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Chapter Eleven

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They all sat at the table and his Aunt May helped to distribute the plates. Peter had changed from his wet clothes - again - but this time he made sure to put on something a bit nicer than the sweatshirt that he had been wearing before. In the meantime, his Aunt May had gotten another water bottle for Mary Jane herself because apparently Peter was no longer trusted with the task. Strange that his super strength acted up now when Peter had such tremendous control of it for months now. It was as though his infatuation with Mary Jane had caused him to revert back to those first few months after he had gotten his powers… where there had been a lot of broken door handles, screwtops, and even once the combination on his locker had been smashed by his fingers… he hadn't been able to access it for a week...

"Thanks for having me for dinner, Mrs. Parker," Mary Jane piped up as a plate was set in front of her. "I know that you were only expecting Aunt Anna tonight…"

Aunt May waved off the slight amount of hesitance in Mary Jane's voice. "Please, call me May. And think nothing of it! We're always glad for extra company, right Pete?"

Peter nodded and sent an eager smile Mary Jane's way. "Yeah, you're welcome over any time."

Mary Jane matched his grin which resulted in his heart pounding double-time.

Annabelle chuckled. "That may be more frequent than you expect since Mary Jane here has finally agreed to move in with me."

She was beaming in that grandmotherly way again toward her niece.

Peter's heart stopped for just a moment as the news caught up to him, his entire body almost quivered in excitement. "Really?"

Mary Jane bit her bottom lip to try and quell a smile. When she seemed to have it under control, she responded. "Yeah, Tiger. Looks like you got yourself a new neighbor."

"That's great!" His Aunt May piped up as she flashed Peter a winning smile and a knowing glint in her eye. Was Aunt May trying to play matchmaker? If so, then… well, maybe Peter wouldn't complain all that much, to be honest. "When do you officially move in?"

"Tonight." Mary Jane said as she took the salad tongs from her Aunt Anna before she scooped some of the leafy greens onto her plate. "I have to go back to my parent's place tomorrow to get my stuff, though."

Annabelle's eyes widened significantly and she set down the fork that had been halfway to her mouth before she turned to face her niece fully. "You're going back there? Tomorrow?"

Peter watched the interaction critically. Annabelle seemed almost alarmed, if not concerned. Peter knew a bit of Mary Jane's home life from what she told Spider-Man, but was it really that bad?

Mary Jane's lips thinned as she stuck her fork into a bit of the chicken, picking at it. "I'll be fine, Aunt Anna. Honest."

The concern didn't leave Annabelle's face. "Still, I'd feel better if someone went with you…"

"Peter can go with!" Aunt May piped up so suddenly that all eyes snapped to her. His Aunt May didn't seem to mind the attention as she seemed very pleased herself for the idea she just proposed. "He can help lift the heavier boxes."

Peter was watching his aunt with wide eyes. But he refrained from apologizing at Annabelle's look of relief at the offer. "I would like it better if Peter could join you, Mary Jane."

Mary Jane was looking at her aunt before both her and Peter's gazes connected at the same time. Peter gave her a sheepish smile. "I'd love to help."

Mary Jane softened before she shrugged and speared a fork in her salad. "Thanks, Tiger. After all, we need to test how fit you actually are."

His Aunt May laughed. "He has been working out, after all."

"I really do appreciate your helping out, Peter," Annabelle chimed in with a kindly smile, "You're such a good boy."

Peter didn't know what to say, his cheeks were flaming at the compliment and for once, Annabelle seemed to notice his embarrassment and quickly changed the topic. "But of course, with Mary Jane moving here from Brooklyn, she'll need to be set up in a new school in Queens."

Peter perked up. "You should sign up for my school at MSST!"

"What kind of school is that?" Mary Jane asked as she cocked her head to the side. She was so fucking adorable.

"Midtown School of Science and Technology," Peter answered, somewhat proudly and taking the opportunity to subtly let her know how smart he was.

"Hmm…" Mary Jane hummed, seemingly unaffected by Peter's achievement as she handed the salt and pepper over to his Aunt May. "Not really my scene, Tiger."

Peter's cheeks flushed with pleasure at the nickname she gave him, which overcame the disappointment he felt at her not wanting to join him at his school. "A-And what is your scene, Red?"

Why in the world did he just call her that?! He seriously just overstepped a line.

But Mary Jane looked up and met his eyes with a smile, and Peter's heart froze before beating double-time in his chest. He vowed then that he would be calling her 'Red' a lot more often if this was the reaction he would be getting from her.

"The theatrics and arts, my dear Mr. Parker," Mary Jane expressed dramatically in an overly posh, British accent before she flashed him a gorgeous, wide grin.

Aunt May shot a very impressed look at Peter.

Peter sighed begrudgingly before he gave her a smile in defeat. "I gotta say, that seems to suit you better than being surrounded by a bunch of science nerds."

Mary Jane waved her hand. "Eh, science nerds are the best kind of nerds - the cool kind. Look at Tony Stark. He's a science nerd and a playboy."

"So don't sell yourself short, Pete!" His Aunt May chimed in and they all laughed, even Peter managed to chuckle a bit at his own expense. But in his mind, he couldn't help but fixate on the fact that Mary Jane had just called him cool - in a roundabout sort of way.

And as Mary Jane flashed him a beaming grin and his heart started to beat double time, he felt all of his thoughts melt away to mush.

'Man… I'm in trouble.'

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Peter woke up far earlier than he needed to. He was scheduled to meet Mary Jane at 9 o'clock in the morning to travel to her parents house together, but here he was, at 6 in the morning… pacing the ceiling.

That was how his Aunt May found him two hours later. She peeked her head through the doorway and shook her head at him. "You've got it bad…"

Peter flushed but he didn't deny it. "Well… you've seen her," He began as a way of explanation, "But it's also more than her looks. She's more than proved that she is a good person."

Aunt May nodded with a smile. "Funny too. That girl is as quick as a wit. I would even say that she's on the same level as Tony when it comes to sarcasm."

Peter couldn't suppress the smile that came to his lips as he thought on some of her light-hearted jibes that she flung at him. If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn that she was flirting with him. But then, she acted similar to that with Spider-Man…

During the remaining hour, Peter finally started getting ready for the day. He took a shower, he still managed to find some leftover sand in his hair, and combed it back in his usual style. Then, he picked out a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. He wanted to go for nice but casual. They were moving her things today, after all. He would look weird if he picked out anything nicer.

When it was finally time to meet Mary Jane, Peter bounded out of his apartment door and jumped in a half-circle to the side so that he landed right in front of Annabelle's appartment door. He knocked with jitters bouncing in his stomach as he waited patiently for her to answer.

When she did, he was greeted by her gorgeous face once again. How was it that she still managed to startle him with her beauty every time he saw her? He doesn't think that he will ever get used to it. When he noticed her clothing, he saw that it was the same outfit that she wore yesterday. She saw his notice and actually blushed. "I didn't come with any of my stuff from my parents house."

Peter's eyes widened. "You left that suddenly?" He blurted before he snapped his mouth shut. Stupid. This was obviously a sensitive topic for her. "Sorry… I didn't mean it like that…"

Mary Jane waved off his apology. "No worries, Tiger. It's all in the past. I'm finally moving on with my life. You ready to go?"

Peter nodded and together they made it to the stairwell, knowing that the elevator was much too slow.

When they made it to the lobby, Mary Jane spoke up again. "Speaking of moving on with my life, I need to drop off my application for school at the mailbox."

As she said this, she made her way over to the out-going mailbox that was by the reception desk.

Peter watched her go with wide eyes and when she came back he flashed her an excited smile. "So you decided already? That's great! What school?"

Mary Jane nodded as she tucked her hair behind her ears. Peter got the door for her as she passed through with a smile of thanks flashed in his direction. Peter's knees may have gotten just a bit weak.

"Rosalind's Art Academy. It's an art school that happens to have a great theater program and some connections to Broadway," Mary Jane gushed as they started walking down the street toward the subway. "And, it's right down the street from your school."

This perked Peter up. "Wait, really?"

Mary Jane nodded, looking amused by his eager reaction. "So what do you say, Tiger? Will you eat off-campus lunch with me? You know, so I know that I have at least one person to sit with on my first day."

Peter eagerly agreed, before bantering, "Are you saying I'm your first choice in a lunch partner or that I'm just your back-up?"

Mary Jane snorted before she shoved his shoulder playfully. "Both, obviously. You'll always be my back-up, Tiger. You're the Watson to my Sherlock."

"But you're already a Watson, Miss. Watson. So, shouldn't I be Sherlock?"

Mary Jane laughed. "No offense, Tiger, but you're most definitely not a Sherlock."

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