Michelle Jones did not feel. She didn’t have time for cheesy high school bullshit. She did not care about anything. She definitely didn’t care about stupid dorky Peter “Always Late” Parker.
She had been constantly reminding herself of this.
Somehow she still forgot herself.
Because when Valentine’s Day came around this year she actually bought into it. She didn’t even feel like she was fully in control while she set it all up. She just felt herself float through the day and at the end of it she had an enormous pile of red heart covered items.
She lost control again when she got to school early and set up the entire hallway where Peter’s locker was with the same decorations she gathered.
MJ came back to her senses about half an hour before most kids would get to school. Within ten minutes she had them all down again. She could’ve sworn she had more though.
Peter Parker was not excited for Valentine’s Day this year. Normally he looked forward to the holiday. He and May would spend the day eating candies and taking turns picking cheesy romance movies. Sometimes she would tell him stories of how she and Ben met or their early dating days.
This year however, he wasn’t as happy as he felt like he should’ve been. Eventually he boiled it down to his inability to tell his crush of the last...however long he’s been helplessly head over heels, how he felt. He knew today would be a good day for it, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He didn’t want to scare her off. He was also fully aware of well it went last time he asked out a crush. He wasn’t ready to face near death by cement again.
And so he trudged his way to his usual first stop before first period, not looking forward to facing the constant reminders that he could take on an underground alien weapon cartel, but couldn’t tell his friend how he felt. MJ stood by his locker, arms crossed as she gave a small nod of recognition to him.
“Hey MJ.”
“Sup loser.”
“Any plans for the day?”
“Silently protest the mass manipulation of one of the most basic human feelings to sell candy and cards.”
Peter chuckled, “Awesome.”
MJ smirked, “Aren’t I?”
Peter’s smile fell as soon as his locker opened. A folded piece of paper drifted down and Peter plucked it from the air. It was a card. A Valentine’s Day card. Simple, sure, it was just a heart on a pink background, but still.
MJ’s expression fell too, “Peter, w-”
It was too late. He was already reading it.
Dear Parker,
I don’t have many friends
You’re pretty cool
For a loser anyway
Be My Valentine?
-MJ
“...really?”
MJ blinked, “What?”
Peter closed the locker door as he faced her, “Is this real?” he asked holding up the card.
“...maybe?”
“MJ.”
“Ugh, yeah.”
Suddenly Peter was grinning ear to ear.
“What’s that for?”
“I’ve been waiting for this day, is all.”
MJ raised her brow again, “Really? Waiting for a little card for some forced mass marketed-” Her sentance died off when Peter pulled her into a hug.
“It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“..Don’t worry about it.”
Peter pulled away before asking, “So, do you maybe wanna, like, go out some time?”
“Yes.” She answered a little too quickly, “I mean, yeah sure whatever. Why not?”
Peter’s grinned somehow doubled in size as they started walking backwards in opposite directions, “Great, awesome. I-I’ll text you later.”
MJ nodded and disappeared around the corner.
Years later as they returned from their Honeymoon MJ found that card again. She found it in Peter’s bedside drawer. He never let it go, not even for a second. He was truly gone for that girl.