do have feelings for him.”
A little later while they’re waiting for Ned to buy his last liquid fuel outside of a bodega, MJ turns to him.
“I really am not jealous of your boyfriend,” she says. “Sometimes, it’s hard to deal with people that are so happy all the time.”
“Like what are they hiding, right?”
“Exactly.” She nods, knowing that it’s something he’s heard before from a time before she knew him. “And he’s kinda annoying.”
“He’s very annoying.” Peter laughs.
“But you have feelings for him.”
“I do yeah.” Peter nods.
“That’s good,” MJ says. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
The phone vibrates in his hand and it’s another text.
Johnny:
Thinking about you 😉
Hopefully he was good at whatever Johnny was imagining him doing. And that thought didn’t disgust him at all. It was all Peter was able to think about since leaving the apartment.