Chapter Text
“Hey Aunt May.” Peter answered the phone tirelessly. He struggled to balance the phone between his ear and shoulder while changing back to his clothes in the cramped bathroom stall.
“Good work out there,” she said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Disneyland. They got you stopping the bad guys on the news.”
“Oh, right.” He nearly tripped coming out of the stall, stopping at the mirror to straighten up the collar of his decathlon jacket. “You’re not worried?”
There was a brief pause on the line before he heard May sigh.
“Well, Usually I avoid watching the news because I thought seeing you battle would give me a heart attack.”
Hearing that was tough for Peter. He wanted to comment but rubbed his head and stay quiet, deciding to fully hear her out.
“But I finally decided to watch, and it turned out better than I thought. You look like you know what you’re doing out there.”
He smiled. “Does that mean I have a new fan?”
“I’ll always be your number one fan, Peter.”
“Thanks Aunt May. That’s great to hear.”
“Now go enjoy the rides. And bring back pictures!”
“Will do.”
Peter put away his phone and took one last look in the mirror. He really liked how the school jacket looked on him. He was proud to have saved the day yet again. But all that was on his mind now was rejoining his friends and celebrating their victory.
It wasn’t long after the police finished rounding up the criminals that Peter received a call from Ned telling him that Midtown won the tournament. It was a bittersweet feeling. All the time and work he put into practicing for the tournament this time around, only to leave his friends again. Still, when he saw the criminals being put away, he felt sure that he made the right decision. There was a high responsibility given to him that he now accepted. He was Spider-Man, and he always will be.
The sound of a bus pulling up brought him out of his thoughts.
A wave of blue and gold jackets jumped off the bus and rushed to the gate. Peter laughed watching his teammates spazzing at the ticket booth. Being Spider-Man was great, but at times like this he just enjoyed being Peter Parker.
Ned ran through the entrance, beating everyone else. “Bro! You’re never gonna believe it,” he exclaimed, shaking Peter’s jacket.
Peter chuckled, pulling his friend off him. “I know bro, champions.”
“Bump that. Betty kissed me.”
Peter’s eyes went as wide as Ned’s.
“Dude!”
“DUDE!”
“What happened?” Peter looked back to make sure the others were still at a good distance from hearing them. “Tell me.”
“I don’t know. After we won, she just grabbed me and planted one right here.” Ned pointed to his lips dramatically. “So it’s official.”
“Wow. Then what did you do?”
“I went to find you, but MJ said you had to do your Spidey thing. That was awesome by the way!” he pulled out his phone, waving it in Peter’s face. “I was watching Youtube recaps on the ride over.”
Peter pushed the phone out of the way and grabbed Ned by his jacket, shaking him to focus. “Dude, what about Betty?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I came to you. I can’t let this momentum die. Help!”
Both were frantic and the other teammates were starting to enter the park. That’s when the idea struck Peter.
“Take her on a ride.”
Ned thumbed his own head as if it was the most obvious idea in the world. “Good idea. And you…” he nudged Peter, tilting his head toward MJ who was talking with Mr. Harrington. “Finish the script.”
Peter gulped as Ned ran off towards Betty. For once, he thought Ned was on to something. It was a great day for all of them. If there was ever a time for something to happen with MJ, it was today.
But before that, the rest of his teammates made their way through toward him. He braced himself for all the backlash he was expecting for ditching them again. Instead, they all gave him high fives and ran right pass him to head to the rides. Perhaps they were too excited to scold him, or they were just used to Peter not showing up. Either way he felt like he dodged a bullet.
“We did it!” Liz said to him, beaming in her team jacket.
Peter was expecting some resentment from her too but like a true captain, she focused on the win.
“Congrats. Well deserved.”
“Thank you. How’s your stomach?”
His mouth dropped at the question. He remembered MJ’s great diarrhea excuse for him when he told her he had to leave. Only he didn’t think she was serious.
“She really told everybody that?”
Liz giggled. “I’m just glad you’re able to get on rides with her. She’s really excited about it.”
He perked up at that. He looked over again at the topic of their conversation and she was fast approaching them.
“I’ve never seen her this excited. I guess that’s the Disney affect.”
Liz rolled her eyes and shoved him forward. “Get observant, Peter.”
Before he had time to react, MJ was right in his face with the brightest smile he’d ever seen on her. “
“Yo Peter, it’s coaster time! I’m sure Harrington wants us to do the old buddy system. Wanna parner up?
“Yes!” he said too loudly. “I mean, yeah that’s cool.”
She rolled her eyes and dragged him inside the park. “Come on, dork.”
The afternoon was filled with Peter and MJ exploring the theme park’s finest. Ride after rider, attraction after attraction, laughter and screams were exchanged for every loop and drop they experienced. The long lines were cut short by the USAD providing fast passes for the champions, along with MJ recapping the events of the tournament. Peter was jealous, but MJ declared he had the better story when he told her about the smuggling he’d stopped earlier.
Night was approaching, meaning their time was coming to an end. Peter didn’t bother watching the clock and instead enjoyed every minute he was spending with MJ. Throughout the day, things had been going so well that he was surprised the biggest subject hadn’t come up. Perhaps because he didn’t know how to address it. Or maybe it was because being with her was so effortless. Still, something needed to be said.
“That has to be the best one,” she cheered when they exited a coaster. “You can’t go wrong with Pirates.”
Peter made a mental note to thank Happy for the suggestion. At that thought, he rubbed his head and spoke up.
“So how long did you know I was Spider-Man?”
MJ stuck her hands in her jacket pockets, her energy calming. She looked at the ground while they walked as if she was trying to remember how she figured out herself.
“I’ve had my suspicions since the beginning of the year. You ditched your glasses, dropped out of most of your clubs, and turned into a beast at gym. Plus, the whole Stark Internship thing was a little too convenient when Spidey started swinging around Queens.”
He chuckled. “When you say it like that, it sounds obvious. Then again, most people don’t obsess over me.”
She snickered, bumping his shoulder with her own.
“Observant.” At that moment she went out of character and stole one of his gestures, rubbing her head. “Peter, do I look like I go to stupid high school dances or lame house parties? I was worried about you. After what happened with you uncle, you start ditching classes. At first, I thought things were worse. But when I put together the pieces, I almost couldn’t believe it.”
“So why didn’t you say anything?”
“I like to keep you guessing.”
He rolled his eyes, bumping her shoulder this time.
“So that’s why you had to resort to that fake confession before,” he muttered, referring to her ‘crush’.
“That wasn’t fake.”
He stopped in his tracks. Each syllable of her statement replayed in his head.
“Really?”
She stood in front of him. Face stern, voice firm. “Really.”
Background noise of the tourists and park music surrounded them. It was calming yet anxious feeling going through Peter. A Few months ago, him and this girl barley spoke. Now she had quickly become one of the most important people in his life.
“I wanted to tell you. It’s just-”
“I get it,” she said. When Peter gave her a questioning look, she shrugged. “You figured if people don’t know, then they stay safe. Not to mention, there’s never a right time to tell somebody you can crawl walls.”
“That’s…better than any explanation I can give.” He chuckled and rubbed his head. “So, are things gonna be weird now?”
MJ took a step back, narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down. “You still plan to wear NASA shirts and geek out over elements?”
“Definitely.”
She shrugged again. “Seem like the same Peter to me.”
Before he could respond, the sound of light explosions came from above. They looked up to see fireworks brightening the dark sky. The whole park stopped to observe the show. Phones were high from countless people filming and streaming patterns the lights formed. But Peter’s phone stayed in his pocket. Instead his hand reached for MJ’s, which she accepted. He decided, staring at the colorful explosions above the Cinderella Castle while sporting their championship jackets, was a memory for just the two of them.
What Ned said crossed his mind. He took a deep breath and faced the girl. If this was his story, then this was going to be his moment. He pulled MJ to him, closed his eyes, leaned in…and was pushed back.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Peter’s mouth went agape. He looked up at the remaining crackles in the sky and back down at MJ.
“I thought-”
“What, you thought this was the part of the script where you save the day and get rewarded with the girl? This ain’t the 80’s Peter. Step your game up.”
MJ crossed her arms. Peter was willing to bet the cliché’ romantic scenery would be enough for most girls. But then again, MJ wasn’t most girls. And that’s why he liked her, she was a constant challenge. Challenge accepted.
“Michelle Jones, I like you. Give me a chance and I promise not to do any cliche dates. That means no school dances, too expensive for teens dinners, mini golf or bowling. I’m a hand holder,” He grasped her hand to prove the point. “Get used to it.” Her lip quivered, beginning to stretch into a smile. “I believe technology exists for a reason. So, I will call you, a lot. And if I’m on patrol and see you getting hurt, I will rescue you. That is a non-negotiable. So, what do ya think, want me as a boyfriend?”
“Throw bowling back in the mix, and you got a deal.”
“You bowl?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m the best bowler you’ve ever seen.”
“Aunt May’s gonna love you.”
She giggled. Michelle Jones actually giggled. A dozen different ways to tease her ran through Peter’s mind but he didn’t bother. He saw how she was again adapting his habit and rubbing her head, meaning she had more to say.
“So, I wouldn’t be a good girlfriend if I kept secrets…”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
She sighed, “Going back to the story, I was suspicious, but had no proof. So at the dance, after you left I followed Ned to the computer lab and heard him talking about the Vulture. I hid when I heard someone coming and he got busted. When everyone left, I saw what he was working on and got in touch with Happy. He snitched to Tony.”
“How come I never heard about this.”
“Don’t blame her, kid.”
The voice was unmistakable. Even though he hadn’t head it in weeks, but he knew instantly who it belonged to. He turned to see Tony Stark, dressed up as usual in a full suit and tie. Under most normal circumstances, Peter would be ecstatic to see him. But considering the conversation with MJ, he was stunned while putting the pieces together in his mind.
“Happy mentioned you’d be at the pirate ride. Good job stopping the smuggling so quickly,” Tony said.
Peter looked back and forth between MJ and Tony. “Mr. Stark-”
“She wanted to tell you right away. But I swore her to secrecy. Well, that and I paid a good $250 dollars. By the way young lady, you got a future in business. I haven’t lost a negotiation in years.”
MJ slid her hands into her jacket pockets and stood next to Peter. “Just be glad I was in a generous mood.”
“Why would you make her do that?” Peter asked, starting to get mad.
Tony sighed. “Because last time we talked, you told me you wanted to take some time to be Peter. And since Spider-Man disappeared from Queens for a while, I thought that’s what I thought you were doing. I didn’t want to ruin that for you.”
The anger subsided. Tony listened this time and in a weird way, Peter was grateful. He did need that time away from being Spider-Man. If MJ had confronted him about it right away, he probably would have been more torn than he already was.
“Peter!”
Blinded by his own excitement, Ned ran past Tony straight up to his friends. “Bro, Space Mountain is awesome! Except Betty got sick.”
MJ scoffed, “Lightweight.”
“So, how’s it going with you two?”
Peter and MJ looked at each other briefly before looking away bashfully. “We’re all caught up,” she said taking his hand.
“Great! Now we can finally get back to the branding.”
“Branding?”
“Yeah bro. This script ain’t gonna sell itself. So what do you like better, The Amazing Spider-Man or The Spectacular Spider-Man?”
“I like where your head’s at,” Tony chimed in. “Ever thought about a career in marketing?”
Ned finally looked up and saw him. He couldn’t speak, so he just nodded with a cheesy grin.
“Hmm Spectacular rolls off the tongue, but nobody says that word,” MJ commented. “Let’s just keep it simple with the Amazing.”
“Hey, I got one,” Peter spoke up. “The Ultimate Spider-Man.”
“Na, you can’t pull that off.”
“What?”
“I’m just saying,” she said rubbing his palm. “We should stick with a title that sums up who you are. Short, sweet, and simple. Amazing.”
“Those backhanded compliments are gonna be a regular part of this relationship, aren’t they?”
“Hey, they’re compliments.”
He chuckled and squeezed her hand a little more. Hard to believe it but he actually pulled it and now was a superhero with a girlfriend. He was already looking forward to more of these banter moments with her.
Too bad the moment was cut short by the sound of Tony clapping his hands together.
“Alright, that’s enough fun. The time has come Peter. Thor called with a new potential threat. All of the Avengers are needed.”
A thought sparked in his mind. “So I really am an Avenger?”
“Always have been. Now come on kids. I got the jet waiting.”
The day was getting even better. It reminded Peter of the last time he was supposed to meet the Avengers but chose not to in favor of getting his personal life grounded first. Now he felt like he had done that. But was he really ready to announce himself to the world?
“Wait, Mr. Stark. What about-”
“What, you still wanna do the whole secret identity thing? Come on Peter, that sounds like an overused plot from an outdated comic script. Look around, everyone knows who the Avengers are, and we’re doing just fine.”
Tony beat him to the punch and he made a good point. Following that, he felt a nudge on his arm.
“Peter, as your honest girlfriend, I have to say. You’re really bad at keeping secrets.”
From the other side, Ned placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah bro. Not sure how much longer we can keep that up. Seems like people keep finding out pretty easily.”
That was another good point.
“Plus, if you do this then we can extend the script with the rest of the Avengers! Our brand will be the next Walt Disney.” Ned looked at Tony anxiously. The response came in an instant.
“You’re hired.”
“YES!”
Pushing pass Ned’s spaz attack, Tony stood in front of Peter with a stern expression.
“Look, none of us can tell you what to do. You have to make a decision. Can you be Peter Parker and Spider-Man at the same time, or do you need to keep your lives separate?”
It was a good question, one he had been thinking about for weeks. Peter thought about the adventures he had gone on and all the criminals he put away. The duality the superhero life had brought him was bitter sweet experience. But it was his life. There was nothing left to decide.
“We’re one in the same. I’m ready.”
“Great! We’ll just have to stop by Queens first and pick up Miles.”
“Miles?”
Tony motioned for them to follow him while pulling out his phone. “Yeah, I’ll let MJ fill you in on the flight over. By the way how do you like the nick-name I gave her?”
My friends call me MJ
The memory dawned on Peter. “That’s where that comes from?” he asked his girlfriend, who was busy digging in her bag. Tony answered for her.
“Michelle Jones is a good name But all the greats were named MJ. The player, the singer, and now our new official Avengers reporter.”
Peter turned and stood face to face with MJ’s camera.
“Say Cheese!”
Click