❝ it’s like, a long time, i’ve just been running through the motions. because people are –– they have a tendency kick right in the gut. and when you try and get up, or whatever . . . just ain’t worth it. ❞
@alceia asked: “so you’ve never been in love?”
❝ no, no, that’s –– i mean, i don’t mean it like, when you put it like that –– ❞ she feigns a laugh, nervous, as her mouth hangs agape trying to grasp at the right words so as not to set herself up. it really does take a valiant effort to render mary jane watson quipless. clever words are sort of her go - to, a convenient barrier to, well, lay out security measures against moments like this. but the thought catches her off guard, the truth behind the question. not the truth –– she’d been in love. she’d felt that before. right? she had. just . . . ❝ see, like, you gotta fake it, sometimes, right? when it comes down to the nitty gritty, the real, the real rough and tumble, you split. ❞ she pauses briefly, but worries she’s making it all out to sound more brutalizing than she really means for it to. self preservation is a notion always on mind, always sitting in the back of her head, a constant consideration. ❝ it’s picking your battles. ❞ she settles on this, some satisfaction in finding, at least, a way to put it. ❝ if love’s gonna be an uphill run, you just –– move on before it gets there. because that’s no fun. ❞










