Spider-Man - Chapter 5: Heavy Feelings (Patreon)

“As delicious as ever, Peter.” Mary Jane didn't hold back her praise. “It's juicy and perfectly seasoned. Maybe you should apply to be a head chef at a restaurant.”

“I don't want to be a chef.” Peter sighed. He'd worked hard to improve his cooking for the sake of his own stomach, not because he wanted to make a career out of it.

“Peter says he wants to become a doctor,” Aunt May told her.

“Preferably a dentist,” Uncle Ben added.

“Good money, not too much work, and there'll never be a shortage of patients,” Peter explained. That sort of stable life suited him perfectly. After all, he'd already decided he wouldn't become Spider-Man.

“That doesn't sound like much of an ambition,” Mary Jane remarked. Having grown up with Peter, she knew exactly how capable he was. She'd expected someone with his talents to join a major corporation like Oscorp or Alchemax, not settle for such an ordinary profession.

“An ordinary life and a few hobbies I enjoy. That sounds pretty good to me,” Peter replied.

“Quite right.” Uncle Ben, who'd spent years making his way through the working world, agreed wholeheartedly.

Aunt May kicked him under the table.

“Oh, I mean, young people ought to have some energy and ambition,” he corrected himself hastily. “Hmm... how about Oscorp? Your parents work there, too. I think you'd be a good fi... ow!”

Aunt May had kicked him hard again.

Of all the things to bring up! Although Peter didn't seem to hold a grudge against the parents who'd left him in his aunt and uncle's care when he was little, it still wasn't the sort of subject Ben should raise so casually in front of him.

It had been years since Peter had last seen his parents.

Ben, however, thought Peter was growing up and could probably handle the subject by now.

“Maybe,” Peter said. Personally, he thought it would be wiser to steer clear of Oscorp, one of the world's major breeding grounds for troublesome people and events.

“Alchemax Corporation wouldn't be a bad choice either,” Mary Jane suggested, only to see Peter frown and shake his head.

“Don't tell me you're thinking of Stark Industries?” she asked hesitantly, naming another major company.

“That doesn't sound bad, actually. If I don't get into medical school, maybe I'll consider it.”

In this world, the genius known as Tony Stark ran a vast, nationwide... restaurant business.

There was no sign of Captain America, either, nor had Peter heard a thing about a physicist named Bruce Banner. Wonderful news. As far as he could tell, this was a pure Spider-Man universe, with no Avengers or troublesome universe-shattering catastrophes to worry about.

That meant Peter wouldn't have to fear having a spaceship crash into his house one day, or being wiped out by somebody snapping their fingers.

“Enough about me, Mary Jane. Have you decided what you want to do in the future? We're already in high school.” Peter turned the conversation back on her.

Getting into college in America wasn't easy. You either needed talent or money, and Peter had known Mary Jane long enough to understand that while her grades weren't bad, getting accepted would still be difficult for her.

Her family's finances were even less encouraging. Her alcoholic father certainly couldn't be counted on to support her education.

“I'm going to try becoming an actress. It's what I like.” Acting had always been Mary Jane's dream. It would give her somewhere to express the passion burning inside her.

“Then I'll look forward to seeing you on Broadway one day, Mary Jane.” Peter knew there would be plenty of hardship on the path ahead of her, but he offered his encouragement anyway. It was exactly what she needed.

“You will. I'll make sure you see me there, Peter,” Mary Jane said confidently.

After dinner, Aunt May took charge of cleaning up the kitchen and ushered both teenagers back upstairs.

Peter felt a little awkward. They weren't small children anymore, and having a boy and a girl alone together in one room wasn't exactly ideal. “Do you want me to walk you home?” he asked.

“Oh, please. All I have to do is climb over the fence. Do you still think I'm a little kid?”

“As long as you don't jump back through the windows.” Peter shrugged. He really was worried she might hurt herself. “You can stay here a while, then, but you're going home at ten.”

“Am I really that unwelcome, Peter?”

“I go to bed at ten, Mary Jane. Stop messing around.”

“Fine. That means I still have three hours.”

He would have preferred that she didn't stay even one more hour.

Of course, Peter kept that thought to himself.

“As long as you don't disturb me, I don't mind. I have things to work on.”

Mary Jane really didn't interrupt him. After lying on his bed for a while, she got up and started tidying his room. Like plenty of boys' bedrooms, Peter's was a mess. Clothes were piled near the bed, while books, electronic equipment, bottles, jars, and all sorts of mysterious odds and ends covered his desk.

“Peter, are you still using this?”

“Of course. Put it on the left side of the desk. I still need the things out here, so don't move them.” Peter glanced up, then returned to what he was doing. Mary Jane started organizing his things, but only a few seconds later he turned again. “You can leave the books where they are. I still have to read them. Oh my God, you need gloves to handle that component!”

“You really have to clean up in here, Peter. I'm not going to throw your things away, but you could at least put them in order. Your drawers are completely empty because everything's on the desk.”

“Because I need to use all of it.”

Despite his protests, Mary Jane continued sorting the objects into groups and wiping down the desk.

“I can clean my own room, Mary Jane,” Peter said.

“That's what you said last time. And when was that? Oh my God, it must have been a year ago.” Mary Jane frowned.

“A year and six months, actually.”

“It was neat and tidy when I left. Just look at the state of it now.”

“I appreciate you helping me clean, but I'd be even more grateful if you'd ask before moving my things.”

“But every time I ask about something, you tell me not to touch it!”

“Yes. All you have to do is pick it up, wipe the desk beneath it, and put it back exactly where it was. That's what I've always done.”

“Including me?”

“...” Peter paused. “I don't want to argue, Mary Jane. You're still the same, and I've given in to you far too much before. Could you sit down for a while? Or maybe bring me some fruit from the refrigerator downstairs?”

“...”

Mary Jane almost wished they'd just had an argument instead. In the end, though, she sighed. “I'll cut some up for you and bring you a glass of milk.”

“With sugar.”

Once she'd gone downstairs, Peter returned to his work.

This was the source of so much of his frustration. Mary Jane was far too controlling.

It came from the insecurity she'd carried inside her for years. She couldn't stop trying to direct Peter's life, reaching into every corner of it and claiming it as her own. She wanted everything to happen according to her expectations.

The fact that her attitude had improved at all was the result of Peter keeping her at an emotional distance for so long.

As far as he was concerned, it would be enough if they could simply respect each other's boundaries and leave one another a little privacy.