Disclaimer: Marvel owns everything just borrowing them for my own and hopefully the amusement of other fans.
Notes: This is based on the Spiderman The Clone Saga miniseries and is set two years after that.
Contains:
Peter/MJ, Mentions of Peter/Gwen, Ben/Elizabeth Tyne, Ben/Gambit and one sided brief teen crush on Johnny storm from both Peter and Ben.I Never
He had only been back in town for a few weeks and hadn’t expected to end up baby sitting May to give Peter and Mary Jane a night out. He knew that Aunt May normally took care of her but she was out of town attending a friend’s funeral. Which reminded him of why he’d finally returned to the city despite leaving more than two years ago except for short visits. Aunt May had suffered a bout of pneumonia recently and while she had recovered it was a wake up call that she didn’t have much time left so he should see her as much as he could while she was here.
He heard the door opening and Peter and Mary Jane entering the room. “I don’t care what you say MJ grown adults do not play games like I never outside of bad movies.” He wondered what they were teasing each other about now; he’d heard them have a real argument and this wasn’t one it was the playful teasing that often resulted in him feeling uncomfortable and having to leave.
“Hey Ben, is May asleep,” Mary Jane asked ignoring Peter. He nodded and she turned toward their daughters room. “I’ll just check on her and then you can join me and Peter for a drink.” She said with a smirk on her face as she left.
“You didn’t care for the movie I take it,” He said to Peter who threw himself on the couch looking annoyed. Peter just threw up his hands in annoyance. “And what was that about I never when you came in the door?”
“The movie, had this seen of thirty year old people playing I never like they were preteens all so the lead character could be outed as a virgin,” Peter said with a snort. “I said stuff like that never happens and Mary Jane insisted she had been to Hollywood parties were stuff like that happened.”
“I agree with her actually,” He said seeing Peter stare at him like he was a traitor. “My experiences on the road showed me you’d be amazed what folks will do when they want to drink.” He heard Mary Jane laughing as she rejoined them. “Believe me Peter once you’ve had to break up a fist fight between a pair of drag queens fighting over who stole who’s wig nothing people do will surprise you.”
“You could never get me to play that game,” Peter said after a moment. “Also what on Earth were you doing that had you breaking up a fight between Drag queens?” He and Peter had never really talked about his time on the road.
“I was working at a club and they had knocked the bouncer out,” he answered causally. “I broke it up before the cops were called since I didn’t want to have to explain my fake ids to the police.” He said. “It wasn’t the first time I had to diffuse a situation before the cops were called and it wasn’t the last either.” He glanced at the clock. “I think I should go I need to go job hunting tomorrow.” He’d lost his last job when the coffee shop burned down because the owner of the dry cleaner next door had torched his own place for the insurance money.
“Just stay in the spare room tonight,” Mary Jane said as she arrived carrying a large bottle of wine and three glasses. “Now Tiger, You me and Ben are going to play I never.” He couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Peter’s face. He knew he should make his excuses and go but he had to see where this was going so he’d put up with staying under the same roof as them for one night.
“Come on MJ really,” Peter said a bit put out but his tone already said he’d agree. “Do we really have to play that childish game just so you can prove a point to me?” He watched as Mary Jane poured three glasses of wine and set them in front of all of them.
“Yes we do Peter,” she said with a wink to her husband. “Now I’ve never been a super hero,” She said with a wink looking over at the two of them. He obediently took his drink while Peter grumbling did the same. “All Right Ben your turn?” She said and he saw Peter pout as he’d expected to go next.
“I’ve never been married,” he said watching the other two take a drink. Peter’s turn then came and went and the statements remained generic and not really that exciting. The game was honestly very boring if it was just three people instead of a room full of drunken idiots. Of course hard liquor instead of wine might have helped.
Several turns later after Mary Jane had made them drink with she’d never slept with a girl he knew what was coming. “I’ve never slept with a guy,” Peter said and then froze when he took a drink with MJ. “Really Ben you’ve been with a guy?”
“Yeah more than one actually,” He said and not surprisingly the game died out after that and an awkward as hell silence started up. He knew they were disturbed cause of the clone thing and that Peter was also probably getting the wrong idea since he’d had to go on the run once or twice and knew what kind of choices folks on the street made to survive.
Eventually Mary Jane headed off to bed and left him alone with Peter. He knew what was coming as soon as he saw the concerned look on Peter’s face. “If you ever want to talk about it you know I’ll listen?”
“You’ve got the wrong idea Peter,” he said cutting him off. “I wasn’t selling my body on the street for money the guys I slept with it was consensual and I wanted to.” He had done things he wasn’t proud of sometimes when he was desperate but he hadn’t done that. “I just figured since I went both ways that you did too but maybe the Jackal made a mistake in the cloning.”
“No, I’ve occasionally wondered but at first I had Gwen and then a few others and now MJ and nothing could ever make me cheat on her.” Peter said honestly. “I was just surprised is all I mean with me it never got beyond a vague curiosity and a Johnny Storm poster.”
“The one you tore up after finding out what a jack ass he was when you tried to join the Fantastic Four?” He offered as a suggestion the memory clear in his head. “I completely forgot about how much I liked that poster even though I didn’t quiet realize why at the time.” They were both soon laughing about it.
“You’ve never been with any guy I know have you cause that might make things awkward if I run into them,” Peter said after a moment. “I mean I doubt it since you weren’t in New York for any of that time but just in case.”
“Well there was one,” He said wondering how Peter was going to take this statement. “You know that member of the X-men with the red and black eyes.” He saw Peter staring at him. “You know Gambit the one with the exploding cards.”
“You had sex with him,” Peter said clearly shocked. “I mean how on Earth did that happen?” He could tell Peter was really thrown by that and from the look on his face was somewhere between curious and horrified.
“You remember the club I mentioned earlier,” He said figuring he would enjoy seeing Peter’s reaction to this. “I was working there as a dancer and so was he and things kind of happened.” He saw Peter staring at him. “The club specialized in Fantasy hero vs villain sequences and Gambit made a great Dracula with his eyes that he passed off as contacts.” He then watched Peter’s face closely cause this reaction was going to be priceless. “And since I already had the suit I got one easily as the club’s new Spiderman.” He had actually enjoyed that job more than most until it turned out the club was laundering money for the mob and Gambit was there to steal everything from them.
“You were stripping as Spiderman,” Peter said clearly horrified. “Please tell me that you left the mask on.” Peter said putting his head in his hands. He assured Peter he left the mask on and a short while later Peter headed to bed.
He couldn’t help but wonder about the conversation Peter and Mary Jane would inevitibly have after he left. He looked over a picture of them together and once more thought about Elizabeth it was strange that both of their great loves were red headed women. He was bit jealous that Peter got his happy ending with his but he couldn’t help but also be happy for them.
The End.
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