You're Not Superman
Title: You’re Not Superman
Author: jenn_1
Rating: G
Timeline: Before SM1. Peter, Mary Jane, Flash, and the gang are about eight.
Category: Um, Fluff?
Feedback: Always happy to hear what readers have to say.
Disclaimers: They’re not mine. Stan Lee and Marvel own them. Anyone else not recognizable is mine. Not making one penny for this story. This fic is just for enjoyment.
Thoughts are in italics.
Summary: Peter and Mary Jane, age eight, go trick or treating with Uncle Ben. But wherever Peter goes, everyone says…
You’re Not Superman
-o-o-o-o-o-
“You’ll never guess what I’m gonna to be.”
Peter Parker overheard Flash Thompson brag to one of his friends at a nearby lunch table.
Let me guess…hum…a pirate? Peter thought sarcastically.
“What you gonna be?” asked Steve Mills, one of Flash’s friends.
“Not tellin’.” Flash said smugly.
Rolling his eyes, Peter figured Flash was going to make a big deal about not telling his friends about being a pirate. The only reason Peter even knew was because Aunt May had mentioned it to Uncle Ben and him over dinner the other night. She had seen Mrs. Thompson shopping at the store at the same time. He wondered if Flash knew that.
This year, Halloween fell on a Thursday. So everyone was going to be trick or treating that night. The next day was the class party, with it being Friday.
Something fell on his brownie. It was an old band aid. Turning Peter saw some of his classmates, sitting a few seats down, laughing at him.
His appetite gone, Peter stood and started going to the tray drop off. Passing Flash’s table, he ignored the cool kids. But Steve put out his foot, which Peter didn’t notice.
Falling down, Peter felt his shirt get the remains of his lunch. Sprawled over the floor, he thought, At least my glasses are still on my face. Yep, try to look at the bright side of things, that was his motto when stuff like this happened.
Laughter filled the lunch room. Peter felt his face burn warm with a blush. Standing up, he glanced over at the laughing Flash and his friends.
“What is going on?” The first grade teacher asked, coming over to Peter and the others.
“Peter tripped over his feet, Ms. Sims.” Flash said. He looked at Peter daring him to stick up for himself.
“Are you ok, Peter?” Ms. Sims asked. Peter hadn’t had her for two years, but all he did was nod.
“Why don’t you go to the restroom and clean up? I’ll take your tray.”
“Thank you, Ms. Sims.” Peter said quietly, looking up at her gratefully.
He was almost near the cafeteria door, when Peter saw her.
Mary Jane Watson.
She was sitting with her friends, Lisa and Nikki. Her friends eyed him with disgust and giggled. Mary Jane gave him a quick glance, then turned back to her friends. But that glance looked like it was sympathetic.
Walking passed her table, Peter had to wonder if he had imagined it or not.
Heading to the restroom, Peter sighed. He hoped he could get most of his lunch off his shirt.
-o-o-o-o-o-
“I have to go with him?” Mary Jane Watson looked at her mother in disbelief.
“Honey, I have to work tonight,” Madeline ran a hand lovingly down her daughter’s red hair. “Peter’s uncle doesn’t mind if you go with Peter and him.” She wasn’t about to let her intoxicated husband take M.J. out.
“But, Mom-“
“Mary Jane, you can either go with Peter, or not go at all.” Madeline’s tone held no room for argument.
A defeated, “Ok,” was her answer.
“I want you to be on your best behavior.”
“Mom!”
Ignoring her daughter’s outraged tone, she continued, “Peter is a sweet boy. I just don’t want you to say or do something to hurt his feelings.”
“I won’t.” M.J.’s voice was quiet. What did her mother think she was? She wasn’t as bad as Flash and his friends.
Peter was nice enough, she guessed. She really didn’t know him, though. But if she was caught trick or treating with him…
She could kiss her friends and going to school as a normal kid goodbye.
“Mary Jane,” Madeline waited for her daughter to look at her, “Have fun tonight.”
Smiling outwardly, but not feeling it on the inside, M.J. said, “Ok, I will.” Turning, she went upstairs to change into her costume.
-o-o-o-o-o-
About an hour later, Mary Jane rang the Parkers’ doorbell. In her hands was a goody bag ready to be filled.
A moment later, she stood face to face with Peter.
He was dressed as Superman. The costume fit, but on his scrawny frame, it was a tad loose. Plus, he wore his glasses. Hopefully people will see past that, M.J. thought. “Hi!” she said with the most cheerful voice she could master up.
The grin on Peter’s face made her feel a little guilty about being so unhappy about going with him. But oh yeah, she was born to act.
“Uh…hi.” He said shyly. Still feeling giddy over seeing Mary Jane standing there, Peter forgot to invite her in.
M.J. had on what looked liked a tiger costume. The material looked like velvet. It was tiger striped of course, but in the outside light it looked liked it glittered. She had a headband with tiger ears on it and what looked like a tail in the back.
“Are you going to invite me in, or do I just stand in the doorway?”
“Oh!” Peter turned red. “Sorry, please come in.”
Stepping aside to let her through, he looked down to see moccasins on her feet which were tiger striped as well.
His aunt and uncle came in the living room to greet Mary Jane. Holding a bowl full of candy, Aunt May put one in M.J.’s bag.
Earlier that afternoon, Peter tried to take a piece out of that bowl. But he didn’t get it. Instead he got a slap on the hand from his aunt about not touching the candy, it was for the trick or treating tonight. Not saying anything, an unhappy Peter went up to his room to read comics until it was time for dinner.
“Are you two ready to get some candy?” Uncle Ben asked the two youngsters.
“Yeah!”
Once they were outside, Peter and Mary Jane walked in silence, while Peter’s uncle walked a few feet behind them. It wasn’t that Ben couldn’t keep up, but he knew the kids wanted to be seen as being older than their years.
They went door to door with the usual, “Trick or Treat!” Most of the people thought Mary Jane was cute in her tiger costume. But most felt Peter just wasn’t Superman. He would have had better luck being Clark Kent with his glasses.
As for the treats, they got everything from candy, chips, and popcorn balls. One person gave them prunes. Another person gave them toothbrushes.
With their bags nearly full, Peter and Mary Jane both wondered if they could fill them to bursting.
Peter wondered if M.J. was having a good time. They hadn’t really talked too much. “So…um…having fun?” he finally asked.
“Yeah, it’s not bad.” Giving Peter a sideways glance, she asked, “What is that costume made out of?”
“Spandex.”
“Isn’t that stuff itchy?”
Shaking his head, no, Peter didn’t want to admit it was kind of itchy.
Old Man McClan was sitting out on his porch when they came to his place. Putting a pack of cookies in their bags, he motioned Ben to sit.
“I want you to wait for a few minutes,” Ben told the kids.
“We can go to the next few houses ourselves, can’t we, Uncle Ben?” Peter looked hopeful.
Looking down at the houses, his uncle said, “Aright, but just the next three, ok?”
Nodding, they happily went to the next house.
Getting their treats, they saw another bunch of kids. It was Flash with some of his friends. Steve’s mother was talking to a woman one house up.
“Well, what do we have here?” Flash, in his pirate costume, asked eyeing the two trick or treaters.
“What are you suppose to be? An alien?” Steve asked in his Batman costume. Peter didn’t reply.
“Yeah, don’t you know that Superman didn’t wear glasses?” Flash said taking Peter’s glasses from his face and dropped them.
Before Peter could get on his knees to get his glasses, Steve stepped on them.
Mary Jane was seeing red. How dare Flash and his friends go this far with making fun of Peter? What had he done to them?
Marching over to Steve, she got in his face. “What did you do that for?” She was nose to nose with the bully.
“Look, M.J., the freak is Superman now, see?” Flash laughed.
Before Mary Jane could say or do anything to him, Steve’s mother and Peter’s uncle showed up.
“What is going on?” Steve’s mother asked. “Steven?”
“Well, um…” the boy could not stand up to his mother.
“He broke Peter’s glasses, Mrs. Mills.” Mary Jane informed her. She glared at Steve.
“Is this true?”
Flash and his friends looked anywhere but her. Finally, they caved in and nodded.
Steve’s mother was about to apologize to Peter’s uncle, but got cut off.
Ben had been quiet until then. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“My son and his friends do.”
The boys in question, figured it would be simpler just to say “Sorry,” to Peter.
“Come, we are going home.” Mrs. Mills said in a stern tone. “I will call you later to see if Steven and his friends can pay for Peter’s glasses from their allowances.” She was sure the other parents of the children would agree.
“It’s not-“ Ben started.
“I insist on it.” The woman was not going to change her mind.
“Alright.”
“Lets go.” Mrs. Mills led the kids away to their homes.
Getting down on his knees Peter got his glasses. His vision was blurry without them. Putting them on, he could see out of one eye, but the glass was smashed in the other one.
“Are you okay, son?” his uncle asked.
“Yes. Could we go home?” He wasn’t in the mood to trick or treat anymore. Mary Jane nodded in agreement.
Nodding, Ben started toward home, the children following behind.
“How could they do that?”
Looking at M.J., Peter was touched that she stuck up for him. “Because they could.”
“They shouldn’t.”
“You were a tiger back there.” He hoped he could get Mary Jane to calm down some.
“Me?” she laughed at that.
Smiling, he simply nodded.
They were home sooner then they thought.
Mary Jane headed toward her house, but stopped.
Peter had gotten to his door when he heard her call.
“Peter!”
“What?”
“I had fun tonight, Tiger.” M.J. waved and went in her house.
Uncle Ben was in the middle of telling Aunt May about what happened, when they saw their nephew. He had a grin on his face, one they hadn’t seen in a long time.
The End
Thank you for reading this. Please comment. Jenn
Author: jenn_1
Rating: G
Timeline: Before SM1. Peter, Mary Jane, Flash, and the gang are about eight.
Category: Um, Fluff?
Feedback: Always happy to hear what readers have to say.
Disclaimers: They’re not mine. Stan Lee and Marvel own them. Anyone else not recognizable is mine. Not making one penny for this story. This fic is just for enjoyment.
Thoughts are in italics.
Summary: Peter and Mary Jane, age eight, go trick or treating with Uncle Ben. But wherever Peter goes, everyone says…
You’re Not Superman
-o-o-o-o-o-
“You’ll never guess what I’m gonna to be.”
Peter Parker overheard Flash Thompson brag to one of his friends at a nearby lunch table.
Let me guess…hum…a pirate? Peter thought sarcastically.
“What you gonna be?” asked Steve Mills, one of Flash’s friends.
“Not tellin’.” Flash said smugly.
Rolling his eyes, Peter figured Flash was going to make a big deal about not telling his friends about being a pirate. The only reason Peter even knew was because Aunt May had mentioned it to Uncle Ben and him over dinner the other night. She had seen Mrs. Thompson shopping at the store at the same time. He wondered if Flash knew that.
This year, Halloween fell on a Thursday. So everyone was going to be trick or treating that night. The next day was the class party, with it being Friday.
Something fell on his brownie. It was an old band aid. Turning Peter saw some of his classmates, sitting a few seats down, laughing at him.
His appetite gone, Peter stood and started going to the tray drop off. Passing Flash’s table, he ignored the cool kids. But Steve put out his foot, which Peter didn’t notice.
Falling down, Peter felt his shirt get the remains of his lunch. Sprawled over the floor, he thought, At least my glasses are still on my face. Yep, try to look at the bright side of things, that was his motto when stuff like this happened.
Laughter filled the lunch room. Peter felt his face burn warm with a blush. Standing up, he glanced over at the laughing Flash and his friends.
“What is going on?” The first grade teacher asked, coming over to Peter and the others.
“Peter tripped over his feet, Ms. Sims.” Flash said. He looked at Peter daring him to stick up for himself.
“Are you ok, Peter?” Ms. Sims asked. Peter hadn’t had her for two years, but all he did was nod.
“Why don’t you go to the restroom and clean up? I’ll take your tray.”
“Thank you, Ms. Sims.” Peter said quietly, looking up at her gratefully.
He was almost near the cafeteria door, when Peter saw her.
Mary Jane Watson.
She was sitting with her friends, Lisa and Nikki. Her friends eyed him with disgust and giggled. Mary Jane gave him a quick glance, then turned back to her friends. But that glance looked like it was sympathetic.
Walking passed her table, Peter had to wonder if he had imagined it or not.
Heading to the restroom, Peter sighed. He hoped he could get most of his lunch off his shirt.
-o-o-o-o-o-
“I have to go with him?” Mary Jane Watson looked at her mother in disbelief.
“Honey, I have to work tonight,” Madeline ran a hand lovingly down her daughter’s red hair. “Peter’s uncle doesn’t mind if you go with Peter and him.” She wasn’t about to let her intoxicated husband take M.J. out.
“But, Mom-“
“Mary Jane, you can either go with Peter, or not go at all.” Madeline’s tone held no room for argument.
A defeated, “Ok,” was her answer.
“I want you to be on your best behavior.”
“Mom!”
Ignoring her daughter’s outraged tone, she continued, “Peter is a sweet boy. I just don’t want you to say or do something to hurt his feelings.”
“I won’t.” M.J.’s voice was quiet. What did her mother think she was? She wasn’t as bad as Flash and his friends.
Peter was nice enough, she guessed. She really didn’t know him, though. But if she was caught trick or treating with him…
She could kiss her friends and going to school as a normal kid goodbye.
“Mary Jane,” Madeline waited for her daughter to look at her, “Have fun tonight.”
Smiling outwardly, but not feeling it on the inside, M.J. said, “Ok, I will.” Turning, she went upstairs to change into her costume.
-o-o-o-o-o-
About an hour later, Mary Jane rang the Parkers’ doorbell. In her hands was a goody bag ready to be filled.
A moment later, she stood face to face with Peter.
He was dressed as Superman. The costume fit, but on his scrawny frame, it was a tad loose. Plus, he wore his glasses. Hopefully people will see past that, M.J. thought. “Hi!” she said with the most cheerful voice she could master up.
The grin on Peter’s face made her feel a little guilty about being so unhappy about going with him. But oh yeah, she was born to act.
“Uh…hi.” He said shyly. Still feeling giddy over seeing Mary Jane standing there, Peter forgot to invite her in.
M.J. had on what looked liked a tiger costume. The material looked like velvet. It was tiger striped of course, but in the outside light it looked liked it glittered. She had a headband with tiger ears on it and what looked like a tail in the back.
“Are you going to invite me in, or do I just stand in the doorway?”
“Oh!” Peter turned red. “Sorry, please come in.”
Stepping aside to let her through, he looked down to see moccasins on her feet which were tiger striped as well.
His aunt and uncle came in the living room to greet Mary Jane. Holding a bowl full of candy, Aunt May put one in M.J.’s bag.
Earlier that afternoon, Peter tried to take a piece out of that bowl. But he didn’t get it. Instead he got a slap on the hand from his aunt about not touching the candy, it was for the trick or treating tonight. Not saying anything, an unhappy Peter went up to his room to read comics until it was time for dinner.
“Are you two ready to get some candy?” Uncle Ben asked the two youngsters.
“Yeah!”
Once they were outside, Peter and Mary Jane walked in silence, while Peter’s uncle walked a few feet behind them. It wasn’t that Ben couldn’t keep up, but he knew the kids wanted to be seen as being older than their years.
They went door to door with the usual, “Trick or Treat!” Most of the people thought Mary Jane was cute in her tiger costume. But most felt Peter just wasn’t Superman. He would have had better luck being Clark Kent with his glasses.
As for the treats, they got everything from candy, chips, and popcorn balls. One person gave them prunes. Another person gave them toothbrushes.
With their bags nearly full, Peter and Mary Jane both wondered if they could fill them to bursting.
Peter wondered if M.J. was having a good time. They hadn’t really talked too much. “So…um…having fun?” he finally asked.
“Yeah, it’s not bad.” Giving Peter a sideways glance, she asked, “What is that costume made out of?”
“Spandex.”
“Isn’t that stuff itchy?”
Shaking his head, no, Peter didn’t want to admit it was kind of itchy.
Old Man McClan was sitting out on his porch when they came to his place. Putting a pack of cookies in their bags, he motioned Ben to sit.
“I want you to wait for a few minutes,” Ben told the kids.
“We can go to the next few houses ourselves, can’t we, Uncle Ben?” Peter looked hopeful.
Looking down at the houses, his uncle said, “Aright, but just the next three, ok?”
Nodding, they happily went to the next house.
Getting their treats, they saw another bunch of kids. It was Flash with some of his friends. Steve’s mother was talking to a woman one house up.
“Well, what do we have here?” Flash, in his pirate costume, asked eyeing the two trick or treaters.
“What are you suppose to be? An alien?” Steve asked in his Batman costume. Peter didn’t reply.
“Yeah, don’t you know that Superman didn’t wear glasses?” Flash said taking Peter’s glasses from his face and dropped them.
Before Peter could get on his knees to get his glasses, Steve stepped on them.
Mary Jane was seeing red. How dare Flash and his friends go this far with making fun of Peter? What had he done to them?
Marching over to Steve, she got in his face. “What did you do that for?” She was nose to nose with the bully.
“Look, M.J., the freak is Superman now, see?” Flash laughed.
Before Mary Jane could say or do anything to him, Steve’s mother and Peter’s uncle showed up.
“What is going on?” Steve’s mother asked. “Steven?”
“Well, um…” the boy could not stand up to his mother.
“He broke Peter’s glasses, Mrs. Mills.” Mary Jane informed her. She glared at Steve.
“Is this true?”
Flash and his friends looked anywhere but her. Finally, they caved in and nodded.
Steve’s mother was about to apologize to Peter’s uncle, but got cut off.
Ben had been quiet until then. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“My son and his friends do.”
The boys in question, figured it would be simpler just to say “Sorry,” to Peter.
“Come, we are going home.” Mrs. Mills said in a stern tone. “I will call you later to see if Steven and his friends can pay for Peter’s glasses from their allowances.” She was sure the other parents of the children would agree.
“It’s not-“ Ben started.
“I insist on it.” The woman was not going to change her mind.
“Alright.”
“Lets go.” Mrs. Mills led the kids away to their homes.
Getting down on his knees Peter got his glasses. His vision was blurry without them. Putting them on, he could see out of one eye, but the glass was smashed in the other one.
“Are you okay, son?” his uncle asked.
“Yes. Could we go home?” He wasn’t in the mood to trick or treat anymore. Mary Jane nodded in agreement.
Nodding, Ben started toward home, the children following behind.
“How could they do that?”
Looking at M.J., Peter was touched that she stuck up for him. “Because they could.”
“They shouldn’t.”
“You were a tiger back there.” He hoped he could get Mary Jane to calm down some.
“Me?” she laughed at that.
Smiling, he simply nodded.
They were home sooner then they thought.
Mary Jane headed toward her house, but stopped.
Peter had gotten to his door when he heard her call.
“Peter!”
“What?”
“I had fun tonight, Tiger.” M.J. waved and went in her house.
Uncle Ben was in the middle of telling Aunt May about what happened, when they saw their nephew. He had a grin on his face, one they hadn’t seen in a long time.
The End
Thank you for reading this. Please comment. Jenn