This is it guys! :D Thanks for all the reviews on last chapter

Peter's plan

Chapter 23

'This is it.'

MJ says sure with a casual shrug, and then Peter's mind kind of goes blank for a while. It feels like he's been floating in the air since they got on that first lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Ned bumped him in the shoulder when they got out of the second one, and wished him good luck in a whisper. And now he's here. Here, at the top of the Eiffel Tower, with MJ, and she's just agreed to talk with him. Alone. Oh God he really hopes she kind of suspects where this is going because he's freaking out so much he's pretty sure he's not gonna make any sense at all.

No, no that's not what's gonna happen. He's gonna do this, and do this right. He's been waiting for this moment in particular for weeks, when he's pretty sure things could have happened sooner if he hadn't been so set on following his plan. So he's gonna make it worth the wait. Yes. He can do this.

"Okay, cool," he smiles, and his mouth is very dry, but he ignores it. Everyone from their group is just a few feet away, so Peter points to the stairs behind them, and MJ nods without a word. He's thankful that she understood what he meant without him having to actually speak the words. He really wants to do this right, but his nerves are still acting out, sadly. Deep breaths. He's got this.

They walk down the few steps to the covered area with windows overlooking the city. They find a quiet spot over the Seine and stand there admiring the view for a minute. Peter takes this as an opportunity to try and calm down his pounding heart, but it's apparently a lost cause. He's been on the verge of a senses overload ever since they got on the tower, he thinks, but actually being here instead of upstairs, with the wind and the sounds coming up from the city just a distant rumor now, well it feels a little better.

MJ is looking in the distance, and Peter's heart aches a little at all the feeling flooding him at this sight. He cannot believe he's about to tell her. This could easily become one of the best days of his life, if he doesn't screw things up. Come on, you can do this.

"So um," he clears his throat a little awkwardly as she turns to meet his eyes and he instantly forgets what he was about to say. No, the necklace first, and then the rest. He's got this. "MJ there's uh, there's this thing that I wanted to give you."

"Oh," she raises her eyebrows in surprise, then looks down at her feet for a second before looking up again. "Okay. Well I uh, I have something for you too actually." She pinches her lips then gives him a small, shy smile, and Peter thinks his brain is officially gone now.

"Oh, cool."

"But um, you go first," she adds, and she sounds a little nervous too now, so Peter's heart effectively jumps in his chest. She probably knows where this is going. She doesn't know about the necklace – he made Ned promise he wouldn't tell Betty, and he's pretty sure he kept his promise – but he's so obvious all the time that he's sure she knows that he likes her. So if she's here with him right now, and above all things she's a little nervous too, well then it can only mean one thing.

Oh God he's getting ahead of himself, he needs to focus. First the necklace. And then… well, then.

"Right, okay sure," he says, and hates himself instantly because his voice is all squeaky and ridiculous now. "So I had this plan that I wanted to give you," he begins, but then realizes what he's saying doesn't make any sense so he swings his backpack in front of him and grabs the small box inside. "I'm just, I'm just gonna give it to you," he stammers a little, gulping, then hands her the box. "Here."

She takes it without a word, and their fingers brush in the process, sending shivers up Peter's arms. He's done it. He gave it to her. Now it's in her hands. Maybe he should talk. Explain. Tell her everything. Her expression is so quiet and thoughtful though. He watches as she narrows her eyes to examine the small box with interest, and something goes loose in his heart. It crashes through him like a tidal wave, and it leaves him speechless.

There's the slightest hint of a smile on her lips, and Peter forgets how to breathe. She carefully opens the round box, and he wonders what's going through her mind right now. He doesn't feel the need to fill the silence with words anymore. MJ is doing just that with each tiny change in her expression, with each careful movement she makes as she examines the gift in her hands. He's just an onlooker, a witness to her thoughtful study, and he's really happy he gets to do so from a front row seat.

MJ gently raises the necklace out of the box, which she slides in the pocket of her sweatshirt. Peter holds his breath as she brushes the fragile petals of the glass flower with the tip of her finger, cradling it in her palm with so much care and softness his own heart seems to melt in his chest. Her eyes then move from the necklace to him, and he's instantly overwhelmed by the warmth in them. Then she smiles, quietly, shyly, fondly.

"Peter that's…" she takes a slightly shaky breath and looks back at the necklace like she doesn't know what to say, and he panics for a split second. But then she moves her hair to the side, unclips the necklace and puts it on, and Peter doesn't think he's ever felt such an intense thrill before. And one of his pastime is literally swinging between buildings and fighting crime, so he's known his fair share of thrills before, but this, this is something else entirely. She likes it. She likes it.

"Thank you," she says simply, and Peter knows he's probably beaming at her right now. She seems to like it, because she smiles too, and it reaches her eyes, and his heart skips a beat once again.

"You're welcome," he tells her, and he's surprised he remembers how to speak still.

"A black Dahlia, like…"

"The murder yeah," Peter nods, and she bites her lower lip like she doesn't want to smile too much, but her eyes are still sparkling and he's honestly never seen such a beautiful thing in his life. "You look really pretty," he says very quietly without thinking.

"Therefor I have value?" she retorts, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at that, and for a half a second Peter actually panics. Then he sees the mischievous glint in her eyes and he pretends to sigh deeply, and then she's grinning and it sends his heart pounding because wow. "Ha, you're getting better at this," she tells him with an appreciative smirk, and he bows his head.

"Told you I was gonna," he beams, intentionally taking a very self-satisfied expression that has her snort instantly.

"Yeah yeah, don't get too full of yourself, I'm not done with you," she retorts, waving her finger in his face, and he laughs. He likes the pleased look she gives him at that. It sends his heart flying in his chest again.

"So you're not done with me?" he asks after a few seconds of staring at each other in silence, hoping he sounds casual and not too hopeful or worse, desperate. She smirks and shakes her head at this, but then he watches as she quickly glances at his lips then back at his eyes, and an excited shiver runs up his spine. "That's cool," he nods a little breathlessly, and she chuckles. Her eyes are filled with amusement and what definitely looks like fondness, and Peter honestly cannot believe his luck. This is going great.

One more step. Telling her how he feels. He thinks back to this day where he exposed his plan to Ned in the art classroom, back home. It seems so long ago, and it was only five days ago. This is the turning point, he thinks. If he's read the signs correctly, and he's pretty sure he has, then MJ feels the same. This is elating. Insane. Amazing. He cannot believe his luck.

One more step, and then he might get the chance to kiss her. Or he could do it right now. They've been dancing around each other for a little while now. Maybe he should kiss her. Ask her first, obviously. 'MJ, can I kiss you?' The words are easy, he just needs to form them on his tongue and lips, and say them.

x

"Alright, my turn now."

"Right, yes," Peter agrees with an awkward nod, and MJ bites down her smile. She wonders if he was just thinking about kissing her. He looked very serious and intense really, and wow she'd almost forgotten about that other thing. The chain of the black Dahlia necklace is cold against her skin. She cannot believe he got this for her. She loves it. She doesn't wear much jewelry, except for her earrings, but this. She couldn't find the words earlier to describe the unraveling of her mind at the sight of this gift. He got this, for her. He bought it, probably in Venice if she had to guess, and waited for them to be here, at the top of the Eiffel Tower, to give it to her. She cannot even begin to say how grateful she is for this – for him.

Is this a mistake? The question flashes in her mind incessantly as she reaches for the drawing in her handbag. She could pretend she just wanted him to have her copy of A Room Of One's Own because it's a good read. Discreetly slip the drawing out of it and give him the book, and then maybe they could kiss a little – yes, the thought of kissing him here of all places has been ogling her mind ever since he gave her the necklace, screw her she thinks that's perfectly rational. Maybe that would be for the best. After all she has no idea how he's gonna react. It's quite stressful, honestly.

But then again, she wants to do this. She wants to know the truth, she wants him to know that she knows. And if she doesn't do it now, then she's pretty sure she's gonna chicken out of it. And then what? They get together but he keeps hiding it all, and she keeps pretending she has no idea? She doesn't want that. She doesn't want him to lie, and she doesn't want to lie to him either. Right now is the best moment to do this. She has to do this. Hopefully she doesn't screw everything up in the process.

Her hands are shaking a little as she grabs the book and flips the pages to get the drawing. She can feel Peter's eyes on her, and her pounding heart is so loud she doesn't even hear the crowd of excited tourists above them. This is it. She's so nervous she wonders if she's not about to break into tears or something. That would be ridiculous. This is okay, this is important. She has to do this, she doesn't see herself not doing this anyway. It's gonna be okay.

She takes the drawing in her shaky fingers, leaving it folded in two, and hands it to Peter without a word. This is it. It's in his hands now. He thanks her with a sweet smile, but she cannot bring herself to give one back. She briefly considers the idea of running away and hide forever. No. She can't do that. This is it. She cannot chicken out of it now, she has to know. She slides her trembling hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt, her fingers closing around the little metal box he gave her.

This is it.

MJ watches with a pounding heart as Peter unfolds the drawing. She studies how his whole body instantly stills, colors slowly draining from his face as he takes in what this is. She watches as his lower lip trembles a little. He scans the sheet with his eyes, and they grow more and more panicking with each seconds passing. MJ feels her heart falling in her chest. Oh no.

"Peter it's okay I–" She catches her breath as he looks up to meet her eyes. She's never seen him look so restless, so tensed, almost like he's scared. This was a mistake. "I, I swear I haven't told anyone," she stammers, mouth very dry, and he lets out a very nervous sigh at this.

He reaches to rub the back of his neck, eyes flying to the drawing in his hand, and his expression changes. He's past his initial shock, and now she reads on his face that he's looking for a way out. An excuse. She can almost see the gears turning like crazy behind his brown eyes. She can feel it even before the words start pouring out of his mouth in a tangle mess of stuttering. "What is, wh– why, I mean, ha, it's not, I'm not–"

And it hurts. She thinks her heart breaks a little, which is a stupid way to think of it because obviously her heart is fine and this is just a dumb metaphor or whatever. But it still hurts, no matter how hard she wants to deflect the pain and disappointment and hide behind the walls she spent years building and crumbled so easily in a matter of days just because of him. Thanks to him.

She takes a step forward, forcing him to look up and meet her eyes. She's not gonna do this. She deserves the truth. They're standing inches apart now, the top of the drawing brushing against her chest. "Don't lie, please."

Hurt flashes in his brown eyes, then so many other things she loses track of them all. She's pretty sure she saw a spark of shame, embarrassment, some fear too. Then something else settles in his pupils, and it blows her mind away. Compliance. He doesn't say the words, but somehow she knows. She's right. He is Spider-Man. They stare at each other for a moment, and MJ has no idea what to say. They're breathing the same air and she knows. This is huge.

"How?"

His voice is very low, hesitant and almost hoarse. This is huge for him too. She wonders who else knows. Ned does, she's sure of that part, his aunt too, probably. Tony Stark. Probably all the Avengers-related people. This is insane. She was right this whole time.

"I'm very observant," she says with a casual shrug, hoping to diffuse the tension around them. It doesn't work at all. Peter looks down to the drawing again, and he looks sad and hurt, and she only understands why with his next few words.

"So you were only watching me because you thought that–"

"Peter," she cuts him, barely holding back a deep sigh – how can he be so smart and yet so stupid at the same time? "Come on. If you really think that, then I'm sorry but you're dumb." This makes him chuckles very nervously, and he reaches to scratch the back of his neck again. He's not meeting her eyes anymore, and her heart clenches in her chest. Is this over? Did she really screw everything up?

"Peter I…" MJ takes a deep breath, shivering when he finally looks up to lock his gaze in hers. "It's never easy for me to… get close to people," she admits in a whisper, "but with you… with you it is." His eyes are so intense she kind of wishes she could look away. She doesn't. "And I promise it really has nothing to do with you being, well, Spider-Man," she adds quietly, because it seems important to mention right now. His face is so still she has no idea what he's thinking, or if he's even believing her. Self-doubt pours in her brain and she stammers her next words a little: "which you are, right?"

She watches in awe as Peter's face breaks into an amused smile, and her heart leaps in her chest at this sight. "You sounded so sure earlier," he points out, and his tone is light, albeit still a little careful.

"Ah well, only like, 67% sure," she retorts with a small chuckle, and she wonders if he can hear the breathless relief in her voice. His eyes are sweet and fond now, roaming her face like he's looking for something, and she really hopes he finds it.

"I am," he nods very quietly, and she catches her breath, heart pounding. "I am Spider-Man."

There's a slight hint of embarrassment and uncertainty on his face as he waits for her to say something, and MJ can't help her smirk. "Well, nobody's perfect," she sighs, shrugging a little, and she's delighted to hear him laugh openly at that.

They stare at each other with amused smiles, and then she watches as he not so subtly glances down at her lips before meeting her eyes again. "I really like you," he says quietly, and a flock of butterflies bursts in her stomach at this.

This is it. "I really like you too," she smiles softly, and relishes in how his eyes light up instantly. What a cute dork. She cannot believe she has feelings for this guy. She cannot believe how long she stayed in denial of those feelings. They make so much sense, she thinks. Peter stares at her, and she stares back at him, very curious to see if he's gonna take the first step now or not. She's pretty sure he's about to – and that's very exciting, she thinks. Her mouth is very dry. She wants to wet her lips just a little, but she doesn't want to be too obvious either. Oh wow she's stressing out.

"So guys, we have to – oh."

Both Peter and MJ startle and turn to face a fidgety Mr Harrington staring at them in surprise. He raises his eyebrows very high, and then shrugs. "Well finally," he sighs nonchalantly, then turns around and leaves just like that.

MJ's brain is void of thoughts, and when she glances back at Peter she sees he seems as shocked as she feels. They both let out very nervous chuckles, then stay quiet for a minute. MJ watches as Peter carefully folds her drawing in two and slides it in his pocket, and then he looks up to her and there's a question in his eyes. "MJ can I–"

"Kiss me?" she supplies helpfully, and she's pretty sure they both blush at the same time.

"Yeah?" Peter nods, and his eyes are hopeful and excited, and she wants to get lost in them.

"Yeah."

His smile is wide and her heart stutters. To hell with it, she wets her lips, her heart pounding in her chest, and watches as his gaze widens a little because of it. She wants to tease him, but she doesn't. She waits as he slowly moves closer, and closes her eyes when he presses his lips against hers. It's like an explosion in her chest and in her brain. It's quick and chaste, and then he's moving back, probably trying to see if this is okay or not. She doesn't let him ponder more than a second and lunges forward to press her lips against his again. They're soft and sweet and warm and wow. It's over too quickly again, and when she opens her eyes she sees in his that he seems to think the same thing.

Their mouths meet each other halfway a couple of seconds later, and this time they move together, and it's amazing.

This is it.

Just so you know, you guys will get two more chapters after this one, plus an epilogue! :D

Hope you enjoyed this chapter