Who: Flash and MJ Where: College house party When: Recentlyish What: MJ and Flash go to a party and then shit gets real Warnings: Teens being stupid.
Flash stood outside of the Saint John’s frat house in full punk rock regalia. His head was shaved save for a messy, electric blue mohawk running down the middle of his head. The white shirt he was wearing was stained with dirt and ancient looking blood with OPERATION IVY written across the front. His pants, which admittedly weren’t as skinny as they could be, were black, torn and dressed in chains that looked like they were stolen from bike locks. His wrists and neck were decorated in dangerous looking spikes and leather and his feet were in large, black combat boots. As promised, he fit the punk rocker profile. The tough guy smirk that was always printed across his face seemed to fit perfectly into this new persona like he had been this way since he was born.
People passing by him to get into the party turned their heads, some of them slightly intrigued while others were downright disgusted. Flash loved that kind of attention. He fed off it. If someone ever asked him what made him cool, he’d tell them it was a mix of being the second toughest kid (thanks Peter) at school and honestly having zero interest in making people like him. What was the point in bending over backwards for people if they were going to make their minds up about you in seconds, anyway? It was better to leave an impression.
When he spotted that bounce of red hair heading towards him, Flash grinned opening his arms like his was showing off his new digs. “You like it? Some old punk must have died and donated all this shit to the Salvation Army, hah hah.”
Mary Jane needed to unwind, and the college party was the perfect opportunity to do so. Things with that Alter of hers Maddie Kate, she still wasn’t making it easy to communicate, a total source of frustration for the younger redhead. Was she responsible for fixing her problems? If they were going to share some headspace, it seemed like the only solution to prevent her from going really nuts. But, whatever, that wasn’t anything she’d focus on tonight, not if she could help it. Kegs and hot college guys would solve that problem for a little bit.
She strolled down the cement street which was already teeming with college students moseying to and from the party, and hoped Flash would be okay tonight. She wasn’t just worried about MK, after all, or Peter, but him too. After they broke up, she and Flash, they remained friends despite it all, and all he had said about Spider-Man and feeling hopeless, well, that didn’t sit right with her. She so wasn’t the only one who needed to get rid of some keyed up tension.
As she walked up, she didn’t recognize him at first, a little too shocked by the vision in front of her. Was this supposed to be a duo sort of thing? They were partners in crime when it came to busting into parties they didn’t belong, after all, but MJ hadn’t dressed the part of punk rock. Instead, she wore a little green dress, snug and short because her random growth spurt left her without many options. Not that she minded. She looked older, dressed so skimpily with dark eye make-up and bright red hair pinned back. The click of her heels wasn’t heard under the hubbub on the street, but her laugh was when Flash spoke. “Love it, actually,” she said, trying her best to keep a straight face. He still was handsome, at least, if totally ridiculous. “You win this one, handsome. I owe you a prize.”
Flash slung his arm around her shoulders and then gave a woaaah in surprise. “Little red, you’re all growed up!” He said like he was talking to a baby or maybe a pet cat. Part of being a dickhead was knowing what tones were most annoying. “I’m guessing a boob touch is out of the question, so how about you play wingman? If some girl is eyeing me, just act like you totally want to do me. Girls love what they think they can’t have.” He wasn’t wrong about that, especially when it came to high maintenance girls that liked to make duck faces into their cameras for their facebook profiles. Those girls were easy and everywhere, especially parties like this.
“Beer sound good to you? They probably water the shit down here but whatever I don’t want to get blitzed anyway.” Flash liked to drink as much as the next guy, but Adam’s constant fucking worrying about his girlfriend along with that occasional reminder that his dad was a drunk kept Flash from getting anywhere past tipsy these days. It was a new development, a strange one for a guy like him, but if he wanted his future to be different he had to start making changes now.
MJ rolled her eyes dramatically, scoffed equally so, and tried to shove him away with all her might. (Which, when compared to someone who played football, was nothing, not really.) “Shut up, jackass, at least I don’t look like I rolled out of a crappy 80s movie filmed at CBGB.” Shooting him a pointed look, she nodded at his comment. “No chance, I don’t do high school boys, not tonight,” she teased, though the sentiment was a little true. High school boys came with the baggage she’d never reveled in. “I can do wingwoman. If you promise not to cockblock me tonight. Okay?”
She shrugged. “Beer’s fine, unless some really hot guy wants to do some kamikazes with me out of those super awesome tubes. Then, I’m sorry, but I am not responsible for what I drink and where I drink it out of.” A mischievous smirk crawled up her lips. MK’s drinking was bad, she could figure that out even without talking to her, but that couldn’t stop her from having a little fun of her own, right? She was young and a senior in high school, so wasn’t this expected of her? Of both of them?
“No promises.” Flash grinned like the idea of punching some college guy was exactly the kind of medicine he needed. Maybe booze wasn’t a good outlet anymore, but violence was and even the doc couldn’t argue with that. Deep down, he knew Adam wished he was as strong as the vigilantes that he helped. He wished it was him out there saving redheads instead of his best friend. That was something they had in common. Flash grabbed a couple beers, handing one to her before pushing deeper into the party.
A college kid who probably thought he was a lot tougher than he looked made some comment about Flash’s hair, which earned a quick, dangerous jerk of his head back. “If you want to keep all your teeth, you should watch your fucking mouth.” Flash warned, wiggling his eyebrows like he was just waiting for someone to start a fight with him.
MJ tried to suppress a hard glare at that infuriating grin of Flash’s and managed to keep herself from pulling too much of a face. That was Flash -- saying and doing stupid things for shits and giggles, or to impress a girl, or look like the tough guy. Sometimes, it was okay, but MJ knew Flash was different than what he liked to show to the others. It was why she trusted him enough not to tell others about Peter’s new costumed hobby. She grabbed the beer, trailing behind him slightly to smile and smirk at people trying to vie for her attention. The music was loud, and the beer wasn’t the worst, enough that she drained half of the bottle while moving her way into the throes of the party, and she was going to have a good time. She deserved it.
Some guy grabbed her by the waist and pressed her close to him as their hips began to move to the beat of the music. Flash was a little further ahead, and MJ just caught the end of his threat to the other guy. She turned and caught his eye and raised her eyebrow. Clearly, in a look that said, don’t fuck this up already, Eugene. Pseudo-punk or not, he wasn’t gonna get them kicked out just then, unless he had another suitable replacement.
Flash made a shrugging motion towards the guy, who awkwardly laughed off his threat and went to talk to his other friends. They’d probably try to gang up on him later, with or without MJ around, but that was a problem to worry about after the party. “Hey little re-” Flash turned to see her already dancing with some other guy and remembered that they didn’t really come here together. It was more like they just both happened to want to crash the same party. If Parker was here, she’d stick with him. A sticky, black voice told Flash. “Doc?” Flash whispered quietly, hand over his mouth so no one could see him talking to himself. Not THIS time, Flash.
“The fuck.” Flash said a little louder, this time not bothering to put his hand over his mouth. Now the doc was stuttering something in the back of his head, but it sounded muddled like someone was trying to cover it up. He shrugged, reaching for the nearest girl and spinning her around. “Hey.” He said down to her, not being able to even feign interest beyond getting her attention. “Do you think they have a pool here?” The girl looked up at him and giggled, which as far as Flash was concerned, meant he could throw her over his shoulder like a caveman and carry her out the pool.
The doc, struggling to get words loose from the liquid black barrier between them, told Flash to stop. Why listen to him? This is fun. See if she wants to swim. And, that seemed a lot more fun than awkwardly standing around the dance floor.
Mary Jane felt like her look at made her point when he shrugged, and attention twisted back to the upperclassman pressed against her. He somehow procured shots while she was distracted, which she totally did not turn down, downing the strong liquid quickly with a shiver and goosebumps. She didn’t notice Flash freak out, too wrapped up in the guy’s hands on her body, but had she seen it, she would have just assume he was making a scene. Like how he made a scene with the girl right afterwards. MJ caught that one, if only because everyone caught that one. Shrieks and giggles and hooting got her to pull herself away, just a little bit, but enough to see Flash carting away a girl like some caveman.
Huffing a loud sigh, she disentangled herself from the upperclassman and rolled her eyes when he asked if that guy was her boyfriend. Yeah, right. But she did feel a quick sting of jealousy, which made her all the more upset as she pushed through the crowd beginning to follow Flash and his poor victim. “Flash!” she called over, trying to grab his attention. If he was going to be an asshole, did he have to be one when she was around? Ugh. Maybe she could stop him before he got them banned from the entire damn campus.
Throwing some girl in the pool was dude bro flirting 101. It not only gained him the attention he needed from everyone in the room, but it proved the age old theory that women love assholes. Because they totally did. After this girl was soaking wet, she’d pretend to be mad at him and then start making out with him once he got her a couple towels. End of story. Mary Jane could go right back to rubbing her crotch on dudes on the dance floor.
But, no. Here she came after him, pushing through the crowd like she was some kind of moral compass that didn’t believe in some harmless fun. And, this was harmless. Right? “What,” Flash turned around a little too fast, his heels on the pool’s edge. “You know what, Mary Jane? I-” He started, but the girl in his arms struggling made him lose his balance and fall over the edge after her. They hit the water hard and awkwardly, Flash’s hair already blotting out big blue splotches into the chlorine. When he came up for air he was laughing, but the girl was still underwater somewhere. He spun around in the water, intent on saving her, but saw that she came up for air on the other side of the pool with her friends.
Some other people drunkenly jumped in, as screaming and yelling echoed outside. “Hey!” Flash pulled himself to the edge and propped his arms up. “So, what do you think, MJ? Pretty good cry for attention or what?” He smirked at her.
MJ was ready for the argument. If he wanted to be a jerk, please, go ahead, she played this game, too. He wanted to make a scene? Sure. She could do that, too, and then run back to that really cute guy. But before he could snap at her, the two idiots hit the pool, causing her to gasp and rush towards the edge. He was fine though, and the other girl was as well, so MJ just crossed her arms in a show of mock-anger, even if she thought it was pretty funny.
As she saw his half-shaved head pop up and move to the edge, she stepped forward, tips of her shoes just dangling over. “You’re a fucking asshole, y’know,” she said with a smirk, hands on her hips and her head tilted. Pointing to his head, she then waved her hand to the pool where throngs of drunk college kids were jumping in around them. “You’re leaking.” His hair was losing the blue, which amused her greatly, and totally confirmed that she was right -- he couldn’t be punk if he tried. But, that was okay. She liked jock-Flash better.
“Eh, whatever.” That was directed to both his bleeding blue hair and her calling him an asshole. Both were true, both were his fault and both couldn’t really be stopped. In fact, he kind of liked it. There was power in being an asshole, even if it meant MJ would always keep reminding him of the price of acting that way.
Whatever was talking to him before seemed gone and the doc didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it, either. Whatever happened, it made him feel good. Like he didn’t have to think, like he was supposed to do whatever he felt like. That sentiment received a worried grumble from doc, but nothing more. Flash thought it over, removing MJ’s shoe and placing it next to her before going for the second one. “You’re getting into the pool with me.” He told her, going for the next shoe. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”
MJ shot him a look, a daring one with a smirk and a brow raise, when he went for her shoe. Arms found her hips again as she lifted her foot so he could pull the second one off. Causing trouble with Flash had become one of the bigger comforts in her life over the past few years. They were two peas in a pod, even more so now that he knew about her drunk dad and she knew about his. (Even though they both kinda suspected it for a while.)
“You think so, huh?” MJ egged him on with that warm, raspy voice she was always known for. The one that had boys tripping over themselves and girls wishing they could wrap people around their fingers like she could. “I think we’re gonna have to go with the hard way.” And, after wiggling her toes at him, she stepped just out of reach, enough that he would have to work for it.
Flash liked to think he was immune to charm, even from the princess of modern femininity herself, but that raspy tone was exactly what caught his attention when they were younger. Usually, girls were only as good as their popularity or looks, but Mary Jane was special. It was like she hid all her insecurities in a neat little box that no one else got to see. It made sense she was a comic book character (him too, but that made his brain hurt) because she didn’t seem like other teenage girls. She was just- different.
He lunged forward, grabbing the side of her foot while anchoring the other leg down so she didn’t fall backwards and crack her skull open. “Why’s it always gotta be that way with you?” He asked, whatever anger he had in his voice before falling in the pool was gone. Now he was halfway back up on the pavement, fiddling with her shoe like some kind of peasant before tossing it next to the other shoe. Flash rolled to his feet, crouching as he grabbed her sideways, his white shirt now a light, mixed blue along with the sides of his face. Flash looked like a mess. A big, grinning, mess. There was some sticky black attached to him, too, but it was hard to see through the bright blue.
“Hold on tiiiiigghht.” He warned, but they were already hitting the water before he could finish.
“It’s more fun this way,” Mary Jane teased with the slightest shrug of her shoulders. She knew he would go try to drag her in -- after all, she did kinda ask for it -- but she didn’t expect he would be so quick about it. Of course, Flash was a football player; he was supposed to move fast. Still, it caught her by surprise, and she was lucky he held onto her or else she would be a mess on the floor. And dying that way at a party is no fun. As he came up for her, she couldn’t help but laugh at his appearance, an almost Carrie-esque sort of look if blue dye was dumped on her instead of pig’s blood. Ridiculous and silly, and so very Flash. The laughter, however, was lost in the splash as the two hit the water.
She immediately kicked to the surface, dipping her head back to smooth out her now dark red hair. Her dress was drenched, of course, clinging to her tiny frame, and her make-up ran slightly along the edges. Well, this was definitely the best way to get some attention. Leave it to Flash to manage to save the party and then some. Kicking her legs back and forth gently, she moved around and around in slow circles to spy him as he emerged from the water himself.
Flash, not one to usually take moment for introspection, stayed under the water for a couple moments longer. His eyes drifted to look at kicking feet in the distance, the shimmer of green from MJ’s dress and the ripples of light casting down over sinking beer bottles and shoes. We’ve been partners before, Flash. I know you, even if you don’t know me. The inky voice was louder now in the muffled water. Clear when everything else was quiet and distant. Flash opened his mouth to scream, but realized that he was out of air, so instead he kicked to the surface and tried to put on a brave face for MJ.
His expression seemed worried before snapping into that carefree, asshole grin. He couldn’t let anyone know he was going crazy. That there was another voice roaming around his brain. “I know I’ve said this before, but you look good wet.” Flash told the redhead, keeping the smirk steady until any trace of that black stuff was gone. He grabbed onto the nearby ledge and reached out for her wait to pull her closer to him.
MJ was about to panic when she didn’t see Flash come up for air immediately, worried that she’d need to dive down and drag his stupid, concussed ass up. With lecture and panic bubbling up her throat, she saw him pop up out of the water. She caught the flicker of worry over his face and frowned for a moment, wondering why he would be worrying about anything when there were tons of hot girls soaking wet and in skimpy dresses surrounding him. Maybe it had something to do with Adam, who seemed like a bit of a nark to Mary Jane, or maybe something else.
Whatever, that didn’t matter when he smiled like that and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist. She smirked, too, letting him tug her closer. “You totally have said that before, but I like hearing it anyway.” Slinking an arm over his shoulder, she used her free arm to stay steady and afloat in the water for a moment. “You, on the other hand, are a goddamn mess right now.” Reaching to his face, she wiped some of the blue off of his face, completely unaware of the sticky black that clung to his skin just moments before. “The punk thing really isn’t for you, Flash.”
“Yeah no kidding.” He said flatly to the first observation, feeling a lot more screwed up than his failed stunt as a punk rocker. “I didn’t commit to the permanent blue dye because fuck that noise.” Flash was not going to football practice looking like a pot dealer. Even school bullies had standards.
He leaned into her touch, looking down at the blue to make sure there wasn’t anything else there (more of a doc reflex than his own) and then looked back at her suspiciously. “As I recall, you broke up with me because the school jock thing wasn’t working for me, either. What’s your type, MJ? If you want me to go full dungeons and dragons nerd, don’t hold your breath.”
“I’m impressed you tried at least,” MJ said earnestly, even if Flash did it to emphasize his douche-dom. Blue-stained fingers dipped into the pool to rid the pale skin of the dye before going back to take more off, legs kicking furiously to keep her up when her arms were otherwise occupied. It wasn’t appropriate, she knew that, not when they weren’t really ‘together’ anymore, but she felt a weird draw to him. A little bit of MK’s influence and a freshly found connection after he got a memory of her dad. “Yeah, I did,” she said. “And, it doesn’t, by the way, not the way you do it. Don’t become a nerd either.”
Okay, maybe that shot was also going to her head really quickly, but she felt a little warm despite being drenched. The hand belonging to the arm slung around Flash’s neck started to tangle into the remnants of his wet hair. “You need to be the Flash I know. The one that’s not a douchebag just to impress the boys. The one that wants to do something good with himself. The one that won’t tell people about Peter’s...hobby just because he knows it’s right.”
Flash had reached a point in his life that he was fully aware that the bully thing was just as much of an act as this punk rock thing. He still got angry sometimes and the resentment he felt towards better adjusted kids was real, but he didn’t actually want to hurt anyone. In fact, if he could have it his way, he’d be swinging around New York as a hero. Speaking of which...
“Peter.” Flash rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You know, I’d like to go one fucking night with you without talking about him.” He pushed her off him and pulled himself out of the pool, kneeling on the edge as he wiped the rest of the blue out of his hair. “You don’t have to worry, little red. I know deep down you are fucking sure I’d go blabbing about him because I can, but you’re wrong. I bet if the roles were reversed you wouldn’t waste your breath on keeping my ass safe from him.”
MJ knew Peter was a sore subject for Flash, having suspected a bit of jealousy for a long time. Why else would Flash target the other boy so often? Whatever the case, she never meant to bring him up as often as she did. It wasn’t malicious; she had no desire to hurt Flash at all. It just happened. So, she didn’t realize for a second what was happening, his shove enough to dunk her in the water again momentarily before she broke the surface for air. Legs kicked furiously, and arms cut through the water with much more force than before, and she looked up at Flash like a wet, pissed off little kitten. All the anger but none of the weight behind it.
“He’s my best friend, Flash,” she said shortly, swimming to the edge of the pool where he had just pulled himself out. “And fuck you for making me look like the bad guy. And I wouldn’t just sit by, stop making assumptions!” A huff, a loud one that got her a mouthful of water that she quickly spluttered out, and a glare that could burn holes through his pseudo-leather.” She used the edge and an indent in the pool’s wall as leverage to drag herself out of the water as well, kneeling for a moment before standing up straight. “Can we just have one night of fun without you ruining it by being a dick?” she asked as she shook out the curls of her red hair. “I’m just telling you the truth! That you are better than all the shit you think of yourself.”
“I’m being a dick? Fuck you! You’re the one who can’t wait to remind me about how important it is to keep little baby Peter safe.” He stood up straight, towering over MJ even though honestly the little redhead was just as loud and threatening. “Just fucking once I’d like to have someone believe in me. Not remind me to do the right thing or act like I need a fucking cricket on my shoulder all the time. The only reason why you want to hang out with me is because I’m dangerous to him. You gotta keep the leash on the big dog, don’t you?” There was something almost liquid about his voice. Distorted only enough to make her think there was water in his throat.
While Flash could physically destroy Adam in a matter of seconds, the doc’s brain was a lot stronger and collected. He knew what this was, seeing the early signs of the Venom attachment and needed to get the teen out of there fast before MJ recognized it, too. There wasn’t anything wrong with merging with the symbiote as far as the doc was concerned, but they needed to be careful. Which meant what happened next wasn’t exactly ethical, but necessary.
Flash felt his vision turn blurry before blacking out as Adam pushed for control. Suddenly, the boy’s eyes seemed incredibly clear and somewhat distant. “Sorry. Didn’t mean-” Adam became aware that his own way of speaking wouldn’t work through Flash. “I know you’re worried about Peter. I am, too. But, everything is under control. Won’t- I won’t let anything happen.”
Pulsing with anger and a tiny bit of liquor, MJ looked up at Flash with her arms on her hips and a fire in her eyes. Despite her petite size, no one underestimated the redhead and her fury. She could tear the biggest jock down, Flash no exception. She wasn’t scared of him, hadn’t ever been, because she knew that he would never actually hurt her. And, really, nothing could hurt her after going through years and years of her father’s bullshit. “That’s not why I hang--.” She wanted Flash to know that he was important to her, their relationship had nothing to do with Peter Parker, but the sudden change cut her off in surprise.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. “There’s no need to be sarcastic, Flash. I get it, you don’t give a shit about Peter. But this is important. Life or death important.” Shooting him a meaningful look, she almost look hurt before tucking it away. “And I can’t believe you’d think I’d just hang out with you for that. If that’s what you really think, maybe I shouldn’t anymore.” It was a sharp jab, something to make him sting, but nothing she actually meant.
Adam could hear Venom circling around in his head like a curious shark sharpening its teeth. He wasn’t like any of the emotional men Venom was used to merging with. They had strings that were a lot easier to pull. But, Adam possessed a love for power. A dangerous and cunning taste that could be tipped so easily. You can’t keep pretending for long. The black ink warned and Adam agreed. He rubbed the side of his head, appearing as if MJ had stepped on his tail. “You’re right.” He slowed down his speech to match Flash. “I’m sorry. It’s been a shitty month, you know?”
He sighed deeply. “I’m going to go. Sorry for ruining your night, little red.” Adam ran his fingers through his hair, checking his hand for anything except blue. Nothing. He sighed, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the darkness covered his entire body. A shadow man who could slip through hallways and climb staircases. There’s no point in pretending you didn’t prefer it to what you have now. No, there wasn’t.
MJ furrowed her eyebrows. Flash didn’t usually like to concede, especially when there was a crowd to impress. Part of the whole douchebag jock appearance, after all, was to make scenes when scenes weren’t really wanted or necessary. To just reel it all in...whatever, she didn’t have the energy to care at the moment. Huffing a sigh and arms still crossed against her chest, she looked at him for a long moment. Something was off, though she couldn’t figure out what.
“Fine,” she said finally, backing away slowly. Just a little further away, one of the collegiates held a towel in his hand and called out to her. She glanced at the stranger for a moment, offering him a smile and a small nod, before turning back to Flash. “See ya at school on Monday, then.” Green eyes lingered on his face for a moment as if searching for something else besides the blue, but with a shake of her head, she turned away and walked towards the frat boy. Whatever was wrong, she could talk about it later with him. For now, she just wanted to have a good time.