[Osborn Plot] Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.

[daretodo]

It was paint, I keep reminding myself. Norman Osborn's hand was covered in red paint. Even knowing that, though, the image is hard to get out of my mind -- Norman's hand dripping in red, the look of insanity behind his eyes, just beneath the surface after months spent buried. The change in weather took away more than just the snow. He's not pretending anymore. Whoever Alton Hartford was is gone, now, and all that's left is Norman.

Norman, Norman, Norman.

I tear through the jungle like a man possessed, adrenaline pushing me faster with each passing second. I need to find Mary Jane -- need to make sure she's alright, need to warn her that what we've been dreading for months is probably right around the corner. When I show up at her hut, drenched in sweat and white as a ghost, I only hope I picked the right one. We can't afford to waste more time.

"Mary Jane!" I call, rapping my knuckles hard against the door. "Mary Jane, open up!"

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[daretodo]

"I have no intention of dying," I say, just as quietly. The part I keep to myself -- the part I have no need to voice aloud while she's here -- is that I also have no intention of getting out of this entirely unscathed. There's a grave outside my house that stands testament to what can happen if things go south, and that reminder weighs heavy on my mind, even now.

I can take care of myself. It's her I'm worried for.

[getemtiger.livejournal.com]

"No one ever does," Mary Jane pointed out, worrying at her lower lip. She didn't need him to say anything for her to know that he had no intention of dying. It wasn't under his control, though, at least to an extent. None of this was. That was what made it so goddamn difficult. "But I need you to make it through this in one piece."

She paused, reconsidering the wording of that. "I need you."

[daretodo]

"Hey, hey, hey," I whisper, lifting my hand to cup her cheek. Turning a little, I lean forward, resting my forehead against hers. "Look at me. I'm going to live through this, okay? Both of us are. So I'm not leaving. Because I want to marry you someday, Mary Jane Watson, and I can't do that if I'm gone."

[getemtiger.livejournal.com]

Mary Jane stilled at that, lips parting in surprise. Given what was going on and that they'd only been back together for a matter of weeks, she couldn't say she had expected anything like that, not so soon, and not when they were planning how to stay safe from a murderous psychopath. Still, it was hardly anything she wouldn't have wanted. If anything, it gave her all the more reason to want to keep holding on.

"You want -" she began quietly, then shook her head a little, leaning into his touch. It wasn't the time to focus on that. "You better live through it," she settled on instead, breaths growing shakier. "Don't you even think about anything else. That's all that matters, that we can make it through this. And then, after, we can think about... You really mean that?"

[daretodo]

Remember what I said before, about not being known for my spectacular planning? This is one of those cases. Mary Jane's mouth opens in surprise, and for a moment my expression mirrors hers. I want to marry you -- it's the sort of thing that sounds good in the moment, easy like breathing, a promise that you have no intention of keeping. Except, of course, for the part where I meant every word of it. We've gone through our ups and downs -- and there's no question that we're about to sink lower than ever before at Osborn's discretion -- but if our month apart taught me anything, it's that I can't lose her again.

"Yeah," I say on an exhale, with a short, decisive nod. "Yeah, I do."

[getemtiger.livejournal.com]

"Oh." It sounded stupid, beyond stupid, even, but for a moment there was nothing more Mary Jane could say, struck speechless by both the prospect of marriage and the context in which he'd mentioned it. All sorts of responses were filling her head, variations on how much she wanted that too, or that he was speaking in a time of crisis and wasn't thinking straight and they could talk about it when, God willing, Norman was taken care of and they'd made it through this, but though she tried, she couldn't make any words come out. Finally, she took a deep breath -- not an easy feat, given all that was on her mind, and nodded once. "Right."

Before he could respond, she leaned in and kissed him, gentle but with intent, about the only way she could think of to tell him her thoughts on the matter. She just hoped he would get the message, if only because she wasn't sure how likely she would be to manage anything coherent just yet.

[daretodo]

My eyes fall shut. Despite everything -- the panic, the fear, the almost overwhelming sense of dread for the inevitable -- I smile against her mouth, barely enough to even qualify, but just a little all the same. I take a deep breath through my nose, sliding my hand from her cheek to the back of her neck, her skin impossibly warm under mine. Holding her like this, it strikes me how selfish I'm being for dragging her into this mess, a remnant from an entirely different universe of which her only tie is me. If I were a stronger man, maybe I would drive her away all over again, but I'm not. I'm not that strong. The honest truth is, I don't know what I'd do without her...

Which is why there is no power on this island that will prevent me from keeping her safe and whole.

[getemtiger.livejournal.com]

Mary Jane stayed where she was got a long moment, unwilling to pull away and be faced with everything that was wrong again, but having sense enough not to do anything more, either. All she knew was that it was ending soon, which to her meant anything from weeks to mere minutes, and it wasn't worth the risk of something happening now. Finally, reluctantly, she eased back, just enough to rest her forehead against his. She still ought to have said something, she was sure, but she didn't even know where to start, or if it was even something she was supposed to mention again, so she didn't. Instead, she stayed still under his touch, gaze not leaving his. If he wanted to say anything more about it, he would, and that was that.