[Perspective: Peter Parker]
Peter Parker walked slowly, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket. His shoulders were slumped, his head hanging low.
He turned a corner, entering a wide plaza.
Ahead of him, a large group of teenagers was spilling out of a grand set of double doors.
It was his classmates. They were returning from the opera.
Peter stopped in the shadows of an awning, watching them.
Mr. Harrington was at the front, looking utterly exhausted, rubbing his temples while Mr. Dell counted heads.
Flash Thompson was complaining loudly about the lack of subtitles, and Betty was holding onto Ned's arm, looking sleepy.
Then, Peter saw MJ.
She was walking near the back of the group. She was wearing her simple dress, her curly hair catching the light of the streetlamps.
She was walking purposefully, her hands in her pockets, staring straight ahead.
And walking entirely too close behind her was Brad Davis.
"Come on, MJ," Brad was saying. He stepped quickly to match her pace, trying to catch her eye. "The opera wasn't that bad, right? I mean, the acoustics were incredible. And you looked really nice tonight."
"Brad," MJ said. "If I wanted to listen to people scream in a language I don't understand while sitting next to someone who keeps trying to touch my elbow, I'd go to a family reunion. Please stop walking in my slipstream."
Brad faltered, his smile dropping into a scowl. He slowed his pace, letting her walk ahead.
Peter stepped out from the shadows of the awning.
MJ's eyes locked onto him immediately. She didn't look surprised to see him standing there.
She just altered her trajectory, breaking away from the main group of students and walking directly toward him.
Peter felt his heart begin to hammer a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
"Hi," Peter mumbled as she stopped in front of him. He looked down at the cobblestones, unable to meet her gaze. "I... I am sorry."
MJ crossed her arms over her chest, studying his face.
"If you don't like to sit beside me," MJ said, her voice surprisingly soft, lacking its usual sarcastic bite, "you can just tell me, Parker. You don't have to fake an illness and run out of the building."
Peter's head snapped up. "No! No, it's not like that. I promise, MJ, it's not like that at all. I really wanted to sit next to you."
"So," MJ asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. "What is it like, then?"
Peter opened his mouth, but no words came out. What could he say? I had to go meet a super spy in a dark room to discuss a fake fire monster?
He looked around frantically. Mr. Harrington was ushering the students toward the hotel entrance. A few tourists were lingering near the fountain.
"Can we..." Peter stammered, gesturing vaguely down an empty alleyway branching off the main plaza. "Can we talk somewhere in private?"
MJ stared at him for a moment, analyzing the sheer panic radiating off him.
"Okay," she agreed simply.
She turned and walked down the alleyway. Peter hurried after her.
They walked until the sounds of the plaza faded entirely, surrounded by high brick walls.
MJ stopped, turning to face him.
"Okay, we are in private," MJ said. "Spit it out, Parker."
Peter took a deep breath. He looked at his hands, then looked up into her expectant eyes.
"Things are really very complicated," Peter started, his voice trembling slightly. "But before I tell you… can you promise me that you will keep it a secret? For me? Please?"
MJ's brow furrowed. The aloof mask slipped into genuine curiosity.
"Okay," she said slowly. "What is it?"
Peter looked at her. He tried to form the words. I am Spider Man. It was four simple words, but they felt like boulders in his throat.
Every time he tried to push them out, his brain screamed that he was making a mistake, that he was putting her in danger.
He closed his mouth.
He took a sudden step backward. He bent his knees deeply, coiling the enhanced muscles in his legs, and launched himself upward.
He flew ten feet into the air. He extended his arms, his palms slapping flat against the rough brick wall of the alley.
His fingers dug into the mortar, the microscopic hairs on his skin engaging, sticking him instantly to the vertical surface.
He hung there for a second, suspended high above the cobblestones, defying gravity effortlessly.
Then, he pushed off, flipping backward in a tight arc, and landed in a perfect crouch directly in front of her.
He slowly stood up, brushing a dusting of brick powder from his jeans. He looked at her, his chest heaving with nervous energy.
"Do you understand now?" Peter asked.
MJ looked at him with an expression of unimpressed calm.
"Are you..." MJ started. "Do you just have a nice grip? Are you a really intense rock climber?"
Peter's jaw dropped. "What? No! I am Spider Man."
MJ crossed her arms again, leaning back slightly. "Really. Can you use your webs, then?"
Peter patted his wrists frantically. "I... I didn't bring my web shooters with me tonight. But yeah, I can do that! I make the webs myself!"
"I doubted it," MJ stated flatly.
Peter's face fell. He felt a crushing weight of disappointment. He had finally revealed his deepest secret, and she didn't believe him.
"You... you doubted what?" Peter asked miserably. "That I'm Spider Man?"
"I doubted your ability to hide it," MJ corrected, a smile touching the corner of her lips.
Peter blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Parker," MJ sighed, uncrossing her arms and taking a step closer to him. "Every single time you are involved in something, there is always some massive incident. Look at this trip. We were not supposed to come to the Czech Republic. But suddenly, we are here. So I guessed it had something to do with you."
She began counting on her fingers.
"Because the school didn't ask us to pay extra to reimburse the travel costs, which, according to the school's incredibly cheap nature, they would never let go of. And also, I saw you going out of the classroom multiple times back in Queens, and magically, five minutes later, Spider Man shows up on the news."
She pointed a finger directly at his chest.
"And sometimes, you behave way too suspiciously," she continued, her voice softening slightly. "It's like you don't want to worry people about what you have to do. I can see it on your face, Peter."
Peter stared at her, completely dumbfounded.
His entire secret identity, the thing he had guarded with his life, unraveled by a high school junior with good observation skills.
"If... if that's so obvious," Peter stammered, feeling incredibly foolish. "Why didn't you say anything?"
MJ rolled her eyes, shaking her head.
"Why do you think this is Metropolis, and you are Superman?" MJ asked, her tone dripping with dry sarcasm. "Which is, you know, you put on one pair of glasses and suddenly you become Clark Kent, and nobody can recognize your bone structure?"
Peter opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked down at his shoes.
"No," Peter mumbled. "It's not like that."
MJ took another step forward. She reached out, her hand gently brushing against his arm.
"It's OK," she said, her voice dropping all the sarcasm, leaving only a genuine reassurance. "I understand."
Peter looked up at her, a massive wave of relief washing over him.
"Oh," Peter breathed, a goofy smile breaking across his face.
"Hey!"
The sharp shout echoed down the alleyway.
Peter and MJ both turned their heads.
Mr. Dell was standing at the entrance to the alley, waving a flashlight frantically.
"Hey, you two! Let's go back! The hotel is doing a headcount and Mr. Harrington is having a panic attack in the lobby!"
Peter looked at MJ.
"Let's go back," Peter sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"Yes," MJ agreed.
They turned and began walking back toward the brightly lit plaza.
As they walked, MJ kept her arm swinging loosely by her side.
Slowly, she reached out. Her fingers brushed against the back of Peter's hand.
Then, she slid her palm against his, lacing her fingers securely through his.
Peter looked down at their joined hands, his brain completely failing to process the sensory input.
He looked up at MJ. She was staring straight ahead, her face a mask of casual indifference, but her grip on his hand was tight.
"Got any problem, Parker?" MJ asked, not turning her head to look at him.
Peter felt his heart soar into his throat. He tightened his fingers around hers.
"No," Peter breathed, pulling her gently forward so they could continue walking. "Not at all. Let's go."
And as they walked back into the chaotic light of the hotel lobby, Peter Parker couldn't stop smiling all the way.