Spiderman: Finding Home

Chapter 18: MJ

Michelle awoke the next morning to find the couch bed cold beside her, but a little sticky note with a message from Peter.

Had some Spidering to do.

I'll be back home soon.

Peter x

She had no ability to know how long ago she had left, but she felt an unshakeable certainty that he'd definitely be back in time to follow her to her meeting with her mum.

A glance at her phone told her it was 9am so she threw off the blankets and padded for the bathroom. She thought it would be probably best not to show up in a boys set of clothes so she went hunting for her clothes from that night and found them neatly folded and ironed on Peter's bed. She didn't know if it was May or Peter who did it, but she smiled nonetheless at the care she had been shown.

As Michelle showered, she thought about care and the lack of it in her life. Since the Blip she had grown to be self-reliant out of necessary. It was easy to recall life prior to the blip, after all it felt like only a few months ago for her. She smiled sadly at the memories of cooking pancakes with her mother at midnight because she couldn't sleep, or the warm hugs her mum had never failed to give her when she would return and leave for school. She missed her mum. Her new mum only wore her face.

She had grown to accept that her old mum probably wouldn't ever come back. It was an awful grief to experience, but she thought she had made her peace with it. But there was still that kernel of hope that flickered dimly as she thought about the conversation that was to come. With Peter's offer to be nearby, she felt a weight had been taken off of her shoulders. The likelihood of needing him was slim, but it was a concern she didn't realise she had.

"Let's hope I don't need to call on him," she murmured aloud to herself quietly.

MJ washed herself with the available body wash, making a mental note to thank the Parkers yet again for their hospitality. The scent was heady and spicey and utterly like Parker. A glance around the room showed her that this was his bathroom and Aunt-May must have one connected to her own bedroom. She liked that she didn't necessarily have a choice but to smell like Peter and allowed herself a smile at the fact.

When she heard footsteps in the apartment she quickly got out of the shower and began the process of getting ready. She brushed her teeth with the toothbrush Peter had given to her and piled her hair on her head in a messy bun that looked deliberate but totally wasn't. When she gazed at herself in the mirror, she was happy to see she looked quite normal even though she felt her stomach twist at the thought of what was coming today. She smiled at her reflection and was happy to see it masked her inner uneasiness.

She dumped her clothes from the previous night into the hamper and made her way into the kitchen where the Parkers appeared to be making breakfast.

"Good morning, Michelle," May smiled warmly and MJ returned it with ease.

"Good morning, May. You can call me MJ if you want."

"MJ it is," May nodded and pushed a mug of coffee towards her. "I'm out of tea but caffeine is caffeine right."

"Thank you," she took the mug eagerly and surveyed Peter was in the process of making pancakes judging by the ingredients before him and the sweet smell as they cooked in the frying pan.

"Do you want pancakes?" he asked her with a grin, as if he read her mind but she shook her head.

"I'm having brunch with my mum."

He nodded but May asked,

"How are you feeling about it?"

She wasn't used to being asked questions like this so openly so she felt a little put on the spot. She skimmed the rim of her mug, avoiding eye contact as she answered,