bright lights & city scapes

[maryjancwatson]

hellishheroics​:

Karen shook her head a little and offered a smile. “No worries, honestly. Like you don’t have to,” she said gently before shrugging. “But if you’re really insistent, I’m more than happy to take this one - I have nothing against oat milk,” she laughed a little, shifting to pick up MJ’s order as it was called. Yet there was a quiet, exhausted sort of energy between them and dark circles ringing their eyes that bound them together even as they stood in the very place they had been plotting against mere days ago.

“Yeah, I get that. How are you doing with it all?” She asked softly, head tilted gently. It was a legitimate question, quiet concern veiled in the easy way she tossed the question out. It was a difficult balance to strike - the tenuous alliance they had struck up vs the fact that they were meant to be acting entirely normal with one another.

.... “Well then, consider that one yours.” Mary Jane was glad her dietary preferences were just that and not restrictions, or else she’d definitely be paying for the fact that she hadn’t been paying attention. She took another sip of her accidentally-pilfered drink, just glad for the caffeine despite the fact that she’d managed to snag the wrong drink. Coffee was coffee, and it was better than the crap they had upstairs near her office with the coffee maker. Mary Jane paused, choosing her next words carefully. She had never been one to admit to faults or shortcomings easily, and wasn’t about to let on just how overwhelmed and anxious this was making her feel. She was sticking to her guns, intended on seeing this through and she didn’t want the other members of this ragtag team of sorts thinking she was weak or hesitant. “I’m doing alright,” she answered, tone neutral and expression easy, as she took another sip of that coffee. “Feeling a little more secure with a plan in place rather than just this big, open idea. I’m sure I’ll be feeling better once things are in motion.” Vague enough that MJ could be talking about work, any other day at the office. “Drowning in paperwork,” she added, just for that reason, “but that’s just like any other day.”

[maryjancwatson]

quipcentral​:

xxx

Peter pursed his lips, but let it go (for now anyway). It was not always helpful or productive to be as overprotective as he was towards those around him, and he is yet to fully acknowledge the potential strain it can cause (and has already caused) to his relations. For someone so smart, Peter struggles to truly understand what those closest to him really want, and sometimes it’s just to be present. But turning off has always been a problem, and Peter knows MJ has some of the most experience with it, unfortunately. He looks down at her hand on his for a moment, eyes following up to her slowly with a smile. “I know. I’ll stop. For now,” he added with a smirk.  

Clearing his throat, he clapped his hands together. “So, you’ve got an evening free, I’ve even got an evening free. And even without the spider-sense, I can tell you’re feeling burnt out, Mary-Jane,” he shook his head. And almost as if the universe had heard his thoughts and was purposefully trying to sabotage his life, the sound of sirens reached his ears from a distance. His mind instinctively went to the suit in his backpack, but he tried his best to maintain concentration on her. “I know we’ve sat down and all, but there’s this amazing hot dog stand in the square if you want to go.” But just as the words leave his mouth, Peter’s gut hopes that a reason to swing away doesn’t arise. 

.... “For now,” Mary Jane repeated with a quick roll of the eyes. She knew Peter better than to think he’d drop it forever, but maybe she’d be lucky enough to get away with the rest of the evening. She would to her part to keep the conversation steered far away from her current place at the UN; she had a hard enough time leaving work at work as it was and didn’t want to waste her time with Peter talking about it.  “Lucky me,” Mary Jane with a slow-starting grin. She didn’t even bother trying to deny the fact that she was burnt out. She was burnt out, even if she’d argue that she was still managing just fine. “A whole evening with Peter Parker.” Something she hadn’t had in a while. “I’d actually love that, I don’t mind packing up and heading over.” The sirens didn’t catch her attention at first, but they did after a moment. She couldn’t hold back a sigh: she’d been around Peter and Spider-man long enough. “You can get that, you know. If you need to, or if you want to.” She was used to it at this point, even if she would be disappointed. 

[maryjancwatson]

flameontm​:

Not that MJ wasn’t a pleasant change from some of the people he’d been interrogated by in the past - the less evil robots involved in an interrogation, the better, if you asked Johnny -  he still rested far more easily when the subject dropped after that. He’d rather not talk about how he was doing with things - given that then Johnny’d actually have to think about how he was doing with things and - well. He tried not to do that, as a rule. Straightening up his shoulders with all the feeling of a weight lifted off them, his grin widened. Willfully ignoring her eyeroll, one hand brushed through his hair in a preening manner. “That’s enough for me, Ms Watson. Just a word of approval from you is better than a declaration of love from anyone else.”

Not a lie, it was true that he knew he looked good, but a compliment from MJ still felt good, even if he’d wheedled it out of her. The flirtatious lilt to his smile melted into something warmer, more fond, as he somewhat awkwardly finagled his shopping bags onto one arm so he could link his other through hers. “Hey, thanks. It’s good to know I can count on you as a sugar mama if Reed ever cuts me off.” 

His head half-turned towards her, Johnny summoned up a more pensive expression than was commonly found on his face. Even if she’d started out matching his dispirited tones, it was obvious MJ had a strength of purpose he lacked. Maybe a resilience he lacked. “Right, that’s what I mean. But like, trying when it seems like it’s doing nothing, it’s just .. it’s just hard. Dunno how you do it.” He took his eyes off her, passing over instead the crowds milling around them, the question of what he was doing here still at the back of his mind, a dull weight he didn’t want to look at too hard, at what it said about him - if, without his family, alone, he could really stand up for anything, if he was strong enough even to try. He let MJ’s words distract him, his laugh ringing out loudly, a disruptive force on the quiet bustle of streets. “That’s the spirit! Annoy them into submission. Hey, it always works on the Thing. But you know, really, you’ve got something about you, Red. I reckon you can do it. You’ll be better than all of them.” 

....

“It is hard,” Mary Jane agreed with a slow inhale through her nose. “It’s exhausting. Demoralizing, sometimes.” A lot of the time, actually. “I mean, I’m also a little different than the other UN Interns because I’m the Goodwill Ambassador. Sometimes I wonder if that makes things better or worse, you know?” A lot of the time she felt like she got the job for all of the wrong reasons. The name Mary Jane Watson had sticker value, would bring the attention they needed, which was an important part of being the Goodwill Ambassador (from her understanding, in any case). She’d brought lots of attention to the situation in Sokovia through her social media presence and had definitely brought in hefty donations. She’d done her job and done it well, but she couldn’t help but wonder if her voice wasn’t taken seriously because of her position, that she was just here for her name and nothing else.  “Either way, I don’t know how you do it. All of you on the...other side of things.” The hero side, now head-hunted by the ISA and practically dragged through the mud. She hated it, didn’t like living in a world where it felt like heroes were being punished for literally trying to save the day. “Give yourself some credit, Storm. You’ve stuck to it and it couldn’t have been easy. It’s been hard enough just...watching.” It was nauseating, for certain, considering this was a world MJ was half-in and had been since Peter had told her about Spider-man. “That’s the plan. Annoy and berrate until someone gives a damn about what I say.” A smile curved onto red painted lips, and she cast him a wink. “I’m gonna do my damn best, that’s for sure, but thank you for the ego boost.”

[maryjancwatson]

[maryjancwatson]

quipcentral​:

“So what I’m hearing is, I’d be doing you a favour and I would get my rent paid? We’d all be winners. Aw shucks, if only I was a horrible friend…” He clicked his tongue and shook his head. Peter never really got approached by anybody about his connection to his celebrity friends, despite it being curious to see them with a scientist as unknown as Peter Parker. He had no problem with sitting back and watching them from the stalls in theatre halls or at the various events they are present at, although this has died down a fair amount in the last year or two. Peter lifts his eyebrows and nods in agreement, “yeah, it does seem that way. That’s what the UN is here for though, right?” He replies slightly sarcastically, an ironic smile on his face. “Uh - maybe not. I don’t want your followers thinking I followed you all the way out to Sokovia!” 

There’s a thin smile on his face as he listens to her try and reassure him she’s fine. It’s always been amusing to him. There is definitely a part of him that is aware she’s capable enough to take care of herself, but it’s too small a part and he’d argue at this point his irrational fears are not so irrational at all, given everything that has happened since he was bitten. Peter can be quite an anxious person about those closest to him, and he knows that there is stuff out there they could never stand a chance against without his protection. So, despite her assurance, it doesn’t work and mostly goes over his head. “Don’t - don’t worry?” Peter scoffs, smiling softly. Their conversation somehow reminds him of being with her in Queens, and the times he was concerned about her every movement. “MJ of course I’m going to worry. This isn’t me doubting you, you know I don’t,“ he chuckles lightly, gaze relaxing slightly at her mention of it but his leg is still bouncing under the table. “But you’re right, this isn’t Broadway or Hollywood. I just think that there may be some of that busy and mess that I need to know about. I’m just saying, I’m here, if you need anything.” 

....

“Ha ha.” The laugh was meant to fall flat, paired with a roll of the eyes, but Mary Jane was still smiling. She was finally settling in, easing back into her chair. It was a welcome feeling to be off work (even if she did have some things she had to wrap up later at home, those were nothing in comparison to the mountain of paperwork she’d avalanched under earlier) and let her mind start to unwind, and Peter certainly helped with that. He always had, but even moreso lately: it was nice to have a familiar face around, that sense of home and familiarity. His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her, though MJ managed to keep her expression neutral, replying with a simple “It’s a work in progress.” One she was really trying to help push along, but one voice was easy to get lost in the sea of others. Not to mention she wasn’t exactly in agreement with...so much of what the UN was doing, and some of the things she’d said certainly hadn’t sat well with her supervisors. “Fine, fine, we’ll keep you off my Instagram, no new followers for you.” She wished the conversation would stay light, especially considering she wasn’t feeling particularly light. The first meeting with Pythia had her feeling a little uneasy, even if she was certain she was going to dedicate herself to the group. There was absolutely things happening at the UN that needed to be unearthed and dug into, and even if she could play just a little piece in that, she’d do it. It was important, and after all, her entire purpose in relocating to Sokovia in the first place had been to do good. This...would be good, even if there was potential for so much mess along the way. Mess that Peter didn’t need to know about until it was essential, or maybe not at all, not when it would seem that he was already worried about her. “I appreciate the vote of confidence.” That was genuine, as was the slightly softer smile she offered. A hand reached across the table to give one of his a quick, reassuring squeeze. “That means a lot.” More than he ever knew. She’d always struggled with that piece hersel, and had been more than usual lately with how out of her element she was. “I’m okay though, I promise.” It wasn’t a lie. She was okay, and she planned on staying as such. “I know you’re here, and I’ll let you know if I need anything, alright? Same goes for you, you know.”

[maryjancwatson]

hellishheroics​:

Karen stifled a yawn with her free hand, her other occupied by her phone as she fiercely tapped away at a message. She had been up later than usual, even for her, and ended up passed out at her desk over screeds of files about the rise of the ISA. Not exactly light background reading but if anyone was used to that at this point, it was Karen. She could sleep over any file now. She wasn’t sure what that said about her. Still, the late night and the fact that she was trying to pull together intel were her real excuses for the fact that she didn’t even register her order being called. Blonde head still bowed, she didn’t even realise that the other woman stood at the bar was reaching for her drink. And then came the voice and Karen glanced up, blinking hard to clear the haze from her eyes.

Ah, MJ. A familiar face now, especially after their first Pythia meeting. At least it hadn’t been a stranger drinking her coffee. Karen waved it off quickly and took the cup. “Don’t even worry about it - I didn’t even register the call out. Also dead on my feet,” she said with a wry, half smile. Maybe it was odd to have such a kinship with someone you had barely met once but when you were embarking on a top secret watchdog group together, it bred camaraderie.

“Late night too?” She asked softly, tucking her phone into her jacket pocket for time being.

... The face was familiar, and recognition was clear in bright green eyes as Mary Jane placed just where. “Karen,” she said with a nod, gesturing towards the scrawl on the cup. “Sorry, seriously. It seems like we have the same coffee order.” MJ offered Karen a tired smile, and sighed a little at herself.  “For real, let me buy you a new one. Or you can just take mine, if you don’t have something against oat milk. It’s exactly the same otherwise,” MJ said as she scanned the sticker on the side of the cup to confirm. “Most nights are late nights.” Especially lately. She was trying to stay ahead of the current, make sure she had videos and posts on just about every platform queued up so that she wouldn’t fall behind. Social media had gone from joyful to exhausting when Mary Jane had taken the job at the UN, but she that was a small price to pay considering that empire was a considerable amount of her reach and the padding in her bank account.

[maryjancwatson]

quipcentral​:

“Oh well thats awkward…the tabloids already know,” he puts his hands up, “guilty as charged. I needed rent money and he was offering a fair price for a Miss Watson secret. You understand, right? The photography world here is not quite booming…” Peter laughs, shaking his head at her apology. “Stop, don’t sweat it. I haven’t been here long. In fact I just beat you to it by a couple seconds this time. My extracurricular activity was overrunning today,“ he admits bashfully. Peter watched her turn her phone face-down with a small smile, a curious glint in his eye. It may appear to others as a small act of consideration that is done without thinking, but to those who really know MJ, it was a gesture that took some motivation. Peter always understood and respected how busy she was both physically with work, but also mentally, because it was the exact same for him. What maybe was the difference between them was such gestures, Peter thinks with regret, because it was effort he so often fell short on. It made him think of the red and blue suit in his backpack, that isn’t as easy for him to put on airplane mode as much as he sometimes wanted to. “If I should ever be that lucky, I know I would’ve finally done something very right,” he replies with a pensive look on his face. 

“Really? I didn’t think you could get busier…Are you sure you want to turn your phone on silent then?” His tone is lighthearted, but her words don’t totally reassure him of anything, if only they make him anxious to know details he isn’t sure he’ll get. Peter squints slightly, a suspicious look on his face that he knows she may well and truly recognise. He’s not totally impressed. “It’s the busy I’m thinking could be trouble,” he replies bluntly, daring to probe a bit more. Peter knows her as one of the most capable and passionate people in his life, someone he is in awe of, and firmly believes she can excel in any kind of work she sets her mind to. But he’s also aware of her desire to do bigger and better and more, constantly. There’s a snagging feeling in his stomach this might mean working with the UN could lead to danger, and regardless of how correct he is or not, Peter doesn’t know if anything will reassure him she’s safe anyway - not even with his routine pass-bys on patrols every now and again. 

... “I suppose there are worse things that you could sell about me. I’ll take the world knowing about my ladybug thing. It’ll tie into why I have the tattoo and everything.” The little ladybug on her wrist, a dedication to her mother (who had called Mary Jane her little lady bug, bug for short) had been the talk of tabloids for a while now as it was. “I can believe that, though. It doesn’t feel like much of anything is really booming here, unfortunately.” Wasn’t that part of why she’d come? To help bring attention to a country that needed it? That was the whole point of a Goodwill Ambassador, or so she’d thought. There was obviously more to it than that, but that was...a big part of it. “But hey, we can get your face on my instagram, maybe give a little more boom to that photography business. ” He’d definitely made appearances over the years but certainly not in the past few, which was when she’d really taken off.  A low, slow sigh left her and Mary Jane shrugged. “I mean, maybe not busier. Just a diferent kind of busy I guess.” No, she was absolutely busier than she’d ever been before, but she didn’t want to worry him. “Culture shock, you know? The UN sure as hell isn’t Hollywood or even Broadway. There was a whole learning curve, but I think I’ve got it down now.” She was effective, good at her job, but it hadn’t been without effort. “I’m fine, Pete. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m a big girl, I can handle all of the busy and mess that sometimes comes with the career change I’ve chosen. So you can take that squint to someone else, I promise I don’t need it.” But maybe she did, as of late. She was getting involved with something bigger, something deeper, but he didn’t know about that. No, it would be easier if he didn’t.

[maryjancwatson]

quipcentral​:

Peter looks up from his laptop moments before she’s rushing in, having sensed her nearby. It was not unusual for this to happen, one of them be late and the other accepting it. And this time, Peter accepts it warmly, an amused smile on his face as he leans back onto his chair, crossing his arms as he listens to her. It’s one of the few elements of normality he’d retained from life pre-Accords. Peter nods his head, feigning hurt. “It’s okay, I’ll live I suppose. Who do I send the invoice to for the hour I’m with you today? Same rate, right?” Truthfully, he was also a little late but upon arriving at the little restaurant they were at, he was pleasantly surprised to find she was not there yet either. She doesn’t have to know…

He raises his eyebrows at her words, but can’t help but love the sound of it. “Now, that is an offer I won’t resist. Miss Watson free for an evening with me? I hope I make a headline!” he teased, laughing softly. “It’s always good to see you, MJ.” Peter can’t remember the last time they properly spent some time together without one of them shooting off within the first ten minutes, or suddenly cancelling, so it makes for a nice change to sit with her now. “I mean, in the flesh. Not on a billboard. Although it does make me feel like I’m in Queens when I’m swinging by it.” Pausing for a moment, Peter watches her with a slightly pensive gaze as his mind - unfortunately - then drifts to whom she was doing this paperwork for. Clearing his throat, he scratches the back of his neck, “so uh…how is work anyway? It’s all going okay?” His look then grows serious for a moment, leg bouncing up and down as it normally does when he’s perturbed about something. “You’re staying clear of any kind of trouble, right Mary-Jane?” As much as it bothers him who she’s working for, his concern for her safety will always come first.

... Mary Jane couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she got situated, shifting around in her chair as she got comfortable. She reached out to gently and playfully nudge his shin with her shoe before crossing her legs under the table. “Yeah, yeah, same rate for you. Same e-mail, too. ...Maybe not the one from high school, I don’t have the password to that one anymore and I don’t exactly want it advertised that Mary Jane Watson had an e-mail adress with ‘ladybug’ in it.” She scrunched up her nose slightly, shaking her head. “Bad for the image, you know?” It was clear she was kidding, by her tone and her smile. “Kidding aside, I really am sorry. I would’ve texted but I was almost here by the time I realized I was running behind.” Speaking of texting, she quickly glanced at her phone before setting the ringer off and placing it face-down on the table. She was the first one to admit she had technology disconnection problems and knew she was always nose-in-her-phone, but she was trying to do better. Making an effort, at least. “You might make a headline. Or an instagram post or two, if you’re lucky.” Social media was always on the brain, and the reminder had her phones already itching for her phone. Nope, effort was being made and she was self-aware of the fact that she was the worst when it came to her phone. “It’s good to see you too.” Always was, but she hoped he knew that. “I’ve been doing good! Work is...” Mary Jane trailed off for a moment, sighing with a shrug. “Work is work. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this busy before in my life, but you know, that’s the name of the game.” Especially considering she wasn’t just working, and it was as though he knew that considering the next question he asked. Her smile didn’t falter, stayed firmly in place, though it was certainly less genuine that it had been before. “Me? Trouble? What would give you that idea?” She cast him a wink there, recovering quickly, and nodded. “I’m too busy to get myself into any kind of trouble.”

[maryjancwatson]

@quipcentral

“ – Sorry, sorry, I know I’m late.” She could be absolutely and accurately be described as a tornado with bright green eyes and red hair as she hurried to sit in the chair on the opposite side of the table, dropping a binder on the table’s surface and her bag onto the ground. “I got wrapped up in paperwork and I really wanted to finish before I left; I didn’t want to have to go back.” She’d much rather wrap things up for the day than have to try to pick up where she left off. Besides, she’d spent her entire day buried in paperwork because tomorrow was for outreach work so she wouldn’t have time to play catch up.  Scooting her chair in a little, Mary Jane moved the binder out of the way and onto the floor as well with her bag. “So while I’m late, that means I have nothing else on my schedule for today and I am all yours for however long your free.” There was a smile there, curved onto signature red-painted lips. “Also, hey. Good to see you.”

[lionheart-rpg]

ABIGAIL COWEN (400x640) ; crédit lionheart.

[veesources]

[fleetsummers]

maryjancwatson​:

“I’m tired of a lot of things right now,” she said, gesturing towards the coffee in her hand, “this conversation included.” He’d rubbed her the wrong way, and that was clear. It was the wrong day for it as well. Mary Jane would never have described herself as a particularly patient person even on a good day, would be squinting at this man in front of her even if she’d been in the best of moods when he approached her (trite, he’d called her work trite, after he’d corrected from shallow). But as he continued to speak, Mary Jane had to admit: he had a point, and she was agreeing with him. “I know I shouldn’t need to defend myself, but someone here made it feel necessary.” Mary Jane was slightly less tense, resigned that this conversation was going to happen and…well, he’d said some things that had caught her attention (after the shallow thing, in any case). He was right; she was exhausted. It was exhausting trying so hard to make a difference, to come up with ideas and scenarios that needed a little round tabling but were good at their bones to not even have her voice be heard. She was always being pulled in nineteen different directions, and none of them were doing any good. He knew the numbers, and Mary Jane nodded once to confirm he was correct. “That’s, uh…yeah. Nail on the head right there.” She knew the numbers, had looked them over a million times just in the past few weeks, but apparently she wasn’t the only one paying attention. “Come on strong? That whole speech you just gave? That was coming on strong. That was good work, got my attention, which apparently was your plan all along. Calling my work shallow and then trite? Almost made you wear that salad.” She rolled her eyes, and nodded again. “Alright, Alex Summers. I’ll sit with you, I have…” a quick glance at her watch, “half an hour until my next meeting.”

“Oh?” Alex looked down at himself when MJ informed him that his earlier coming-on-strong almost got his salad dumped on him. “Well. That’s why I put on the Zegna this morning – it goes well with romaine.” He sat down with Mary Jane, setting his tray on the table, and when she pointed out her next meeting time, said, “Then I’ll make this quick.”

[maryjancwatson]

@hellishheroics

Early mornings were never her favorite, never had been. Mary Jane had always been a night owl and it wasn’t even necessarily by choice; she’d been a chronic insomniac since high school, and that had resulted in her being vastly more productive at night than at any other time. That meshed fine when she’d had more control over setting her own schedule but that was not the case lately. No, nowadays she was expected to report at the UN Tower at seven am, which did not mesh well with her late nights. She’d been up later than usual, editing videos and stockpiling a few vlogs and instagram posts so she wouldn’t be playing catch up later in the week. She’d always found it best to use her late nights for productivity, but now she was paying the price. Coffee would help, and she half-heard what sounded like her order and reached up to snag the coffee from the bar in the cafeteria at the base of the tower. One sip informed her that this was not in fact her order. No, no, that was definitely actual milk and not oat milk, and she would be regretting not listening more closely later. A quick glance at the cup and MJ was sighing, seeing Karen scrawled in the barista’s now familiar handwriting, another figure also at the bar that MJ would assumed would be the actual person that this drink belonged to. “...Sorry.” It came with a sigh as MJ. “I’m dead on my feet, just heard half of the call out. Let me buy you a new one.”

[maryjancwatson]

@glovedanddangerous “Oh, come on...” The lighter in her hands kicked a spark, though nothing substantial enough to light the cigarette that had been placed between red painted lips. She was in-between meetings, on a coffee run and a much needed cigarette break...but her lighter had decided to crap out just when she really needed for it to cooperate. She cupped her hand around it, hopeful that eliminating the barely-there-breeze might help things along, but no dice: another slight spark, but her cigarette still remained very much unlit. Mary Jane sighed, resolving that she’d need to pick up another (hopefully on her way back) and replenish the back ups she usually kept in her purse. She removed the cigarette from her mouth, held between two fingers now, and a quick glance around had her approaching the nearest person with a half smile. “Do you happen to have a light?” Worth a shot.

[maryjancwatson]

harperarcher​:

“I am literally adopted. My adopted dad isn’t even White, so a lot of people are confused about this.” Roy gestured to his hair. His birth dad, from the few pictures and memories he has, was a sort of blonde-ish brunette, and he had no clue what his mom looked like. Regardless, no matter who Roy ended up with, his genetics would surely lose. Maybe Lian would just have amazing hand-eye coordination, which might also still be Jade’s doing.

“3. Almost 3. 3 in a couple of months.” Roy said. That was the one thing he knew for certain, that Lian was still in her terrible two’s. Most of which he missed, thank the stars above, but he’d be here for the rest of those important dates. “Guess I’ll get to carving then. Shouldn’t be too hard to whip out a crib, right?” Roy’s head was already swimming with logistics and plans to make a crib as soon as he got back, so long as Lian settled down for whatever activity she was gonna do at that time.

... Mary Jane considered the two, watching the toddler in his arms. She felt a smile growing and shrugged. “She might not be like, a carbon copy of you, but I can see similarities. She has your smile. And even then, people can be confused all they want; it’s not really their business, you know? Ignore it.” Something she’d gotten good at over the years, considering a whole lot of people wanted to know her business once her name had gotten big. Patting her pockets for a pen so that she could cross out the items that were already in the basket, MJ hummed a little under her breath. “I don’t know if you need a crib? She’d probably be okay with a bed, if she’s almost three? I think that’s about when my nieces transitioned out of their crib into a bed. Might be easier, less work to put together....But maybe more work down the line considering cribs requiring climbing out of and a bed she could just...get out of.”

[maryjancwatson]

sparesummers​:

“Aren’t you tired of it, Mary Jane?” Alex hadn’t turned in his UN credentials, despite his toying with the idea to leave his position as ambassador to Genosha, so when he reached the end of the line he handed his universal access card to the cashier and said, “Hers, too,” his attention still mostly on MJ. “Tired of the bureaucracy, the constant being shuffled off to somebody’s supervisor and then their supervisor, wanting to get something done that seems simple enough! And everyone tells you it’s a great idea, and thanks you for bringing it to their attention! And then it never actually comes to fruition and you realize it was all just a big runaround.”

Alex took his card back from the cashier, moving away from the line with his tray of salad and fruit and elderflower water but angling his body to keep MJ from moving away from him immediately. “You shouldn’t need to defend yourself,” he said, quickly, knowing that she was thisclose from grabbing his tray and knocking him over the head with it. “It’s absolutely true. And you shouldn’t need to work eight times harder than you need to in order to get anybody to listen to your ideas, good ideas, ideas with some guts and gumption to them that really help people. Even more than you already are.”

He raised his eyebrows at her. “What was it, last quarter? One-point-three million from Oscorp, two million’s worth of reconstruction investments from Kord Industries, at least one-point-eight million in medical ground transport from Silver Sable International?” Alex posed the numbers as questions, but he was certain of them. He’d paid attention. “Imagine, MJ, what you could do if you had people behind you who were not only supporting your work, but actively opening up avenues for you to help those most affected by these troubles more directly. Instead of putting roadblocks in your way.”

Pointing his elbow at a table, Alex gave her a smile, his demeanor taking a shift into contrite apology. “I’m sorry I put you through the third degree. I felt I needed to come on strong. Dramatics are the best way to impress a famous actress, right?” He leaned towards the table a bit, prompting, “Sit with me. Hear me out. My name’s Alex Summers and you, Mary Jane Watson, are looking at a man who obliterates roadblocks without a second thought.”

... “I’m tired of a lot of things right now,” she said, gesturing towards the coffee in her hand, “this conversation included.” He’d rubbed her the wrong way, and that was clear. It was the wrong day for it as well. Mary Jane would never have described herself as a particularly patient person even on a good day, would be squinting at this man in front of her even if she’d been in the best of moods when he approached her (trite, he’d called her work trite, after he’d corrected from shallow). But as he continued to speak, Mary Jane had to admit: he had a point, and she was agreeing with him. “I know I shouldn’t need to defend myself, but someone here made it feel necessary.” Mary Jane was slightly less tense, resigned that this conversation was going to happen and...well, he’d said some things that had caught her attention (after the shallow thing, in any case). He was right; she was exhausted. It was exhausting trying so hard to make a difference, to come up with ideas and scenarios that needed a little round tabling but were good at their bones to not even have her voice be heard. She was always being pulled in nineteen different directions, and none of them were doing any good. He knew the numbers, and Mary Jane nodded once to confirm he was correct. “That’s, uh...yeah. Nail on the head right there.” She knew the numbers, had looked them over a million times just in the past few weeks, but apparently she wasn’t the only one paying attention. “Come on strong? That whole speech you just gave? That was coming on strong. That was good work, got my attention, which apparently was your plan all along. Calling my work shallow and then trite? Almost made you wear that salad.” She rolled her eyes, and nodded again. “Alright, Alex Summers. I’ll sit with you, I have...” a quick glance at her watch, “half an hour until my next meeting.”

[maryjancwatson]

harperarcher​:

“I remember! Yeah, it’s all coming back now. We said about 2 words to each other! words that changed my life, I’ll tell you that.” Roy laughed. He could barely recall anything that happened that night, besides spending way too long to make his hair look nice, and leaving quickly because he didn’t think to bring a weapon to a formal ball. No sword down his back or anything. “You have to! Its like one of those Act of God clauses. You can’t blame yourself.”

“Literal traffic cones. I swear she’s related to me, everyone thinks she’s adopted.” Roy said, lifting her up with both of his arms to land a noisy kiss on her forehead, which Lian made a happy gurgle in response to. “Ok. Supporting local businesses is great. Gonna end up with some fancy wooden carved crib for my fancy baby.” Roy said, looking at Lian, who was currently wearing a Batman shirt. “Okay. I have some food. Maybe just like- milk? Do babies like milk?”

...

“Two words sounds about right, yeah. Glad to hear they were life changing, at least enough to remember me.” Or he recognized her face, which wouldn’t be an outlandish assumption considering Mary Jane Watson was a face that was reasonably well known. “Act of God clauses. I’ll remember that for next time I have to plan something of that magnitude. ..And, you know, try to plan for those acts of God so that shit doesn’t hit the fan the way that it did.” Gaining control of chaos wasn’t easy, and neither was planning for it. “If it makes you feel better I am the only redhead in my family and used to get those adoption comments all the time.” It probably came from somewhere down the line on her dad’s side, but she didn’t know that side of the family at all. “Hey, your fancy baby deserves that ancy wooden carved crib. It’ll also probably be built better than some mail-away thing. Not to mention comes with the perk of not having to assemble it yourself like the ones from IKEA. Watching my brother-in-law put those cribs together was...an event, considering the instructions from IKEA practically require a degree in engineering.” Peeking at the list he’d handed her, she nodded “Usually, yeah. Well, depending on how old she is.”