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Chapter Ten

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Mary Jane was in his apartment.

Mary Jane was in his FUCKING apartment.

His focus was honed in specifically on her face as he watched her lips move as she spoke. He vaguely heard through the buzzing in his ears that she was claiming to be the niece of the older woman his Aunt May had invited for dinner.

But… But… This didn't make any sense. Mary Jane said that her aunt's name was 'Anna', but his Aunt May referred to the woman currently in their apartment as 'Belle'.

A flash of a memory popped into his mind and Peter remembered...

"Have another cookie, Peter," His kindly, older neighbor, Annabelle, gestured with a sweet smile.

Peter let out another gasp as he was brought out of the memory.

His neighbor, Belle, was Mary Jane's Aunt - who obviously referred to the older woman by a different nickname.

"Holy..."

His voice trailed off before the curse word could leave his lips.

"Ah, Peter," Annabelle cooed sweetly as she turned around the corner out in the hall and came up from behind her gorgeous niece. She immediately stepped forward and pulled him into a light hug which left Peter in a state. This woman was still practically a stranger to him. But of course, she didn't know that. So Peter awkwardly wrapped his arms around the frail woman and patted her gently on the back… his eyes never strayed from Mary Jane's face.

Mary Jane quirked a single eyebrow at him as her eyes danced with amusement. He let his eyes survey her appearance for a moment.

Her hair was slightly damp, from a quick shower, he guessed. And she only wore a bit of light mascara, which was a different look to how he was now used to seeing her but she looked stunning, regardless.

Her clothing was different now too. For one, they were now dry - he was glad to see. He would hate it if she got sick by staying out in the rain just to talk to him…

But then his eyes lingered on her tight, navy blue jeans… they clung to her shapely legs.

Peter gulped heavily and tore his eyes away, forcing them to look at the rest of her.

He nearly groaned out loud at the v-neck, white t-shirt she wore under an open, green button down. It was a modest look but damn did she look good in it.

His face was flaming at this point and it was clear by the knowing glint in Mary Jane's eyes that she was completely aware of it.

Annabelle now pulled back from the extended embrace and cupped his cheek in a tender, grandmotherly way. "You look fit, Peter. Have you been working out?"

The redness on his cheeks extended to his neck now.

"Eh, yeah a bit."

Annabelle chuckled and turned away from him to face her niece. "You should have seen him not even a year ago. He was such a scrawny little thing, I almost wondered if May was feeding him enough."

Was it polite to want to murder a woman he barely even remembered? Because he had to urge to strangle Annabelle in order to stop this complete mortification.

Mary Jane's lips pressed together as she leaned her body against the mantle of the open doorway. "Really? Tell me more."

Luckily, he was saved by a scoff that came from the kitchen. "Honestly, he eats so much I sometimes wonder if he has three stomachs." His Aunt May spoke up.

Great. Thanks, Aunt May…

"Ooookay," Peter drawled as he took a deliberate step away from a chuckling Annabelle, "Enough of that. Who's this?"

He nodded his head in Mary Jane's direction. Sometimes it was too easy to play the different roles of his double life. But other times, it felt as though the more time that passed, the more complicated the tangled web of his life becomes. He had to actively remind himself that Spider-Man knew exactly who this gorgeous girl before him was. But Peter Parker? He still had to be introduced.

"Oh, how very rude of me," Annabelle chided herself before she gestured to her niece, "Peter, this is Mary Jane Watson, my niece. Mary Jane, this is Peter Parker."

Mary Jane's grin seemed a lot more genuine - now that she wasn't silently teasing him - as she pushed herself off of the mantle and stepped closer to him. His heart thudded in his ears with her every step. Then, she extended her hand and he found himself doing the same… her warmth touched his and an eruption of goosebumps broke out all up the skin of his arm. It almost felt as though his spider-sense was tingling.

"It's a pleasure, Tiger," She said in a smooth, confident voice that sent chills down his spine. He just barely resisted the urge to openly shiver.

"Y-You too."

Ugh. Get it together, Parker!

He opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off by Annabelle.

"And this is my good friend, May Parker."

And just like that, her hand disconnected from his as she turned to face his aunt… and a cold feeling was what was left behind.

"So, you're the niece that Belle here has been talking about!" His Aunt May piped up as she wiped her hands on a towel and stepped into the living room to greet Mary Jane warmly.

What? Peter had the urge to pull at his hair in frustration. Why hadn't his Aunt May ever mentioned the - apparently - heavily-talked about niece before?! Then again, maybe she had but Peter just couldn't remember…

"Only heard the best things, I hope," Mary Jane quipped with a winning smile as his Aunt May bypassed her handshake completely and went right for an unexpected hug. A sudden and newfound heat surged up his neck again as he was reminded of the hug they had shared in the alleyway… the feeling that it had invoked had felt so right. Peter found himself wishing that Mary Jane knew of his alter ego just so their embrace could have a repeat performance.

Responsibility, Peter… His thoughts scolded him and he almost sighed outright. He couldn't just reveal his secret identity in the hope that it would score him a hug from a girl… no matter how stunning and sweet and witty and-

"Peter?"

His head snapped up. Aunt May had already made her way back to the kitchen and was looking at him expectantly.

Great.

"Sorry, Aunt May. What did you say?"

Aunt May shook her head at him in a way that said 'What am I going to do with you?'

"Water? For Belle and Mary Jane? Can you get it?"

"Yes!" Peter jumped as he shot forward toward the kitchen. "Sorry. I was lost in thought there."

It was as he rounded the kitchen island where Mary Jane piped up as she meandered to the couch and made herself at home. "Nothing wrong with deep thoughts, Tiger. It's the place where ideas are born."

How was it that her voice sounded like pure silk? It sent waves of goosebumps up his arms and down his spine. His spider-sense made him acutely aware of her presence in the room, even while he wasn't looking at her…

Man. This was going to be a lot tougher than he originally thought. Keeping his familiarity for her under wraps and treating her like a complete stranger seemed near to impossible just from his body's involuntary reactions to something as simple as her voice.

Peter shook his head to try and rid himself of the feeling and passed by his Aunt May in the kitchen. He paused behind her and leaned slightly closer in her direction.

"That's Mary Jane," Peter hissed before he turned to the fridge to get the two bottles of water.

A chortle-like sound escaped his aunt as she chuckled lightly in amusement. "I know, Pete. That is her name…"

Peter straightened and closed the fridge as he turned to face his aunt fully with a meaningful look in his eyes.

"No," He hissed again, as quietly as he could manage, "That's the Mary Jane. The one who saved me."

It took a moment before clarity was found in his aunt's gaze. They widened significantly as she let out a gasp. "What?! The Mary Jane? The one you wouldn't stop talking about for days and days and-"

"Yes, May," Peter cut off as his eyes shifted over to the girl in question with a significant flush creeping up from his neck. "The Mary Jane."

His Aunt May stared at him for a moment before the shock of his revelation seemed to finally be wearing off as an excited gleam sparkled in her eyes. "Oh, Pete, I can't believe that you found her again! It must be fate."

Ugh. There was that word again. Fate.

"She is such a lovely girl - she would have to be to save you and not take advantage of finding out your identity under your mask - and so pretty, too."

'Pretty' was hardly an apt descriptive to describe Mary Jane...

"Did you need any help with anything, May?" Aunt Anna called from her place in the living room. Both Peter and May jumped apart.

"Eh, no, Belle," May said as she turned back to plating the chicken breasts, "That's very sweet of you but the food's already done."

May then elbowed him sharply in the side. Peter's head snapped in her direction and she gave a very pointed look at the forgotten water bottles that were clenched in his hands.

"Oh!" Peter jumped before he immediately made his way out of the kitchen toward their guests on the couch. He handed Annabelle the first bottle before he turned fully to face Mary Jane. She was looking at him, expectant and with a warm smile on her face.

Gosh, she was so gorgeous. Those green eyes of her sparkled just so by the reflective light. Peter wished that he was an avid photographer in order to be able to capture such a moment in time… She looked truly stunning.

Subconsciously, his hand tightened around the bottle and just as suddenly, the cap on the water bottle burst off like a rocket. Water burst out and went all over his head and clothing as his eyes snapped up. The bottle cap ricocheted off the ceiling and was hurtling back down toward him…

His spider-senses went off and he acted purely on instinct.

He flipped once, gracefully, out of the way and landed on nimble feet.

Only a second too late had he realized what he had done by the growing look of awe on both Annabelle and Mary Jane's faces… he had to fix this. Immediately.

A split second decision later and Peter deliberately wobbled as though he were on unsteady feet… before he landed back and firmly right on his ass. His wet hair now stuck to his forehead and his clothing wet for the second time that day…

How embarrassing.

This would be a moment that he would forever look back on and immediately cringe. He looked down at the floor, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

Suddenly, an adorable snort broke the silence. Peter's head snapped up to the noise. Mary Jane had her mouth covered with her hand, trying to keep in her laughter as her eyes danced and sparkled with mirth. At his stunned and bewildered look, she couldn't keep it in any longer as she burst out in laughter.

"You should see your face!" Mary Jane laughed as she held her stomach so tightly it was as though she was afraid that it would come apart if she didn't keep a grasp on it. "You look like a kicked puppy!"

Her laugh was so contagious and as the situation finally caught up to his mind, he found himself joining in. They both fell back, Mary Jane propped against the back of the couch and Peter laying flat against the floor, as they giggled relentlessly as the two adults in the room looked on in both amusement and bewilderment.

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A/N: Please leave me a review! I know it was a short chapter but I've been out of commission because COVID has made my life pretty hectic at my job.

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