I’m Not Becoming Spider-Man - Chapter 13: Tension in the Air (Patreon)

They took a taxi, with Harley eagerly volunteering to pay the fare. After all, she was a member of the newspaper club's little circle now!

Harley sat in the front. Through the rearview mirror, she could see Peter wedged into the back seat between Gwen and Mary Jane.

Both beautiful girls had their arms folded and their heads turned away, looking thoroughly displeased with each other.

Could it be... that Gwen liked him too?

The thought occurred to Peter, but he immediately dismissed it. They'd known each other for only a few days. Assuming she had feelings for him would be unbelievably conceited.

She was probably just standing up for a friend. Mary Jane was, after all, undeniably controlling.

Peter wouldn't even be surprised if Mary Jane locked him in her basement one day.

The taxi bounced along until it finally pulled up outside his house.

As they got out, Peter leaned close to Mary Jane and whispered, "Come straight inside. You can go home after the get-together."

Mary Jane's family situation was a disaster, and Peter didn't want her to have to stop by her own house with two other people watching. She might be strong enough to endure her father's behavior, but that didn't mean she wanted strangers learning about it.

People might look at her differently afterward. Bullying was common enough around here already.

"Mm."

Mary Jane understood exactly why he had made that suggestion. Her heart wasn't as fragile as it used to be, but his consideration still warmed her.

She reached out to take his hand. Peter yanked his away as though he'd touched a live wire, then hurried toward the front door.

"Peter..." Mary Jane puffed out her cheeks. Sooner or later... sooner or later, she would...

Peter had his own keys, so there was no need to call for Uncle Ben.

Gwen stood watching while he worked his way through three different locks, top to bottom, before finally opening the door.

"Welcome! This is my place!"

"Um, Peter..." Gwen stepped inside, and something immediately caught her attention.

She tapped the steel door, which had been painted to look like wood, and examined the complicated locks. "What is this, a prison? Why is your front door so terrifying?"

"Believe me, I wish it was as secure as a prison," Peter sighed. But even the strongest fortress was useless if the enemy could get in from within. The locks offered little more than peace of mind.

Mary Jane strode inside with her chin held high. Watching Gwen marvel at the door, she smiled and proudly thrust out her chest.

That security system was quite the monument to her past achievements. She had every reason to feel proud.

"All right, come on in. I'm going to let Aunt May know we're here," Peter said.

"I'll show you upstairs," Mary Jane offered immediately.

"My room's the one around the corner at the top of the stairs!" Peter cut in quickly, preventing her from asserting her position as the one who knew the house best. "I'll be right up!"

"Hmph." Mary Jane was irritated. Peter was always like this. What was so wrong with acknowledging the relationship between them?

No matter. One day she would get what she wanted.

Mary Jane led the way upstairs, with Gwen and Harley following behind.

Downstairs, Uncle Ben was sitting on the couch, supposedly reading the paper. In truth, he'd been sneaking looks at the youngsters. The moment he noticed Peter, he hurriedly raised the newspaper to hide his face.

Peter reached over as he passed, took the paper out of Ben's hands, turned it right side up, and handed it back without a word.

Then he went into the kitchen to speak to Aunt May.

Naturally, curiosity got the better of Uncle Ben. He crept over to the kitchen and stationed himself outside the door to listen through the wall.

Aunt May, who had been peering out into the hall herself, quickly ducked back inside and pretended to be busy chopping onions.

"Aunt May, I brought a few friends home. Could you make two extra portions for dinner?"

"Oh, of course, sweetheart!" Aunt May nodded, her face alight with curiosity.

Mary Jane's presence at dinner was practically a given, so the two extra servings were for Gwen and Harley.

"Are those two your new friends?" she asked.

"Sort of. We're mostly classmates from the same club. The one with brown hair is Harley, and the blonde is Gwen," Peter explained. "Oh, and I've got something to work on with them, so I'll have to leave dinner entirely to you tonight."

"That's no trouble at all, Peter. Go enjoy yourself with your friends. Shall I bring you some fruit?"

"Yes, please. Thanks, Aunt May."

Once Peter had gone upstairs, Uncle Ben entered the kitchen. "He's brought two more girls home? Good grief! How does a boy like Peter manage that?"

"What do you mean, a boy like Peter? Our little Peter is handsome," Aunt May replied. "Now, get some fruit from the fridge. I'll cut it up, and you can take it upstairs. Then you could linger outside the door for a little while... You aren't busy, are you?"

"Of course not."

Even as adults, Ben and May still enjoyed a little gossip, especially when it concerned the child they'd raised.

Peter had hardly been popular in middle school. Few girls ever dared approach him, apart from Mary Jane. Now he'd barely started high school, and suddenly there were girls all around him.

Had nerds somehow become fashionable?

Upstairs, Peter pushed open his bedroom door. Gwen had taken the chair, Mary Jane was sitting on his bed, and Harley was the only one standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Have a seat, Harley," Peter said, only to feel that something about the arrangement was rather odd.

"All right, Peter. Tell me all about this little secret of yours," Mary Jane said.

"Here it is." Peter produced the printed comic. "We're planning to publish this in the school paper. Once it's gained some attention, we'll pitch it to the Daily Bugle."

"I hope it goes well," Mary Jane said, taking the pages without bothering to look at them. Comics weren't her interest, but she would support whatever Peter wanted to do.

"Hey, Peter! Where's the rest?" Gwen asked, turning back and forth in the desk chair.

"Right here. I'll pull it up for you." Peter went to the computer and opened the pages he'd already drawn.

The remaining installment covered the Riddler's first appearance and some of Batman's progress in investigating the case.

Where Gwen and Mary Jane seemed perfectly at ease, Harley was still rather self-conscious.

"Harley, don't you want to look at it with Gwen?" Peter asked.

"I'll wait until she's finished. There's plenty of time, isn't there?" Harley answered, her attention drifting around the room.

It wasn't a large bedroom. Equipment, books, and miscellaneous objects filled almost every available space, leaving little room to move. But everything was arranged neatly, so it didn't feel dirty or untidy.

There were all sorts of mechanical devices whose purpose Harley couldn't begin to guess.

A little later, Uncle Ben arrived with a plate of fruit. He glanced around at the visitors, told them to enjoy themselves, and was about to leave when he noticed how crowded it was.

"Do you want me to bring up a few more chairs?"

"No, Uncle Ben, we're fine," Mary Jane said, sliding a little closer to Peter.

"I suppose we are..." Peter replied, less convincingly.

Gwen finished reading and looked up. "That was great, Peter. Is there another installment?"