Begin Again - A Post No Way Home Story

Interlude: Shadow

Peter Parker was an enigma Michelle Jones-Watson couldn't put her fingers on. She had never seen him, despite going to the same high school. They were in the decathlon team together, but she nor Ned had any recollection of it. The first time she had seen Peter Parker had been that day it snowed at the end of November. It had been nearly a month since the day she and Ned all of a sudden found themselves on Liberty Island, a faint memory of how they got there. All she had of that day was a small permanent scar on her forehead - "the scaffolding fell off," the guy from damage control explained. "That Spider-Man - he's done it again!"

Peter Parker had looked at the band-aid on her forehead as though he was the reason that it existed.

She didn't pretend that she hadn't seen the piece of paper in his hand, the lingering looks he sent. Over the past few weeks though, Peter Parker stopped looking like a kicked puppy. Now, he seemed comfortable around them. Sometimes he would drift off, eyes glazing,  but then one of them would snap him back.

Ned then found out exactly why he looked like a kicked puppy, so it was all forgiven in a second. The timing made sense. He had just lost his aunt, and he had already lost everyone .

So when Ned asked her if it was okay for Peter to come over for a movie marathon, she had said okay. MJ pretended not to know that Peter was going to be there. She pretended to be against them for binge-watching Star Wars when they had specifically agreed to watch dumb Christmas movies –though she had wanted to veto it in the first place because she specifically remembered that Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle died. She had planned on complaining, but the moment Ned's lola had brought out the adobo, she dropped her slight vendetta against Star Wars.

She noted the small things Peter did. She also noticed his red knuckles and bruisings on his body - "I box at the gym," Peter had said - and on the days he didn't come in, the bruising was worse on the next.

MJ was pretty sure that he could be an underground boxer. Where else would he be making that much money for overpriced donuts?

From the corner of her eye, she observed Peter. He looked at peace for a moment, a peace that could break any second. New York must not be kind to him, it was kind to no one. There were days MJ walked down the streets and she lived in fear that her next moment could be her last. Aliens loved New York for some reason, to the point that conspiracy theorists said it was because of the lay lines and all of the Avengers were aliens.

It was bull. Only some of them were.

"Hey, Peter?" MJ whispered. Ned had nodded off, a slight snore sounding from his mouth. In the background, Han Solo was ready to turn to carbonite.

"Hm?"

MJ nearly froze when his dark brown eyes landed on her. MJ always thought that brown eyes were underappreciated. They were the color of everything warm she knew of - chocolate, a cabin in the woods, a little lighter and they could be like the burning embers going up the chimney.

"There's an exhibit I want to see at a museum and no one wants to go with me," that was a lie. She hadn't asked anyone.

"I can come, if you want me to," Peter answered.
"Cool," she shifted away from him. They had gotten a little too cozy on the small couch, but it was only noticeable now that Ned wasn't filling the silence.

"Want to tell me what it's about?"

"You'll see for yourself."

The exhibit in question was one of disembodied human parts that were preserved for science, put into the most macabre poses at times. Peter had looked at her in horror, but the more they walked throughout the exhibit, the more he opened up more to the idea.