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Chapter Twenty-Seven

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For the seventh time within the span of a week, Mary Jane found herself crying. It was starting to get ridiculous. One would think that she was pregnant or something from how hormonal she was behaving. But that still didn't stop her tears as soon as she found herself alone on the temporary bed she had claimed for her stay in this new apartment. She had been holding it in for most of the day, so as soon as she had closed the door behind her, the waterworks went off like she had removed the plug from a waterspout.

So… Peter only wanted to be friends. That seemed to be the theme as of late when it came to her. First Spider-Man and now Peter… Was she wrong in the way that she perceived herself? Was she not as pretty or confident or bold or energetic as she once thought? Was there something wrong with her in the way that would encourage two boys that she liked to reject her within the span of twenty-four hours?

She wiped haphazardly at her eyes as she flipped over on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. It was crazy to think on how much she had taken Peter for granted before now… It was shameful for her to reflect on it now, but she now realized that - subconsciously, at least - she had been keeping Peter in her back pocket… to take out and explore if things didn't work out with Spider-Man. Perhaps this was exactly what she deserved from Peter. He was everything that a girl could want but she had been too blind to see it.

It was just that… she knew Spider-Man first. They had hit it off instantly while with Peter, it was more of a slow burn - where at first it was a simple lit match until it grew to a blazing forest fire, so hot that she couldn't help but get burned. But she was apparently the only one who felt this way. Peter seemed to be completely indifferent to her. How had she misread the signs so entirely? When he had been taking her picture - the way that he had looked at her - she was so sure that he had feelings for her in that moment. But she must have been wrong...

She hid her eyes by covering them with her arm as she let out a deep sigh, trying not to picture Peter's beaming grin or the way that his eyes crinkled when he laughed. It was a difficult image for her to shake, he was so classically handsome - in a very old-time Hollywood sort of way. Compared to Peter Parker, James Dean looked like a sack or russet potatoes.

She let out a shaky breath. She really hated being stuck in limbo, having things in her life kept unresolved. But it looked like she would have to learn the art of patience. Maybe Spider-Man would soon come back with his answer on whether he had any feelings for her. Maybe after going to the party together, Peter would see that there could be something between them - something more. There were a lot of 'maybes' in her life right now and it was almost more than she could stand.

But she could also be patient. She had to be. She was in this for the long-haul and was determined to get results - whether they be good or bad.

For now, there was nothing that she could do about Spider-Man. He came and went as he pleased. She would only be able to resolve things with him if he decided on whether he wanted to come to her or not. There was really nothing stopping him. He knew exactly where she was staying.

But as for Peter? She could plan. She could pick out an outfit that would knock any guy's socks off for the party on Friday night - and perhaps, hopefully - the same effect will happen on Peter too. She knew that he was immune so far to the power that she normally had over guys, but there had to be something that made Peter Parker tick. And she was going to find out exactly what it was.

….

The rustle of the leaves and the wind through the trees were louder than his current movements as he maneuvered outside of the Manhattan Detention Complex prison. He had done his research on Adrian Toomes before he came here to this point. Including his early life, why he became the Vulture, and his defeat by Spider-Man.

Flint Marko felt safe enough to say that he knew enough about the man in order to get him to crack.

It was almost pitiful how easy it was to break into the highly secure prison. His body reduced itself into fine sand so that he was able to slip through the cracks underneath the doors. He moved like a fish in a stream, just going along with the current - but at the same time he was the current, forging his own path to the great ocean beyond.

He hadn't taken the time to break into the system's server to see what cell block Toomes happened to be in. It just seemed far easier to simply slip in and out of every cell block until he came across the man.

It must have been the twenty-fifth cell that he tried when he was finally successful.

He could tell that Toomes was asleep. He had the cell to himself because he was considered a liability and dangerous, which suited Flint just fine. That way, he wouldn't have to take the time to mess up the other schmuck that was unfortunate enough to be in his presence when he had this conversation with Toomes.

Flint reformed his body from the masses of sand, until he was towering over the man. He smirked. This was actually going to be fun.

"Wake up, Toomes," Flint ordered as he kicked his sandy boot at the mattress, jolting the man awake. The man was immediately sitting upright in bed, on high alert as his senses tried to catch up with him. Flint chuckled as Toomes' eyes finally settled on him.

"I know you…" He said as he studied Flint in the dim light from the outside corridor. "You're that Marko guy who escaped from prison."

Flint grimaced at the reminder of his abduction. He hadn't escaped prison at all. He had been forcibly taken and turned into a monster. But he wasn't here to correct any assumptions. Oh no.

"Talk, Toomes," Flint said in a menacing voice as his arm grew into that of a sledgehammer. Toomes' eyes widened significantly as he watched the development occur right before his own eyes. He must have been wondering what had happened to him but Flint wasn't here for a show and tell. "Word from the prison yard is that you know what Spider-Man's real identity is."

Toomes looked from Marko's sledgehammer arm to his face for a moment, before his face morphed into an amused grin. "What? You think that if I knew the identity of that web-freak that he would still be alive?"

Toomes put on a good act, that much Flint could admit. But Flint had also spent a good portion of his life playing poker enough to know the ticks that indicated that someone was lying. And Toomes? His pants were about to catch on fire.

"Nice try," Flint said as he advanced toward the man, letting his sledgehammer arm tap menacingly against his open palm. When he got close enough, he grabbed Toomes by the throat and jerked his body up so that he was pinned against the wall. Toomes immediately started to struggle. Flint leaned forward, so that his lips were right at Toomes' ear. "I don't know why you are so set on protecting him, but if I were you, I would talk fast."

Toomes glared at him defiantly, his face becoming a bit red from the lack of air. Flint chuckled. "You see… I did my research on you, Vulture. And I've come to find that you're a family man, right?"

Toomes immediately stopped struggling against Marko's hold on him. Until he tapped his hand against the grip that was holding him tight by the throat. Flint released him and allowed Toomes a moment to catch his breath as he coughed and gagged. When Toomes finally recovered, he said, "Are you threatening me?"

Marko ran his finger along the edge of the sledgehammer as it slowly morphed into that of an axe. "Not so much you as your family. I understand you have a daughter, Toomes. Senior year, right? That's a big milestone."

Toomes' eyes narrowed as he pointed a threatening finger at Marko. "You leave her out of this."

Flint shrugged, trying not to show how amused he was by the man's sudden desperation. This was the man who had almost defeated Spider-Man? Was this some sort of joke? "Gladly. But only if you get me the information I want."

An obvious war was going on in Adrian Toomes' mind, judging by the conflicting shift in his gaze. "You want revenge against him?"

Marko smiled ferally. "More or less. I want to bury him so deep in the ground that they would find dinosaur fossils before they found his bones."

Toomes grimaced and turned his body so that he took a couple of steps over to the side in order to sit on his bed. He looked a bit weary. Until finally, he looked up at Marko with an expression of contrition. "You do realize that he's just a kid, right?"

This was news to Flint, but in the end… "That doesn't matter. So long as he is dust and bones in the end. I want to turn him into exactly what he made me."

Ashes to ashes.

Dust to dust…

Toomes was staring at him with something akin to apprehension in his gaze as he studied him, as though he were questioning his sanity. Marko was getting irritated by the look as well as the stalling. "It's your choice. Either I kill your daughter or you tell me who the Spider-Freak is."

Adrian Toomes' gaze dropped down to his hands. "That's not even a choice." He said as he closed his hands into tight fists. Then he looked up at Marko, determination in his gaze. "I'll tell you. But just know, that when I get out of here, I'm going to find you… and I'm going to kill you."

This had Marko laughing. "It will be funny to see you try."

Pure loathing was gleaming in Toomes' eyes now as he stared up at the superior man with powers he could only dream of. Marko was right when he determined earlier how much fun this was going to be. Gaining the hatred of the man in front of him was almost as addictive as shooting heroine used to be.

Marko waited in high anticipation. He was sick of being in ignorance. He wanted to end the wall-crawler so that he would be free to live out the rest of his life.

Finally, Toomes opened his lips.

"Spider-Man's name is Peter Parker."

…..

There was a nasty rumor that was spread around school that Peter liked to jerk off underneath the bleachers during the girls volleyball practice after school. One could only guess where that rumor had been started. But he couldn't help but notice that the girls volleyball team gave him a very wide berth after that.

There was another rumor that was spread that Peter sat down on the toilet seat in order to pee because he had an illogical fear of urinals. He couldn't believe that one had even caught on, given that there had been plenty of guys in school that had seen him standing in front of the freaking urinal on multiple occasions.

As more days passed, the more popular Harry became. And as a result, he would refute and deny any rumors that came his way about Peter. He was… a really good friend. Better than Peter had ever anticipated. And the more that Peter thought on it, the more he could see that Harry Osborn deserved someone like Mary Jane. Though the thought still caused a physical pain in his chest.

As if to prove this, Harry had taken his word seriously in helping him to find a date for his party. Thursday afternoon at lunch, Harry sat down across from him and Ned and jumped into conversation without even so much as a hello.

"Lily Carmichael," Harry said as he practically slammed down his tray and took his seat.

Peter looked up from his mashed potatoes that he had been playing with his fork in, and frowned at Harry in confusion. "What about her?"

Ned looked between the two of them before settling his gaze on Peter, staring at him as though he had two heads. "Well, isn't it obvious? As your date, Peter."

Harry pointed at Ned with a grin and said, "Bingo."

The creeping sensation of dread crawled up his spine as he suddenly remembered that he never told either of them that he had already asked Mary Jane to the party two days earlier. Would Harry be angry? Accuse him of going against the bro code or something? Did that even count if Peter was the one that met her first?

Harry turned toward Peter with a grin. "So? What do you think?"

"About what?"

Harry sputtered and threw his hands up in the air in his exasperation. "About Lily Carmichael!"

Peter paused as he thought of the girl. She was cute, he supposed. She had dark, brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses. She was also terribly shy, as far as he could tell. The two of them had never so much as had a conversation before in his life. She was so completely the opposite of Mary Jane with her vibrant hair and her upbeat personality.

He sighed. Was this his life now? Was he doomed to constantly compare every girl that he met to the high standard that was Mary Jane Watson?

His fork went down to picking at his peas - all the while, he tried to force nonchalance to seep through his voice as he spoke, "Oh. That. Uh, you don't have to worry about that, Harry. I've got it covered."

Peter didn't even have the courage to look up at his friend. He heard Ned sputter beside him and felt more than saw his body turn in his seat to face him. "What do you mean you've got it covered? You were so worried about it two days ago!"

In front of him, Harry leaned forward and ducked his head down low, his chin practically touching the table as he tried to meet Peter's eyes with a wide grin. "Who is she?"

Peter set down his fork and forced himself to look up, staring at Harry straight in the eyes. He couldn't be a liar and a coward on top of everything else Harry was bound to accuse him of. "I asked Mary Jane to go as friends. She said yes."

There was a beat of silence from the both of them. Peter watched as Harry's eyes seemed to incrementally widen in slow motion before him. Ned was the one that broke the stand-off first.

"Really? That's great, Peter!" Ned exclaimed as he patted Peter on the back in a congratulatory manner. Peter glanced at his oldest friend and shot him a look of thanks.

"Huh." He heard from Harry and looked back at him just in time to see him lean back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest, a speculative look in his eyes as he surveyed Peter . "Not bad, Parker. That will sure show Flash if you show up with Mary Jane on your arm."

A jolt of electric shock went through Peter as he tried to force himself not to gape at his friend. Was Harry seriously congratulating him for this? Peter would have thought that he would've been a bit more upset about all of this. Then again… Peter did confirm that they were only going as friends, so what was there really for Harry to worry about?

Harry reached down to grab his breakfast pizza and took a bite as he nodded to himself and chewed thoughtfully. When he swallowed, he gave Peter an appreciative look. "I was actually going to text Mary Jane to ask her if she wanted to come, so thanks for asking her. I'm glad that she'll be there. We'll need a bit more sanity and fun around with Flash being there."

Peter felt the tickle of a smile on his lips. "Well, MJ should be able to provide both, no problem."

"I'll be able to provide what?" A voice broke out from all the way at the other end of the table. All three heads turned to find MJ - Michele - looking at them with a serious yet quizzical tilt to her brows as she sat alone.

Peter shot a look at Ned before he turned back to MJ, saying, "Oh! No… Not you, MJ. I-I was, uh, talking about another MJ."

Both of her brows drew downward now as she gave him a look that clearly stated that she thought that he was really weird. What was it about her that always made him feel self-conscious?

She didn't respond at all to Peter's explanation so they all sat in awkward silence for a moment until Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably and turned toward MJ. "Uh, hi. We haven't met. I'm Harry."

Her level stare switched over from Peter to Harry as she said in a monotone voice, "Did it look like I was curious about who you are?"

Peter was actually impressed when Harry didn't back down while facing off against MJ's normally bleak stand-offish disposition. Instead he leaned back casually and threw an arm over the back of the empty chair beside him. "You would be one of the first if you weren't just a tad bit curious."

A self-satisfied smirk graced her lips as she replied sardonically, "Lucky me. Looks like I'm unique."

And with that, she stood from her seat, leaving her half-eaten tray on the table behind her. Harry shifted his eyes away from her and back to Peter and Ned. "Who the hell was that and what crawled up her ass and died?"

Peter only shook his head, not wanting to say anything. MJ tended to have a habit of lurking around and catching things that Peter said that he didn't typically want overheard. Ned just rolled his eyes. "Don't ask. MJ is just a bit of a loner, is all."

The bell indicating that lunch was over rang not much longer after that. Peter had finished the rest of his day with minimal incidents occurring, much to his relief. It looked like Harry's influence over the rumors surrounding Peter were starting to really pay off. People were mostly going back to ignoring him now, which was a vast improvement over the whispers and speculations.

As soon as the bell rang for the end of school, Peter practically ran out of the front doors toward the gate before he called Aunt May real quick as he walked down the street. It rang but she didn't pick up. She must have already started her evening shift. He got her voicemail.

"Hey Aunt May, if you get off early tonight, just know that I'll be staying out late. I'm going to go on patrol and see if I can find any sign of the Molten Man. Love you. Have a great shift."

He hung up the phone and put it back into his pocket before making his way over toward Delmar's for a quick bite to eat before his long patrol for the evening. As he approached, he was surprised to see a familiar black car outside with Happy standing just outside of the driver's seat in front of the sandwich shop. His face was twisted in annoyance and he looked impatient with the way that he was fidgeting.

"Happy?" Peter called as he waved and walked up to him.

Jumping out of a reverie, Happy's eyes immediately shot over to Peter. His face relaxed when he saw that it was him and a slight smile graced his lips. "Hey, Kid. What are you doing here?"

Peter shot a thumb behind him at the sandwich shop. "I'm a regular here. I usually stop by here for something to eat before I start my patrol. What are you doing here?"

At his words, Happy's eyes widened before the look of irritation appeared once again. "Why am I not surprised? I swear Peter, that girl is onto you. Now she's going to places that you go? Asking questions about Spider-Man? I'm not going to talk, though. Loose lips sink ships and I don't want to be the one responsible for sinking this ship. I will not be the iceberg-"

Peter held his hands up in a placating manner as his eyes looked Happy up and down. "Whoa. Calm down. What are you talking about?"

Happy nodded his head toward the shop. "Your little girlfriend. She insisted on stopping here for a bite to eat before I brought her back to the apartment."

Turning on the spot, Peter whipped his head over to peer through the glass door of the shop. And sure enough, he could easily spot her red hair inside. Mary Jane was here?

"It's all pretty suspicious if you ask me," Happy said from behind him, his tone leery. Peter glanced back at Happy and he couldn't help but let out a little laugh as he shook his head at the incredulous man.

"Happy, it's fine. I was the one that showed her this shop two days ago," Peter said before he clapped Happy on the arm in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, "And it's not like I own the place. She's welcome to come here if she wants."

Happy rolled his eyes but didn't argue. Instead, he looked imploringly at Peter as he said, "Just be careful with that one. She's pretty sneaky and I almost wonder how much she really knows."

Shaking his head, Peter decided to just drop it and let Happy think that he was taking his warning seriously. He clapped Happy on the arm again before saying, "Good to see you, Happs."

Nodding, Happy replied, "Take care of yourself, Kid."

Peter shot him a thumbs up over his head as he made his way to the front door of the shop. The bell rang as he opened it. Mary Jane was just getting handed her sandwich as he made his way inside and she paused at seeing him there. "Oh! Hey, Tiger."

He couldn't help but smirk as he nodded his head at the sandwich in her hand. "Just couldn't stay away, could you?"

Her eyes drifted down and followed his movement before she softened and let out a little laugh. "You were right. They are the best sandwiches in Queens."

"Damn straight!" Delmar said from over the counter, before he yelled, "The usual, Parker?"

"Yes, please. Thanks!" He yelled back before he faced Mary Jane again. His smirk widened. "So does this mean that you'll still trust my word from now on?"

She giggled and it was so cute, the sound of it may have clenched his heart a bit. "For now… but since you are a part of the male species, I know that you'll mess it up somehow by recommending something truly awful eventually."

Shooting her a mock pout, he clutched at his chest as if in agony. "You wound me! I have great taste. And I have never steered you wrong before."

"Yet." She replied back definitively, "You'll probably force me to play Dungeons and Dragons some day and then all bets will be off."

Chuckling, Peter stepped forward and handed a five dollar bill over to Delmar as he waited for his sandwich. "Come on, give me some credit, Red. I stopped playing D&D two years ago."

She raised a single brow at him. "Only two years ago, huh?"

His cheeks flushed a bit as he shoved her playfully on the arm. "Stop it, I was only fourteen. And awkward. Very awkward. Like glasses, braces, the lanky limbs… the works when it comes to your stereotypical nerd."

Mary Jane laughed softly but her eyes were understanding. "We've all had our awkward years… mine was when I was eleven. But you've got me curious. I want to see pictures of this awkward-era of yours now."

He was immediately shaking his head. "No can do, Red. You'll have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands. The only reason why they still exist is because Aunt May would kill me if I just happened to burn them."

Giggling as she rolled her eyes at him, she replied, "Oh, come on, Tiger. It probably wasn't that bad. I'm sure that you were cute back then. With baby fat cheeks and metal in your mouth."

Delmar then handed him his sandwich before he looked pointedly at Peter. "A bit of advice, Parker? Always agree with the lady. The lady is always right."

Mary Jane shot the man a dazzling smile. "Truer words have never been spoken, Mr. Delmar."

Shaking his head at the pair of them, Peter was unwilling to accept defeat as he replied pointedly, "You're still not seeing the pictures, Red."

Pouting at him, Mary Jane gave a dramatic sigh. "Fine. You win. What are you up to now? I saw you talking with Mr. Hogan. Do you know him?"

A slight bit of panic struck him and his voice became slightly shaky. "Oh, uh, Happy? Yeah, I know him. Met through Mr. Stark. Which is actually where I'm headed. Going to Stark Industries after this for my internship." He lied.

"Oh." She looked a bit disappointed and Peter felt terrible because it looked like was going to ask him to hang out. He could sympathize with her. She must be really lonely up in that apartment with nothing to do and only specific people that she was allowed to invite over. But Peter had a responsibility of going out on patrol as Spider-Man to try and find her dad. In this instance, her safety trumped over any other obligation or fun that he could be having instead. "Well… I'll still see you tomorrow night, right?"

Immediately, Peter grinned at her and nodded brightly. "Yeah! I'll, uh, pick you up tomorrow night at 7. Does that sound alright?"

Her disappointment faded with his confirmation that he was going to break her out of that apartment for one night of fun at least, and she smiled at him. "That sounds good, Tiger," Then she looked past him and nearly groaned aloud. "I'd better go. Mr. Hogan looks like he's about to call the swat team in order to retrieve me."

Peter looked over his shoulder and sure enough, Happy was standing there with an anxious expression on his face and looked as though he were about to barge in at any second. He really needed to learn how to relax. He was almost tempted to send a text to Tony to tell him to send Happy on an extended vacation.

Mary Jane started walking past him, and as she was right beside him, she patted him softly on the arm. "See you tomorrow night, Tiger."

He turned to watch her leave as he responded in a soft voice, "Yeah, see you, Red."

When she left the shop, she exchanged a few words with Happy outside before she got into the back seat. Then, they drove off. Beside him, Delmar whistled. "Ella te va a causar muchos problemas en el futuro, Parker."

Peter shot him a look, before replying, "She already has gotten me into trouble, Delmar… and there seems to be no way back from it."

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A/N: Next chapter is the party! Thank you all for reading! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know your thoughts in a comment/review. They help to motivate me to write faster. SO if you want the continuous updates like I have been doing, please leave me a comment and my fingers will continue to go click-clack on the keyboard. :)

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