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Chapter Twenty-Three

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Mary Jane was woman enough to admit that she had cried while on the phone with Spider-Man.

It was as he was telling her about her father and all that he had done - what he had turned into - where the tears just started to spill over. Spider-Man had heard the gasping catch in her voice and had surmised correctly what exactly was going on.

"No, Mary Jane," His voice sounded so pained and soothing at the same time as he tried coaxing her with his words, "Please. Don't cry. It will all be okay. I promise. I will make this right."

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. She was glad that she had stepped into the bathroom in her hotel room to take this call. She didn't want her Aunt Anna's eyes on her at the moment. Mary Jane rarely ever cried, so it was quite the baffling sight to see. Especially since she was such an ugly crier. Her face and neck got all blotchy red due to her creamy skin.

"I'm sorry," She said, even though she didn't quite understand why she was apologizing to him, "It's just that… He didn't always used to be like this. When I was really young, he was actually a great dad. But life got in the way and…"

She trailed off as she recalled what exactly got in the way. Her dad started to struggle with a gambling addiction and squandered all of their savings away. He had lost his job so only her mom was supporting their family on her waitressing tips. That was when all of the arguing and resentment started and her dad had turned to drinking and smoking on top of his gambling.

"I wish that I was there with you right now," There was a desperate longing in Spider-Man's voice, "I wish that I could hug you."

She let out a breathy laugh as she wiped at her cheeks again. "Trust me, Spider. You don't want to see me right now. I'm not a pretty sight whenever I cry."

He let out a derisive snort. "I highly doubt that."

She ignored his comment and sighed. "So what do we do now?"

There was a slight pause before Spider-Man started speaking again, "I actually already discussed this with Mr. Stark and he came up with a solution for your safety."

She let out a shaky breath, trying to calm herself enough to get a clear mind. "Alright, let's hear it."

"He said that he could get an apartment for you and your aunt that you can stay in, sort of like a safe house. He also told me that he's going to get your neighbors - May and Peter Parker - to use their spare key to pack some of you and your aunt's things."

Mary Jane listened along to the plan. It sounded so simple but at the same time… "What about school?"

There was a long pause from the other line. Mary Jane held her breath. She had been very much looking forward to her new school and it would be very disappointing if she had to miss out just because her father had made himself into a monster.

"Well…" Spider-Man's voice was hesitant, wary, "Does he know which school you go to?"

"No, he doesn't. I moved out and applied nearly a month ago. We also don't speak, so there would be no way for him to know."

Spider-Man made a humming noise. "Then I guess school is okay."

She let out a sigh of relief.

"I promise you, Mary Jane. I'm going to stop him," Spider-Man said solemnly. She had never heard him sound so serious before. Even when he had been upset with her about showing up at the ball by using his invitation, there was still the underlying softness in his tone. For this… He was giving her a solemn vow.

Mary Jane bit her lip, worrying it between her teeth. "And then what? After you stop him, what happens after that?"

Another long pause.

"And then… we try and help him," Spider-Man said and Mary Jane found herself releasing her breath, "But I can't say that he won't get prison time. He attacked an innocent man who is now in critical condition."

Her breath caught as she thought of this implication. It was odd, the warring emotions that she felt regarding this. On one hand, the thought of her father going to prison gave her some much-needed relief. But on the other… she felt a deep sadness for the man that her father once was. The one who had bought her favorite teddy bear and drove her to soccer practice.

But- he was no longer that man anymore now, was he? She had to remind herself of that. He was now a monster that was threatening her life and the lives of those she loved.

"I'm sorry, Mary Jane," Spider-Man said after she hadn't responded for a full minute.

She let out a sigh and rubbed at her temples. "Nothing to be sorry for, Spider. I should expect as much. It's what he deserves."

Silence met her once again, before, "It's alright to be sad, Mary Jane. He is your dad."

She released a sardonic laugh and shook her head. "No. He hasn't been my dad for quite some time now, Spider. And I've turned out alright without his influence, in fact, I would say that I turned out better because he didn't interfere with my growing up. I've got real people in my life now that actually care about me, so I'm no longer going to shed any more tears for that man."

"I care about you," Spider-Man said softly, almost as though he were afraid to say it out loud.

Warmth spread through her chest before settling in her heart. "I care about you too, Spider. Thank you for telling me everything. I know that it couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't…" Spider-Man admitted, hesitantly, "I don't like having to hurt you. Even if it is necessary."

Mary Jane found herself nodding along. "The truth hurts sometimes, Spider."

There was another long pause, almost as though they knew that they should be saying goodbye now but neither had the heart to actually do it.

"Did I tell you how much I miss you?" Spider-Man suddenly said, and her heart may have started to thud double-time, "I mean, a large part of me is extremely grateful that you were out of town when all of this went down, but…"

"But that doesn't change the fact that for better or for worse, we are now tangled up in each other's lives?" Mary Jane finished for him.

He made a noise of agreement. "Tangled up like a web."

Mary Jane smiled as she remembered that she had recently used the same line of thinking to apply to her own life. With Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Then, she frowned at the sudden reminder and pushed the thought aside.

"For the record," Mary Jane said as she leaned heavily against the bathroom wall before she sunk slowly down to the floor, "I miss you too."

"When do you get back again?" He asked, his voice held an edge of longing that sent butterflies ramming about in her stomach.

"September 7th," She answered, all while trying to suppress a small smile.

"So a lifetime from now, you mean?"

Mary Jane hugged her knees with her arm. "It does feel that way, doesn't it?"

"Well, I hope you have enjoyed your vacation, because I am proposing that it be the last one you take for quite some time…"

She released a small laugh. "Oh, come on, Spider. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"No," His voice was immediately contradicting but still light, "Absence makes the heart grow crazy. That's the saying, right?"

She was laughing whole-heartedly now. It was like he knew exactly what she needed to get over the news about her dad. Spider-Man was her perfect brand of healing balm.

"That's right, Spider." She opened her mouth to say something further when a knock on the bathroom door interrupted her.

"Mary Jane?" Her Aunt Anna's voice drifted from the other side of the door, "Is everything alright?"

"Who's that?" Spider-Man's voice drifted in her ear.

"My Aunt," She answered him before increasing her volume to address her aunt, "Yes, just a second, Aunt Anna. I'm almost done."

"Alright," Aunt Anna said, concern dripping with the small word, "You've had me worried."

She heard her aunt's footsteps walk away as Spider-Man spoke in her ear again. "You'll have to tell her everything that's been going on."

Her eyes widened at his unspoken meaning. "Including… about us? Our history?"

"Of course," Spider-Man said, his voice completely casual, "I never meant to make you think that you had to keep me a secret from your family, Mary Jane. I'm sorry if that caused you any stress."

She was immediately shaking her head. "No, Spider, don't apologize. I sort of wanted to keep you a secret. I wanted to keep you to myself for as long as I could."

It took a lot for her to admit that. And her words seemed to stun him momentarily. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I think we have a lot to talk about when I get back," She said, her voice indicating everything that she wasn't saying aloud. How wonderful she thought that he was. Her feelings for him.

Spider-Man cleared his throat and when he answered, his voice cracked slightly, "Yeah, I suppose that we do."

She smiled sadly, hating her next words before she even spoke them. "Goodnight, Spider."

"Goodnight, Mary Jane," Spider-Man said softly, "Mr. Stark will send for a car to pick you up from the airport to take you to the apartment."

He was stalling. And she couldn't help but find it endearing.

"Sounds like a plan, Spider," She said in a soft voice, "Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams."

Then, the line disconnected. She immediately went to add him to her contacts on her phone, but was disappointed to see that there was no number listed on her screen at all. She sighed and stood, trying to amp herself up to tell her Aunt Anna about how her younger brother - Mark Watson - has officially gone too far. There was no hope for him now, in Mary Jane's eyes. She no longer had it in her to keep giving him chances to redeem himself. She had been offering them to him her entire life.

With that, she wet a towel and rubbed it over her tear-stained cheeks before he squared her shoulders and marched out the bathroom door.

…

"Thanks for the ride, Happy," Peter said as he opened the door a moment after the vehicle stopped. They were in upstate New York at the Avengers Compound. Peter soaked it all in. He had been so flustered the last time he had been here, he hadn't been able to really take in the grandness one felt being welcomed to such a place. Though, from what he hears, it's not quite what it used to be, with majority of the team now on the run as war criminals.

Tony did say that Rhodey - War Machine - still came by every once in a while, as well as the Vision, though he was disappearing more and more. T'Challa - Black Panther - had also fought on their side, but from what Peter could tell, he has never even set foot on these grounds. Why would he? He's a king, after all.

Thor was off-world, the last that anyone has heard from him was right after the Avengers defeated Ultron. And Hulk… just disappeared. Peter knew that was a sore subject for Tony, him and Bruce Banner had been buds.

It suddenly hit Peter like a stack of bricks. Besides Rhodey, Peter was essentially all that Tony had right now to fight on his side. Those were daunting shoes to fill… trying to make up for a whole team of earth's mightiest heroes.

"Anytime, Kid," Happy said, drawing Peter out of his reverie with a fond little smile on his lips as he watched Peter from his rearview mirror. It was definitely a different attitude than what he had before Peter had defeated Toomes, saving Happy from the blame of losing so much dangerous tech in the process. Since then, Happy tended to go out on a limb for him. He even stood up to Tony from time to time on Peter's behalf. As if to emphasize his thoughts, Happy continued, "Don't let Tony bully you now. Remember that you are stronger than him and we all know that sometimes, Tony needs to get knocked in the head with a bit of sense."

Peter couldn't help but laugh, which brought a proud smile to Happy's lips. "Will do, Happy. If I need any help, I know who to call for backup."

"Damn right, you do." Happy said with a firm nod as Peter finally opened the door.

He waved to the driver's seat window as the sleek, black car drove away.

"There he is!" Tony called from the top of the stairs, before he started to descend them. Seeing Tony finally brought a sense of calm to Peter when all he had been feeling ever since his fight with Mr. Watson was a nervous energy that wouldn't go away. Tony just had that aura about him, that made it seem like he had everything under control - no matter how dire the situation may appear. At least, that's what it always felt like to Peter.

To him, Tony was his rock. He kept him grounded. Level-headed.

And right now, seeing him again after a few weeks away, Peter realized that he had missed him.

As Tony approached, he clapped Peter around the arm, before slinging it around Peter's shoulders. "Come on, we've got work to do."

"Right," Peter said as he licked his dry lips. They started to walk forward toward the building. "Have you been brain-storming any thoughts?"

Tony nodded as they ascended the stairs. "A few. But I would like to hear your take on it. Any thoughts of your own?"

Peter cocked his head to the side as he thought. "I keep going over how my webbing just melted off of him whenever it touched him. Do you think that we could start there? Create a new web fluid that-"

"Is heat resistant?" Tony finished for him. "Yeah. I was thinking the same thing."

Peter grinned. "Great minds think alike."

"What a compliment to you, because I already knew that I had a great mind," Tony said with a sardonic look in his normal sarcastic tone, "A bit cocky there, Pete?"

Peter shoved Tony's arm off with a laugh, "I've only learned it from the best. Now where are we working?"

Tony raised a single brow at him as he crossed his arms. "Where else? Downstairs in the shop."

…

They ended up working for several hours. Test after test was conducted with new web fluid as Peter tried to use it to douse fire. There had been multiple failures. So many, that at one point, Peter was visibly starting to show his frustration. To which Tony had looked at him out of the corner of his eye and reminded him, "Patience remember? Do I have to give you the 'Geniuses don't rush success' speech again?"

Peter let out a sigh."I'm sorry. I know that I am being unbearable right now. I just can't stand the thought of him getting to Mary Jane… and I want to try and stop him before she gets back."

"Yeah. Speaking of your little girlfriend," Tony said as he pushed back from his desk, their mock trials still going through different components as it adjusted the different ingredients that could make this work. Tony gave him a level stare with a raised brow. "You certainly seemed to be all hot and bothered over this situation with her."

Peter grimaced. "Too soon for any 'hot' related jokes."

Tony waved his hand at him. "Come on, it was funny. Considering we are dealing with a Molten Man… but you also happen to have the hots for his daughter."

As if to add onto the subject matter, heat spread across Peter's cheeks and down his neck.

Tony was a jerk enough to point it out. "See? Knew it."

"I mean… How could I not like her? She funny, beautiful, witty, sarcastic-"

"Okay, Romeo," Tony interrupted with a laugh, "So, when are you going to ask her out?"

Peter sighed as he leaned against the desk. "She only likes Spider-Man… you know that she has spent time with Peter Parker but she barely gives him - me - a second glance… When we talked last night - her and Spider-Man, I mean - it got to the point where she said that we needed to have a conversation when she got back. Her tone indicated that she wanted to talk about 'us'."

Tony nodded as he grabbed a rag to wipe his hands with. "But you're conflicted about that because she isn't into your Peter half."

Peter nodded as he slumped even further. "I've also been suspecting that she has a thing going on with our other friend, Harry Osborn."

Brows raised, Tony shot a glance at Peter. "Osborn?"

Peter nodded again as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. "How can I compete with that? He is a billionaire's son and obviously so much cooler than me? The Peter Parker side, I mean."

Frowning, Tony shot Peter a stern look. "Don't sell yourself short, Kid. You've got a lot to offer when it comes to dating. I've told you before that you are so much more than the suit. You've just got to be confident and show her that."

Peter crossed his arms and grimaced. Yeah, like that is just so easy. When wearing the mask around her, it offered him some sort of protection against her charms that he was able to act more suave than he normally was. But as Peter, he always felt like he was a bumbling mess that stared too much to the point that it was creepy.

"If it will make you feel better," Tony said, his voice light as he went back to the screen, "I could loan you a billion dollars. Level the playing field a bit."

Tony peeked at him out of the corner of his eye and Peter finally managed to crack a bit of a smile.

A beeping sound from the screen interrupted them and both set of eyes shot to it.

"Rendering successful. Web fluid component is now flame-retardant up to 300 degrees fahrenheit."

Peter stood up straight as his eyes surveyed the screen. Did they really do it?

Tony grinned up at him and held out his hand for Peter to clap with his own. "See? Patience is a virtue. This bastard has a one-way ticket to the Raft prison. "

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A/N: Please leave me a review! I really love talking Spider-Man in the comments with you guys and love to see your theories of what is going to happen next.

Congratulations to those who guessed the true alter-ego of Mark Watson! I'm happy to see that none of you out there weren't upset by my retcon of the character. For those of you who don't know - Molten Man is actually Mark Raxton in the comics, who is Liz Allen's step-brother. But I wanted his character to get more personal to the story and since Liz is technically gone at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, I thought that Mark being MJ's father would be a good inclusion.

Thanks again for reading!

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