Sorry I took so long to update this story. I kind of lost motivation after posting the last chapter, but I knew that nonetheless, I had to finish it. I hope y'all enjoy. Here's the payoff you had to wait so long for.

Peter had limped home, earning him some concerned looks from passersby as they saw the symbol of their city, their very own superhero, in a compromised state.

Scuttling up and down the walls became far more difficult than it had ever been with his injuries. He had to do it in order to get inside, because he couldn't afford people seeing Spider-Man enter their building, even worse an apartment.

The second Peter tugged the window open with his foot, he collapsed onto the top bunk of the bed at the end of his room. He didn't even possess the strength to close it. He lay, chest heaving once again from the exertion, not wanting to move.

However, he couldn't just stay like that in his suit where anyone could see him, and if May saw him like this she would freak and never let him go on patrols ever again.

So Peter dragged himself down the ladder of the bunk bed, tapped the spider emblem on his suit once to loosen it, and flopped down on the lower bed to rest. He didn't care to inspect his injuries, and just lay in bed for probably a half hour, letting his speed-healing do its work.

When May found him in his room wearing nothing but his boxers, she didn't question it. She simply opened the door, sighed, and then closed it. Peter could have laughed, but he was just so exhausted.

Finally, Peter's bruises seemed to be healed and he could change into some clothes, no longer feeling awkward with his damaged body and exposed skin.

His first order of business was to call MJ. He knew he had to discuss the whole deal with her because if her reaction was anything to go off of, he was in some deep shit.

When he had admitted that he was indeed Spider-Man, she'd immediately withdrawn her hand from his shoulder and took a small step back from him. The warmth of the contact immediately contrasted with the biting breeze of the winter day, and in reaction Peter sucked in a breath, not expecting it.

She'd immediately become somewhat closed off and her voice was no longer even. When he noticed that, he immediately knew he had made a mistake.

Now he had to fix it.

"Hey MJ, it's Peter. Can you please pick up? I know I messed up. I messed up big time. I want to talk about it because I want to fix this. Just please call me back."

She didn't call back, so Peter called again, only to be greeted with MJ's outgoing message.

"Hey, it's MJ. If I'm not picking up, I'm probably doing something better than talking to you, like drinking a nice cup of coffee and reading a thick book. Bye."

Then the oppressive subsequent beep would ring in his ear, almost teasing him, telling him in his head: You really did it this time, Peter. Now she's never going to speak to you again.

At this point, Peter decided to give up. Texting her after calling her twice would seem very desperate, and MJ did not like people who were desperate. That only made her less receptive.

Peter was quiet at dinner, and when May inquired as to what was wrong with him, he hung his head low and glared daggers into his pasta.

"Seriously, Peter, what's up? You're never silent. Like, ever," May said, taking a bite. She tried to suppress her gag reflex and ultimately failed. Even she knew she was a terrible cook.

"I had a problem with MJ," Peter almost whispered, still looking deep into his plate.

May smiled knowingly as he finally looked up. "Did she reject you?"

Peter sighed and said, "Even worse. She found out I'm Spider-Man before I wanted to tell her."

He expected May to flip out since he'd violated one of the rules she'd set down that he could never break, but instead her reaction was calm, and her smile remained on her face.

"What, are you expecting me to yell at you? I always knew she'd probably figure it out anyway. That's a smart girl."

"Yeah, and now she isn't answering my calls or texts, and I don't know what to do. I think she's mad I didn't tell her sooner." Peter spun his fork around, wrapping pasta around it, but he didn't raise it to his mouth to eat. He probably knew it tasted awful as well.

May looked into his eyes as he looked up, and said softly, "Then you know what you have to do, Peter."

"I can't do that, May. She probably hates me now."

May placed her hand over Peter's idle one. "She doesn't hate you. She's probably just mad you didn't trust her. "

"But how do I fix this?"

"You're a big boy, Peter," May said, smiling playfully. "You'll figure something out."

The following week involved little to no interaction between Peter and MJ. Ned tried to initiate it multiple times, roping one into a conversation he was having with the other, but the most they would offer was a millisecond-long glance into the other's eyes and then they wouldn't look at each other again.

One afternoon, while they were walking to P.E. together, Ned finally voiced his thoughts. "Dude, what's been up with you and MJ lately? It's like you can't even be in the same room together or something."

Peter didn't want to talk about it in such an open area where anybody could be listening, but he felt he had to tell somebody, so he spilled the beans.

"She found out I'm Spider-Man. I - "

"Dude." Ned stopped in his tracks, but Peter couldn't stop himself before he took some extra steps, forcing him to look back at Ned and turn around. "How the hell did that happen?"

"I was getting to that. Anyway, you heard the story about the attempted bank robbery, right?" Ned finally started walking again.

"Yeah, they almost got you, man. That was pretty close. You're okay now, though... right?" Ned's voice trailed off as he finished his sentence.

"Yes, I'm okay. So, I was kinda beaten up or whatever, when I saw MJ running up to me. It was hard for me to get up, so I couldn't leave like I wanted to."

Ned was nodding vigorously, waiting for what Peter would say next. "Yeah?"

"So, since she didn't know who I was, she was treating me like a superhero and not a total dork, and it was okay for a moment. Then I had to go and screw it all up."

"How?" Ned frowned.

"I slipped, dude. I - I called her MJ, and only you and I call her MJ, and, well, I'm me,"Peter gestured toward himself, and then towards Ned. "And you're... you?" His eyebrows creased with concern after he realized what he'd said.

Ned rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Whatever, dude. So she found out you're Spider-Man, so what? She was going to find out anyway if you didn't tell her."

Peter's eyes became glued to his feet. "Yeah, I guess." He then felt a light punch on his shoulder.

"So do it, man! Atone for your sins. Fix your mistakes."

Peter nodded, accepting his fate. It was either ask for forgiveness and hope for the best or never speak to MJ again. He knew he wanted the former.

So after school, he saw MJ pushing through the doors with her forearms, for her hands were full with yet another thick volume. He stuffed his things into his bookbag and jogged after her.

Just before the door clicked into place, Peter shoved through it and a few unsuspecting students who gasped as he passed. The cold wind sent a small chill down his spine, and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up.

Peter closed his eyes momentarily, absorbing the cold and adjusting before they shot open again and scoured the landscape for MJ.

Peter found her walking at a steady pace through the courtyard, head still buried in her book. He descended the steps quickly and caught up to her almost immediately. Increased speed was another perk of the bite.

He tapped her on the shoulder once. No response.

He tapped her two times, saying quietly and uncertainly, "MJ?"

Finally, she looked up from the book and left it hanging haphazardly at her side in her left hand, while her right adjusted her unruly curls, tucking them behind her ear.

A hefty sigh escaped her lips as she turned to him, and while shifting her weight to her left foot so that her hip was popped, she said, "What do you want, Peter?"

Peter laughed nervously and ran his hand through his hair before responding. Damn it, he would need to stop doing that if he wanted to be taken seriously.

"Well, I want... I want to talk," Peter managed.

MJ barked out a laugh. "No shit, Spider-Boy."

"Yeah, you see, that's - that's the exact thing I wanted to talk about. So, um..." Peter trailed off. He wasn't good at this stuff.

"Spit it out, dude. I have places to be."

"Yeah, right. Reading until the unholy hours of the night in your bedroom?" Peter spat before he realized what he was saying.

MJ's frown increased when he finished. "Oh, so I guess you're too cool for me, huh, dressing up in a spandex suit and swinging around the city, possibly risking your life at every turn?" That seemed to be the end of her sentence, but after a pause, she added quietly, "When I put it that way, it does sound pretty cool, but that's beside the point."

MJ turned on her heel and began to stride off when Peter grabbed her arm, effectively preventing her from going anywhere else. She glanced at his hand and then back up into his eyes, turning back around to face him.

"I didn't mean to say it like that, MJ. That was - that was harsh." Peter pulled his hand away from her arm, stuffing it into his pocket to keep from fidgeting. "What I wanted to say was, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you sooner about the whole... Spider-Man thing. I was going to, I swear, I just - I just wasn't ready."

"Well," MJ said, fiddling with the right strap of her backpack with her right hand, "I appreciate your honesty, Peter. I really do. I know this is a big secret that you're not supposed to be telling a lot of people, but... I thought we'd achieved that level of trust by now. I thought it was you, me, and Ned, you know, the best friends. I feel like it's only you and Ned now, though..." She finished, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing around their feet.

"MJ. MJ, of course, I trust you. Of course, it's the three of us. I'm sorry I made you feel that way," Peter said quietly. "I just can't live knowing that the great Michelle Jones hates me," he added, more confidently.

"I don't hate you, dork. But pull a stunt like that again and I just might," MJ said, smirking.

Peter felt as if a huge weight had just been taken off of his shoulders. He laughed. He couldn't help it. This was the most at peace he'd felt in a while.

"Good to know, MJ. Good to know."

Epilogue:

Christmas night had arrived, and the two Parkers had elected to have a party in their small apartment, for a select few: Ned, MJ, and themselves.

Peter would have thought May would feel a little lonely being the only adult, and he had discussed this with her beforehand, but she assured him that she would be just fine.

At the moment, Peter was coming back from the bathroom after washing his hands, when at the end of the hallway just before entering the living room, Peter was stopped by MJ standing in his way.

"What's up, MJ? You enjoying the party?" Peter asked, trying to sound as calm as possible, leaning his elbow against the wall.

"You're a real idiot, Parker," was all MJ said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well," Peter said, frowning slightly, "Isn't that a little harsh? 'Cause I definitely - "

"Look up, nerd."

He obliged her, searching the ceiling above them when his eyes landed and rested on a small green plant hung from a nail in the wall.

"Oh," was all he could manage before MJ grabbed his waist, pulled him so that he was leaning against the wall, and firmly planted her lips on his.

Peter hadn't realized that this was what he'd been wanting ever since he'd met MJ, but now that he was experiencing it, it was a million times better than he could have ever imagined it to be.

He reciprocated, placing his hands on both sides of her face, caressing her right cheek with his left thumb. She tasted like cherries. Did that mean she was wearing lip gloss? He could have sworn he noticed something different about her when he'd opened the door to let her and Ned in.

When she pulled away, her hands stayed resting on his sides and his on her cheeks. Their faces were inches apart, and Peter could feel her somewhat heavy breath against his lips.

Peter couldn't resist. "So was that what the lip gloss was for?" He asked, grinning slightly.

She rolled her eyes but she was smiling back at him. "You're welcome, dork."

There it is, folks. Hope you enjoyed. I don't know what piece I'm going to write next, but maybe PM me some ideas! I'd love to fulfill some of your requests. As always, I'd appreciate a review. Thanks for reading.