A week later, and things were...quiet.

Too quiet.

After having Mysterio arrested, Peter had anticipated the next domino would fall a little more quickly. Usually, for every victory of his, it seemed the universe was keen on throwing something back at him quickly, especially when things seemed to be connected. He'd learned to roll with it over the years, even appreciate it in a way. The sooner his next challenge came, the sooner he could overcome it, and ultimately put a stop to whatever was happening.

Whoever the true mastermind behind these tech thefts was, however, they seemed content to hold back for now. The briefest flicker of a thought crossed Peter's mind at one point that maybe he had scared them off. Perhaps his catching of Mysterio had removed a more vital piece from the puzzle than he thought. Of course, he immediately put aside such foolish thinking; it was much more likely that whoever was behind this was carefully planning their next move, biding their time.

Very few of Peter's enemies would be so willing to use this strategy, so that narrowed down the list already. However, it seemed like he encountered someone new almost every week, so for all he knew, it could just as likely be someone he'd never fought yet. He needed more hard evidence before he could form a real theory, something that just wasn't coming right now.

Still, Peter was content with the quiet nature of the city right now. As satisfying a feeling as taking down some big bad was, he found he enjoyed his time as Spider-Man the most when he got to help out in the little ways. Sometimes it meant saving a small business from having their livelihood stolen from them when thieves came to clean them out; sometimes it was helping an old lady cross the street or walking a kid home. With the larger threat not showing itself right now, he'd had plenty of time to do all those things and more.

Of course, this also meant more time to himself as Peter Parker as well. Outside of visiting May, he mostly focused on either his work at the Bugle or whatever upgrades to his web shooters or other gadget related things he was working on. He was especially spending a lot of time on increasing the range from which his spider tracers could broadcast their signal. If he did come on another supervillain, assuming he couldn't put them away then and there, the next best thing would be to attach one of these to them discreetly and track them to their hideout.

In addition, Peter also continued his search for a job where he could use his science degrees. Though his undergrad and graduate work were both in biophysics, he was open to chemistry and even something engineering-related as well, having a lot of practical experience in this through his constant tinkering with the devices he'd made to assist him as Spider-Man. Unfortunately, Peter couldn't exactly put that on a resume, and outside of his degrees, he hadn't been able to get much experience other than a required internship or two that he'd barely completed due to constant superhero interference.

As busy as all this kept him, Peter still managed to find the occasional time where he didn't have anything in particular he was doing. Granted, it wasn't much, but still, he had the occasional time in the day/night where he needed a break. Sometimes he would call May, but most of the time he would just kind of do...nothing.

For the most part, he appreciated this time. It might be the understatement of the century to say that his life was BUSY. Even in times like this, it took some work to actually allow himself to relax. Still, the escape of just watching Hitchcock movies or snacking to keep up with the demands of his increased metabolism only did so much. Peter was finding it hard not to let all his thoughts bottle up inside, and he made a point to only share so much with his aunt. Even after years of her knowing his secret, he was still trying to protect her from worrying too much.

At the end of the day though, with his crazy life, he was certainly not going to complain about a little peace and quiet.

Peter looked up from his desk to see Joe Robertson standing over it, his jacket on and a bag of some kind slung over his shoulder. The way the man was looking at him gave him the feeling he had missed something.

"What?" he asked blankly.

"I asked you if you were doing anything this evening," Robbie repeated, a gentle smile on his face. If ever a person personified the phrase "gentle giant," it was that man.

"Oh, uh, no, not really," Peter said, leaning back just a little but not enough to look like he was slouching in front of his boss.

"Come on Peter," Robbie said, "a young man like you should be out enjoying his life on a Friday night, especially one who lives in New York City."

Peter let out a light chuckle. If only his boss knew.

Diverting the conversation, Peter turned his attention to the bag over Robbie's shoulder.

"What's in the bag?"

"Baseball equipment," he said. "My grandson is in little league, so Randy and I are trying to help him work on his throwing arm."

"Think you'll have another All-American athlete in the family?" Peter asked. Robbie had always talked proudly of his son, and he often recalled stories of his exploits, especially plays he'd made to win games during his high school and college careers.

"We'll see," Robbie replied. "I think my son is still a little disappointed that he's not showing much interest in football, so I think he's secretly hoping his boy loses interest in his current sport after this season."

Peter nodded, his gaze returning to his computer. His mind suddenly began to wonder. Randy was not that far from himself in age, and he already had a wife and son...

"Peter?" Robbie's question pulled Peter out of his own head.

"Oh, sorry Mr. Robertson," he said. "Just got lost in thought for a second."

"Okay," Robbie replied, a knowing smile spreading across his lips like he'd just read Peter's mind. "Well, try and enjoy yourself this weekend, alright?"

Peter smirked.

"Is that an order, sir?"

Robbie smiled even as he shook his head.

"No, just a suggestion from a friend."

Robbie then turned and walked toward the elevator, Peter's eyes following him for a moment before turning away. There was something about the way his boss had said those last words that struck him for some reason. Something in his voice sounded...concerned wasn't quite the word, but something close to it. It wasn't unlike Robbie to sometimes drop the boss man façade and speak person to person instead, but Peter had never really had it happen to him before, at least not like this.

Had his performance been suffering recently? No, that didn't make any sense; Robbie wasn't one to mince words when it came to somebody needing to do their job at the level of his expectations. The man was never harsh about it but also wasn't afraid to speak his mind in this regard. Peter had received a talk about being late here and there, but otherwise Robbie usually praised him for his work.

When May had talked to him expressing her concerns, it had been easier for Peter to deal with, even if it still bothered him from time to time. His aunt was right about a lot of things, but she was also an excessive worrier, even if she'd gotten better at hiding it over the years. He always took her advice to heart, but he knew that this often influenced her thinking. Having Robbie essentially reiterate the same thing to him though...it hit him differently.

The way he had smiled when Peter had lost focus in their conversation, as if he'd just read his mind.

The overall expression on his face when he said this advice was coming from a friend, not his boss.

Peter leaned his elbow against his desk, rubbing his thumb and pointer fingers against his eyes. This was the second time he'd had a conversation with somebody about his lack of a social life, but more than that, this one also pointed out one thing of his own that he wasn't sure he could or even should have: a family of his own.

Recognizing his mind was going down a path he didn't want to deal with again, Peter turned his eyes back to his computer, trying to focus on something other than those annoying conversations he kept finding himself in.

Peter approached his apartment building, heading towards the side entrance. He was less than a hundred feet from the door when he heard the rumble of what sounded like a motorcycle coming up behind him. Not even turning to look, he stepped off to the side to allow the rider to pass. Sure enough, the rider passed by him before turning and parking in one of the allotted spaces. The individual removed her helmet and Peter realized it was none other than Mary Jane. The woman swung her hair back and forth once it was free from its protective confine, turning to him as he came closer.

"Hey Peter," she greeted warmly.

"Oh, hey M.J," he said, honestly kind of surprised that she remembered his name just from one encounter that came several days ago.

The redhead dismounted from her bike, clipping her helmet onto it. She then came alongside him as they headed for the entrance.

"So, almost run over anymore girls recently?" she asked. The random nature of the question threw Peter off for a second, but he managed to recover.

"Oh, no, just you I'm afraid," he replied. "Sorry again about that."

"It's fine," she replied. "If nothing else it makes me feel special that I'm the only one."

Not knowing how to respond to that, Peter instead turned his attention to the door, grabbing it and holding it open for M.J. She hesitated for half a second, almost like she was caught off guard by the gesture.

"Oh, thanks," she said as she stepped in.

"Of course," he said, stepping in and coming back alongside her. They walked towards the elevator, where Peter turned to press the button.

"Don't want to take the stairs?"

Peter stopped just short of the button, turning back to M.J.

"What?" he asked, as if she'd just asked the most ridiculous question. To be fair, it was kind of random, especially since the two of them both lived nine floors up.

"I just pointed out that you didn't seem to want to take the stairs," M.J. clarified.

"Oh, well, it's several floors up," Peter defended. "Besides, statistically speaking, this is the safer way to travel."

M.J. tilted her head, giving him an annoyed but still playful look.

"You're quoting Superman at me now?" she asked. "Okay, if you want to play it that way, stairs are much better exercise. Besides, it'll give me a better chance to at least get to know my new neighbor at least a little."

Part of Peter really wanted to just say no thank you and get in the elevator. It wasn't exactly like he NEEDED the exercise anyway. However, his new neighbor seemed particularly insistent. Besides, there was something intriguing about her that he just couldn't put a finger on, and it wasn't just that she was attractive.

"Okay, sure," he said, deciding it couldn't hurt anything to at least appease her just this once. "Why not?" He held the door for her again as they entered the stairwell, beginning the ascent to their floor.

This time, Peter decided to be the first one to speak up.

"Oh, thanks for covering for me the other day to Eddie about how I knew you," he said.

"No problem," M.J. replied. "You seemed pretty in a hurry that day."

"Yeah, I overslept," he conceded. To be fair, given the circumstances, he was pretty sure he deserved a rest, but that was a thought he would keep to himself.

"I was actually coming back because I realized I'd forgotten something," she said. "So, I guess it was just bound to happen."

"I guess so," Peter said.

There was silence for a few moments before M.J. spoke up again.

"So, anything important I should know about my new neighbor? Do you stay up late playing loud music until all hours of the night?"

"Nono; nothing that crazy," Peter said, chuckling through his words.

"That's good," M.J. responded. "I don't have an issue with staying up late, but I am trying out this thing called being a responsible adult, and I hear that involves going to bed at something called a 'reasonable hour.'"

"How's that going for you?" Peter asked.

M.J. shook her head, squinting her eyes as she did.

"I never really needed much sleep anyway," she said. "I've always got along well with 5-6 hours, so as long as I get that, I'm usually good to go."

"Yeah, I don't understand that," Peter replied. He had powers, sure, but he often went up against people with strength and speed similar to or even greater than his own, and after a particularly rough night, he seemed to need a good 8-10 hours of sleep to recover properly.

He knew it was a poor comparison, but still.

"It's okay," M.J. said, a proud smile on her face. "I know I'm special."

"So, my new neighbor is full of herself," Peter said in a nonchalant manner, with a little sarcasm mixed in. "Got it."

M.J.'s draw nearly dropped to the floor.

"Excuse me?" she said with sarcastic incredulity. "I'll have you know I am a model of humility as well."

"Oh right, right, of course," Peter said. "My apologies; I don't know how I missed it."

M.J. let out a few chuckles, and Peter turned to see that her eyes were fixed on him, barely narrowed as if she was searching for something.

"What?" he asked.

"You just seemed so quiet at the store the other day, content to let your friend do the talking," she replied. "Now, not only are you a more willing talker, but you've even demonstrated the capacity for sarcasm."

"I guess there's more to me than you realize," Peter replied. He was finding himself pondering her question a little as well, however, realizing it had been a long time since he'd engaged someone in this kind of manner outside of the suit.

M.J. looked at him as they continued up the stairwell, smiling.

"I guess so."

Their talk the rest of the way made the walk go surprisingly quickly, because next thing Peter realized, they were coming onto their level. They walked over, standing in between the doors to their respective apartments.

"Well, here we are," Peter remarked.

"So we are," M.J. said. "So, does Peter Parker have any crazy weekend plans?"

Peter shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "Probably just visit my aunt, get some things done around the apartment, stuff like that."

"Doesn't sound like much," M.J. replied.

"Okay, well, what are you doing?" Peter asked in return.

"Liz and I are heading out into the city tomorrow," M.J. shared. "It's a Saturday tradition for us; we basically just head out and see what happens."

"Sounds very...spontaneous," Peter responded.

"Life's too short not to be," M.J. asserted.

"I guess so," Peter said.

There was a moment of silence between them before Peter's phone went off. He pulled it out to see that it was his crime alert system on his phone informing him of a hold up at a local store. It may not have been related to the tech thefts, but it was still a situation that needed his help.

"Everything okay?" M.J. asked.

"Oh, yeah," Peter replied, quickly stuffing his phone back into his pocket. "I just, um, had a reminder of something come through, so I better get to it before I forget. It was nice to talk with you."

"Same here," M.J. replied, and as soon as the words left her mouth, Peter was unlocking his apartment and heading inside. He discarded his outer clothes piece by piece as he made his way to his room, slipping on his mask before jumping out the window, swinging off in the direction of the crime.

He felt bad for basically rushing off on his new neighbor like that, especially since it was his first real impression on her. He usually felt bad even if it was just some random stranger, and that's kind of what Mary Jane was. At the same time, it felt like more than that. It was mostly just small talk, but still, Peter had been surprised how comfortable he'd felt just talking back and forth with her, even making playful jabs with, again, essentially a stranger. He hadn't felt that way around someone in a long time, especially a woman.

It was at that moment that Peter realized that feeling terrified him to his core.

I tweaked and re-tweaked various sections of this chapter, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. All that to say, here it is, and I hope you are still enjoying this story!

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated, be it compliment or critique. If it's the latter, I only ask that you do so respectfully please. Otherwise, have at it!

Know that I am continuing to pray for you all. Stay safe and healthy!

"Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?" Psalm 15:1