CAT SCRATCH FEVER | PETER PARKER

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

Peter's eyes remained unblinking as he stared at the phone in his hand. There, displayed in small text across the cracked screen, were the words, 'I'm sorry.' His fingers started typing frantically over the keyboard as he vomited out a desperate apology to the person on the other end.

Something happened last night and I didn't want it to.

No, that made him sound guiltier than he really was. Shaking his head, Peter deleted the text and began typing out a new sentence.

Can I see you during lunch? I need to tell you something.

There. That sounded better. It was vague, but still clear enough that what he had to say was important. It would probably keep MJ guessing the entire morning, gnawing at her mind as the minutes ticked on towards noon.

Just as his shame had been gnawing at him since last night.

Peter couldn't understand why he felt this way. It wasn't like he had done anything wrong. Black Cat had kissed him, not the other way around. And it wasn't like he had enjoyed it either, especially not after all the woman had put him through.

Then why? Why did he still feel this guilt weighing on him? He knew he hadn't betrayed MJ or their relationship.

Relationship. That was the keyword here. What Peter and MJ had could hardly be considered a relationship. They hadn't talked for days, much less seen each other. It hadn't been like this in high school where they saw each other every day for practically every class.

The truth was MJ didn't even feel like his girlfriend anymore.

Peter couldn't blame her for that though. He knew she was busy with college just like he was. Heck, he had expected it would be like this once they graduated.

But that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less, watching as your girlfriend and best friend grew further and further away.

So while Ned was doing who knows what and MJ was focused on her art, someone else had stepped in to fill the void in Peter's life.

Swallowing a frustrated sigh, he realized he couldn't deny it any longer. It was true. Peter enjoyed the attention Black Cat gave him in spite of everything. It was nice to know someone still cared about him. That someone actively sought him out and wanted to be around him.

"Well... Spider-Man at least," he muttered, glancing back at his phone.
His thumb hovered over the send button as he contemplated whether he should press it or not. With a deep intake of air, Peter shut his eyes and hit the tiny paper airplane. His finger had just touched the screen when the phone suddenly fell from his hand and onto the subway tracks below.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Peter groaned. Not bothering to check to the side, he hopped off the platform and stomped over the tracks towards his phone. He had just snatched it off the gravel when the hair on his arms stood up.

Peter snapped his head up, his eyes widening at the bright headlights shining through the dark tunnel. "Oh, fu–"

"Oh my God!" Someone screamed from the platform as the horn blared in the distance.

In a flash, Peter started towards the gathering crowd atop the platform, kicking back gravel from under his heels as he ran. The crowd waved to him with their outstretched arms and yelled for him to hurry. He could sense the train quickly approaching. It would be here in a matter of seconds.

Although he knew he could survive a hit head-on, that did not stop Peter from bounding onto the platform and grabbing onto the many extended hands. He had just scrambled up to his feet when the train rushed past him, sending a gush of wind over him. His shirt lifted slightly, and his brown curls blew to the side.