Peter came back to the apartment (after buying daily necessities) to see Joline struggling in the front door. She was trying to lift up a big box that looked heavy.

Feeling the need to help, Peter approached her with a smile.

"Hey, Joline!" Peter greeted her. Joline gave out an "Oof!" in surprise and stumbled, if not for Peter's quick reflex. He steadied her and carefully put the box down.

In a daze, Joline clumsily blinked at her neighbor.

"Thank you. You surprised me there." Joline blew a rhaspberry.

"Sorry, I was just from the market and saw you trying to lift that box." He pointed to the box on the ground.

"I can help you, if you want," He offered, trying to hold his groceries up so he can carry her box at once.

"Yeah, that'll be great. Thank you so much!" She smiled, making Peter subconsciously smile back as well.

Cute...

"I can carry your groceries for you," Joline offered and took the paper bags in his arms with a smile. "I'll go first, I don't want you to fall onto me if the box is too heavy!" She chuckled. "I don't want to be squished."

Peter rolled his eyes and joked along, "Okay, I hope you wont fall onto me either." Joline bit her lip at that and nudged his elbow.

"Haha, funny, Parker," She sighed wistfully, "I just hope we wont fall onto each other."

With that, Joline went inside and waited for him on the bottom of the stairs. Peter chuckled and shook his head.

He and Joline had only met for a couple of days, and somehow she had snuck her way into his life. He promised to himself to live in anonimity, not wanting to harm those close to him anymore.

That's why he let MJ and Ned live their lives,

With no Peter Parker.

In his thoughts, Peter easily picked up the supposedly heavy box that Joline was struggling with. Joline's eyes widened and let out a quiet gasp, which Peter instantly caught up on.

Looking into her blinking, wide eyes and to the box, Peter purposefully stumbled, making it look like the box was heavy.

With his powers, not really.

He gave an awkward chuckle and noticed Joline's squinting, analyzing eyes that met his. She looked like she was staring into his soul. Peter awkwardly coughed and looked away.

"I've been working out-"

"That weighs about more than--"

"It's still pretty heavy-"

"Right..." Joline trailed off, walking up the stairs in confusion.


As Joline opened the door to her apartment for him to come in, he noticed several changes through the course of only three days. Boxes of Christmas decoration and other stuff was tidily put on top of the table.

Stark contrast to his messy room...

"You're already setting up a Christmas tree?" He asked as he put down the box on the free spot on top of the table.

"Christmas is just in two and a half more weeks, Peter. You can never be too early!" She chuckled.

"You already have a lot of decorations... What is this box, then?" Peter asked as he patted the box he carried.

"Uh-uh, this is actually fragile. Cost more than the whole Christmas decoration combined, times three." Joline playfully shoved him away from the big box, opening it happily with a box cutter.

Peter waited in anticipation. It seemed like Joline was purposefully making him wait as she slowly opened the box.

"Tadaaa!" Joline cheered.

Peter blinked.

"A 3D printer?" He whispered to himself in confusion. The printer was similar to what Mr. Stark gave him.

"Yep," Joline smiled. "Can you please move this to the corner there, Pete?" Peter obliged, and with the help of Joline, they set up the printer.

"What's this for? Must have been expensive..." Like all of the stuff that Joline had around her apartment. She must have come from a rich family. But she did also say that she work... Where, he doesn't know.

"I'm planning to create stuff, and I feel like this 3D printer will help print the stuff I need."

Peter couldn't help but doubt.

"Uh-huh..."

At that, Joline pouted.

"Fine. This is my own Christmas present from me to myself." Joline patted the printer.

"This is my first ever Christmas- like truly experiencing it on my own. In New York," She explained even further.

"You're not from New York?" He blinked.

"No, I actually came from somewhere, far, far away..." Joline said mysteriously, "Just kidding. I travel around a lot in my early years until I decided to finally settle down here after the re-blip. I actually moved here five months ago-ish."

"Your parents?" He asked unsurely. Joline turned to him and gave a smile that looked sad.

"I never knew my parents. I'm an orphan." She admitted.

Oh...

Way to go, Peter.

"Me too..." He said softly. Joline gave him an assuring smile as she patted his shoulders.

Joline then went to the opened box of Christmas tree.

"How about you help me put up some decorations?"


They were halfway decorating Joline's place when Joline had an emergency call. He didn't know who it was and how they were so important that even Joline had to go to the roof to answer the call privately.

He had a job now, though.

"Hang up these lights for me around the room? You can use the chair." She pointed to the expensive looking dining chair.

As the door to her apartment closed, Peter gulped.

He really didn't want to ruin her expensice looking dining chair.

"This will be quick," He whispers to himself, and jumped to the ceiling, sticking upside down.

He quickly went to work, hanging and taping the lights.

Not long, Joline's voice was heard from the hallway and Peter cursed to himself, getting his fingers tangled. He wriggled his hand back and forth, and thankfully it quickly detangled as Joline opened the front door. Peter quickly went down and dusted himself off.

He gave Joline a tight smile as she went in with a scowl. This is the first time he had seen her in an emotion other than happiness.

"Sorry about that, it was my annoying-- Wow, Parker. That was... Quick." Joline looks around her apartment to see the lights hanging up. She glanced at the unmoved dining chair.

"You didn't even use the chair," She pointed out. Peter gave an awkward shrug.

"I used magic," He said with jazz hands, took a fallen branch, then pretended he was a wizard with his wand.

Joline actually snorted.

"You're a wizard, Parker!" She said in her best Hagrid impersonation.

Peter actually laughed at that, and they continued decorating her apartment.

He smiled in wonder everytime Joline giggled and light up the room.


A/N

Thank you for the reviews, QuantumExia and Morgan! I really hope I can continue this story and have fun with the characters since it's a little bit of an AU/What-If Imagining. Thank you again!

Also, don't be shy to drop a review on what you would like to see in the future. Thank you!