Teasing & Training
Jess pulled away, a playful smirk on her lips as she studied Peter's face.
"Your first kiss, wasn't it?" she teased.
Peter touched his lips, still feeling the warmth from the kiss.
"Yeah… and I can't believe the sweet and innocent Jess turned out like this."
Jess grinned. "I'm still pure, you know. Just a few kisses here and there with guys who seemed interesting… but mostly with my girlfriends."
Peter froze.
Wait. What?
His brain short-circuited, immediately picturing things he shouldn't.
"I didn't need to know that," he muttered, shaking his head.
Jess's smile widened. "Aw, is our little Peter a shy boy?"
Peter rolled his eyes but smirked. "Stop teasing me, or I'll get some help from above, and you'll know what real skill is."
Jess's eyes sparkled with mischief. "That sounds awesome. Go ahead and ask for those skills. Once you get them, we can enjoy life outside of fighting."
Peter narrowed his eyes. "Someone needs to put you in horny jail. You're way too thirsty."
Jess giggled, leaning forward. "So… does that mean you didn't enjoy it? You don't want to enjoy greater things?"
Peter sighed, but his lips twitched into a small smile.
"I did enjoy it," he admitted. "But nothing more than kisses. We're not in a relationship, so anything beyond that would be… weird."
Jess gave a small nod, her usual playfulness softening a little.
"Fair enough."
Peter stretched and checked the time.
"Let's spar first and train to cool down. My classes are in the afternoon today, what about you?"
Jess smiled. "I got no class today."
"Great. We'll train for three hours, then have a lunch date."
Jess raised an eyebrow. "Date?"
Peter smirked. "Yeah, just a simple restaurant for now. Wait until we get rich, then we'll dine in the fancy places."
Jess grinned.
"I'll be looking forward to it."
She had full confidence in Peter's intelligence.
It was only a matter of time before he made it big.
The duo finished their breakfast, chatting casually before heading to a safe, isolated area for their sparring session.
They made their way to the nearby mountains, ensuring that no one was around to see them.
Jess wore her old costume, while Peter was in his black-and-white suit.
"As I explained," Peter began, stretching his arms, "we're going to spar so you can get used to your powers and learn how to adapt. I'll give advice when necessary, but you should rely on your instincts and imagination."
Jess hovered slightly above him, crossing her arms.
"This is going to be painful, isn't it?"
Peter smirked. "Do you want to grow strong or not?"
Jess chuckled. "Just checking to see what you were going to say."
Peter took a step back, putting a hundred meters of distance between them.
"Alright, let's start."
Before Jess could react, Peter shot his web and caught her foot.
"Wait—"
THWIP!
Jess was ripped from the air, slammed through several trees, and sent tumbling.
'Man, this does not feel good,' Peter thought as he watched her crash through the foliage.
Jess groaned, pushing herself up.
A second later, a purple energy bolt shot from her fingertips, blasting toward Peter.
Peter dodged, the attack piercing the tree behind him.
Damn, that would have hurt.
Jess, now in the air, started shooting energy bullets toward him. They were wild, large, and lacked precision, but they packed a punch.
Peter weaved through them, easily avoiding the attacks.
With a flick of his wrist, he latched a web onto a rock and used it as a rubber band, launching himself forward at high speed.
His feet connected with her abdomen, sending her flying.
Before she could recover, Peter caught her by the leg, spun her around, and slammed her into the ground.
Jess groaned, staring at the sky.
Peter landed smoothly beside her.
"Want to try fighting on the ground first, or are you good with this?" he asked.
Jess sat up, rubbing her head.
"Ughh… let's just fight on the ground. This aerial combat is making my head spin."
Peter smirked. "Good choice. Let's just fight with our bodies for now."
Jess took a stance, lifting her fists in a mock boxing pose and rushing in with a straight punch.
Peter sidestepped easily and countered with a shoulder tackle, sending her tumbling.
She rolled, quickly pushed off the ground, and lunged at him, trying to tackle him down.
Peter simply jumped over her and kicked her in the back, making her crash face-first into the dirt.
"Oof!"
She pushed herself up, spitting out dust.
Peter crossed his arms.
"Take it slow. Rushing will get you nowhere. If we keep going like this, we'll be here all day playing like kids."
Jess sighed, stretching her sore limbs.
"Fine. I'm tired of being thrown around. It's painful."
Peter nodded.
"Good. From now on, I'll attack slowly and tell you how to react. You just have to remember what to do."
Peter took his time, demonstrating the proper way to punch, kick, block, grapple, tackle, knee, elbow, and even headbutt.
Jess suffered hit after hit, learning with her body rather than just listening.
Peter didn't hold back, knowing she could heal like him.
There was no need for mercy.
Each time she got knocked down, Peter helped her up with words of encouragement, pushing her to keep going.
She quickly realized that she wasn't a genius fighter.
But with every hit and every mistake, her body learned.
By the end of the session, she had broken a few bones, experienced true exhaustion, and felt her limits for the first time since getting her powers.
She was soaked in sweat, barely able to move.
It was painful. It was harsh.
But for the first time…
She felt like she was actually improving.
Jess collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.
Peter smirked, offering his hand.
"Not bad for your first real fight."
Jess took his hand, groaning.
"Ughhh… You're a terrible teacher."
Peter laughed. "You're just a terrible student."
Despite her aching body, Jess smiled.
A few more sessions like this, and she'd be unstoppable.
Peter let out a satisfied sigh, stretching his arms as he sat on a large rock near the pond.
"Good work. Let's just relax here and have some lunch in the wild," he said.
Jess raised an eyebrow. "I was not expecting that."
Peter chuckled. "Me neither. It just sort of happened." He glanced at her with a mischievous smirk. "Just like this is apparently happening."
Before Jess could question him, Peter scooped her up into his arms and leaped straight into the pond.
Splash!
Jess yelped as the cool water engulfed them, washing away the dust and sweat from their intense training.
She surfaced, clinging to him, eyes wide with surprise before breaking into laughter.
"I was definitely not expecting that either," she grinned, flicking water at his face. "But it's a welcome surprise."
Peter wiped the water off his face, smirking. "I thought you'd like it, so here we are."
Jess floated on her back for a moment, staring at the sky. "Didn't know you were the camping type."
Peter shrugged. "I'm not, really. But I did spend a month in the wild training, so I picked up a few things."
Jess tilted her head. "A month? Sounds like a pain."
"It was a pain." Peter sighed dramatically. "No proper bed, no showers, no internet—just me, nature, and a bunch of wild animals trying to eat me."
Jess snorted. "Sounds like a budget survival show. What, were you Bear Grylls-ing it?"
Peter smirked. "More like Naruto Grylls-ing it. He made sure I'd never go hungry if I got stranded somewhere."
Jess chuckled. "That's kinda cool. So… does that mean you can actually catch food and not just burn toast?"
Peter scoffed. "Of course. Watch and learn."
Peter disappeared into the trees, and after a few minutes, Jess heard a splash in the pond.
She turned just in time to see him pulling out a couple of fish, holding them up triumphantly.
"See?" He smirked. "Easy."
Jess clapped mockingly. "Oh wow, what a mighty hunter. Shall I fetch you a stone tablet to carve your victory into?"
Peter rolled his eyes as he set up a makeshift firepit.
With practiced hands, he cleaned the fish, seasoned them with spices he had stashed away, and set them to cook over the fire.
Jess's stomach growled.
She placed a hand over it, pouting. "So not fair. How come that smells so good?"
Peter smirked. "Because I know what I'm doing."
Jess smirked back. "Debatable."
As they waited for the fish to cook, Jess poked at the fire with a stick, watching the flames flicker.
"This is nice," she admitted. "I didn't think my first date would be in the middle of nowhere like this, but… it's actually pretty great."
Peter arched an eyebrow. "First date, huh? So you admit it's a date?"
Jess rolled her eyes. "Shut up."
Peter laughed. "I mean, I was going to call it a survival exercise, but hey, if you wanna call it a date—"
She threw a small pebble at him.
"Ow!" Peter rubbed his shoulder. "That hurt. My fragile heart."
Jess giggled. "You'll live."
As they ate their food, Peter found himself learning more about Jess through their casual conversation.
She was confident and playful, always looking for ways to tease him.
At first glance, she seemed very outgoing, but deep down, she was more reserved than she let on.
She was a little perverse in her humor, but genuinely pure inside.
Despite having powers, she still had fears—especially about getting hurt.
She had boyish hobbies, loved watching fights, and enjoyed sparring, but also had a girly side, as seen in the way she designed her hero suit.
She wasn't book-smart, but she was perceptive about people and situations.
And most importantly…
She was fun to be around.
Peter set his stick down, licking his fingers clean. "I gotta admit, you're not what I expected."
Jess tilted her head. "Oh? And what did you expect?"
Peter smirked. "Dunno. Maybe a cocky loudmouth who gets into fights for fun?"
Jess grinned. "You mean, me?"
Peter laughed. "Yeah, but you're also… kinda cool."
Jess mock-gasped, placing a hand on her chest. "Peter Parker, did you just call me cool? Hold on—let me record this moment!"
Peter rolled his eyes. "Relax, it's just one compliment."
Jess smirked. "Oh no, no, no. You've doomed yourself. Now I'm gonna hold this over your head forever."
Peter groaned. "Why did I say anything?"
Jess leaned closer, resting her chin on her hand. "Because deep down, you know you enjoy my company."
Peter exhaled, giving her a side-eye.
"…Yeah," he admitted.
Jess grinned. "I knew it."
They sat there for a while, relaxing in silence, watching the sun slowly set behind the trees.
The air was calm, the scent of the fire lingering in the breeze.
It was a moment of peace, far away from the noise of the city.
Jess leaned back against a tree. "You know, I could get used to this."
Peter smiled. "Yeah. Me too."
He glanced at her.
"…Wanna do this again sometime?"
Jess smirked. "What, another survival date?"
Peter chuckled. "Something like that."
She hummed, pretending to think about it.
"Only if I get to push you into the pond next time."
Peter laughed. "Deal."