Spiderman: Finding Home

Chapter 8: MJ

Authors Note:

Hey all! The next few chapters are going to be heavy and I'm going to update the tags.

Trigger warning for: Alcoholism, Abuse, Sexual Abuse and Sexual Trauma

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MJ's POV

Michelle regretted cancelling on Peter almost as soon as she walked into her apartment. As expected, the benches were covered in more beer bottles and there was a stack of dishes her mum must have used throughout the day. She sighed as she set her backpack on the couch and got to work. Over the past few weeks doing this, cleaning away the reminders of her pretty depressing life, had a reward. She had a routine for her mum's night shift nights: return from school, do homework, clean the apartment and finish reading her latest book while eating dinner. By the time she was done, it was usually close to their meeting time and if not she would walk around the corner park or just simply wait for Peter as she started another book.

But tonight there was no reward. Tonight she'd be alone and it was her doing.

Her relationship with her mother was practically non-existent but Michelle still found comfort in having someone in the apartment with her that she trusted; even if it was barely. She supposed though that depended on if her mother had brought home yet another old man. She had bought a deadbolt for her door months ago after saving some money by helping babysit for their neighbours, and after that incident with that one particular man, she knew that to be safe all she needed to do was hide in her room until they left. She was relieved she had a small bathroom attached to her bedroom. That would be awkward otherwise. And she kept a big bottle of water on her desk that she always checked to make sure was full before she left for school each day. They rarely stayed for more than a day, but she had to be cautious. The only thing she needed now was a mini-fridge so she'd be able to hide some snacks in case she was hungry.

That's how she got caught out last time. She had been hungry after a long night of studying and reading.

He had cornered her in the kitchen before dragging her to the lounge room.

Now she just waited until they left, or until she fled for school should they be there on a school morning.

As the evening passed, her phone kept a regular buzzing as Peter sent her texts, memes and random photos. She hadn't bothered to reply to any of them, but he carried on unbothered.

Spiderboi: Yo guess who just got a doughnut for finding a cat?

Spiderboi: *cat meme*

Spiderboi: *selfie of him web-swinging*

It wasn't until 10pm that he seemed to realise she wasn't going to reply. The stream of messages ended with one.

Spiderboi: Are you okay, MJ?

She chewed on her lip as she read the message again and again. After completing her usual routine she decided to reward herself with a bath. She tried to stick to short showers because the water bill was just another stressor, but she needed it tonight. As she soaked in the warm water, the scent from a cheap bath bomb filling the room, she had thought about her roiling stomach and, as disgusting it was, the jealousy in her chest. She liked Liz, but she concluded she liked her relationship with Peter more and she knew based on his reaction to her text that this was going to change things, at least until Liz left the city again. Even though he probably wouldn't, she dreaded Peter talking about Liz this and Liz that; the way he used to when his crush was at its worst before Homecoming.