Meet Peter Stark

·MJ Finds Out·

Summary: MJ finds out that Peter Parker isn't really who he says he is.

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Peter thought he was always careful around his friends. He was convinced that neither Ned nor MJ knew about him being a Stark. However, Peter wasn't as careful as he thought he was because MJ had already figured it out. She knew that Peter was a Stark (not that he was Spider-Man). Ned was well... Ned. He was smart as a whip but wasn't observant like MJ. He had no clue about Peter's real identity, but MJ was somehow able to figure it out within the first year of knowing Peter.

MJ first had an inkling about something being off with Peter when the three were first getting to know each other. It was common for all teenagers to talk about how annoying their families were. Ned would often share stories about how his mom was always nagging him about studying and getting good grades. MJ would often tell the group stories about the antics of her little brother – from spilling juice on her brand new outfit to running around the house naked. But MJ noticed that Peter never talked about his family. Not once. Ever. There was something a little fishy about that to her.

The possibilities in her head ran wild with theories about Peter being in foster care to him having a strained relationship with his family. She didn't know what it was exactly, but she was determined to find out.

It started with one simple question. MJ was ranting about her annoying brother when she cut herself off and asked Peter: "Hey, Parker! I've never heard anything about your family. Do you have any siblings?"

He quickly replied, "No. My mom and dad thought I was already a handful. There's no way they could've managed with another one of us."

So there was MJ's answer. Peter did have a family, and she was comforted by that fact. For now, she was satisfied with what she learned.

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She started to grow a bit more suspicious a few weeks later. By some miracle, the three of them ended up in the same biology class together. The teacher had assigned a group project and was allowing her students to form groups of 2-4 people on their own. The three obviously chose each other to work on the project together.

Most of the work on the project had to be done outside of class, which meant that the new friends would get the chance to spend time together outside of school. The point of the project was to analyze the genetics of fruit flies, so it would have to be worked on over the course of several weeks. MJ suggested that they work on the project every Tuesday and Thursday after school for the next few weeks, alternating the houses they went to.

Ned liked her idea, but for Peter, there was a small problem. Bringing Ned and MJ to his home, meant that he would have to bring them to Avengers Tower. There was no way he could justify living there without outing himself as a Stark.

So Peter did what he had to do. He lied. He came up with the best excuse he could and nervously said, "Sorry, guys. But my parents are on a business trip right now, and I know they wouldn't feel comfortable with me bringing you guys over before they've met you. They're crazy overprotective and all that, you know?"

Ned bought Peter's excuse, but for MJ, it was quite the opposite. She didn't say anything to Peter, but she could tell he was lying. She just knew it. Again, theories ran wild in her mind about why Peter seemed to be so secretive about his life and his family. With the information she had at the time, she came to a conclusion she thought made the most sense – Peter was (for lack of a better term) embarrassed to have his friends over at his house. She was convinced that it had something to do with Peter's living situation, and the lack of funds his family must have.