fiction | Part of the journey is the end

9. Identity reveal

Happy and the kids cautiously exited the vault as Flash whooped in joy. Happy asked MJ where she was going as she ran off.

Sam smirked. "Running towards a little spider, probably."

Peter blushed.

On the devastated bridge, MJ ran towards Peter as soon as she saw him. Peter limped his way from the opposite direction. MJ dropped the weapon and threw his arms around Peter in a hug. "Hey."

"That's adorable!" Wanda squealed.

Tony clapped Peter on the back. "Now's your chance. Tell her you like her."

Peter looked nervous and everyone looked at them, amused.

"Hey," Peter said in slight confusion. MJ asked if Peter was okay. Peter said he was okay and asked if she was okay. MJ said she and everybody else was.

Everyone smiled at the two.

"What happened?" Peter asked. "There were just these just the drones, and they were following us, and then they just stopped...was that you?"

"All by himself too," said Stephen, proud.

"Yeah," Peter said softly. The two of them finally let go of each other. "Did you get them?" MJ asked. Peter nodded, almost in defeat. "Yeah."

Everyone looked at Peter sympathetically. He had just watched Beck die.

"Well, I, um, I brought that," MJ gestured to the weapon. "In case you needed some help." Peter laughed awkwardly.

"This is so awkward," said Bucky. "Kiss her already!"

Peter groaned.

"Anyway, there was this sweaty guy in the tower with us."

Peter, Tony, and Rhodey snorted.

"I think he, like, works for you or something. He, um, he gave me this." Her hand opened to reveal a shattered Black Dahlia necklace.

"No!" yelled Peter.

"Oh no!" cried Wanda.

"Shit," said Sam. "That's bad luck."

"Oh, MJ, I'm so sorry. I had this stupid plan. I wrote it down; I was gonna buy you this and give it to you in Paris at the top—" MJ cut him off, kissing him.

Everyone blinked in surprise and then cheered. Sam and Bucky clapped Peter on the back.

"She kissed you, kid!" Tony whooped.

"Kiss her back!" Wanda yelled.

Peter's face was incredibly red, but he was pleased.

Peter looked at her in shock. "And you kissed me."

"Hell yeah, she did," said Tony.

"I don't really have much luck when it comes to getting close to people, um, so I lied. I wasn't just watching you because I thought you were Spider-Man."

"I told you," Wanda said smugly.

Peter laughed and smiled. "That's great."

"Now ask her out, you idiot," said Sam.

"I will!"

"Black Dahlia," MJ said. "Like the murder," they said together and laughed.

"Teenagers are fucking weird," said Bucky.

Peter apologized for the necklace being broken. "I actually like it better broken," MJ said, looking up at him.