Spider-Gwen 3 || The Fall

Right Direction || Mary-Jane Watson

"Woo-hoo"

-Song 2, Blur

Loud music was bouncing off the walls of the downtown apartment... every light in the space was turned on, even though it was still fairly early in the morning. All of this, paired with the sound of a woman's voice, expertly belting out lyrics in a powerful, clear tone, could mean only one thing.

Mary-Jane Watson was in the middle of her morning routine.

The redhead had gotten lost in the current song emanating from her speaker, and she was bobbing her head along to the upbeat, positive vibes that mixed just perfectly with the loud drums. And, of course, she was singing into her hairbrush as if it were a microphone.

"When I feel heavy metal... WOO-HOO!! And I'm pins and I'm needles..."

Did she have any idea what these lyrics were supposed to be? No. But who cared, the song was fun!!

"...Well I lie and I'm easy all of the time, but I'm never sure why I need you!!"

MJ shimmied from side to side, a jovial light in her eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror... then she realized her hair was still a rat's nest and covered her mouth in surprise. All she could do at that point was laugh, realizing just how caught up in singing she'd been.

The redhead placed a hand on her speaker, turning down the volume so the distraction would ease. She then began to run her brush through her hair once more, watching the knots and tangles become undone with every stroke.

When her hair was looking presentable, MJ took a step back from the mirror, giving her outfit a quick once-over before exiting the bathroom. After a minute spent getting her shoes and coat on, MJ was on her way to the cafe down the street for today's big task-another meeting with Ganke and Miles.

While the streets of New York had always been filled with hustle and bustle, there was a new tension in the air as MJ stepped out of her apartment-the tension of a city under attack. Civilians had their heads on swivels, entirely unsure if Oscorp's forces were about to storm through or get chased through the streets by the NYPD. Most of the fighting took place at night during curfew, but that didn't mean it was entirely safe at the moment.

MJ heard a sound in the distance, and looked into the skies to see a line of helicopters flying around the far side of the city. Whether they were Oscorp or NYPD was unclear. She sighed, drawing her coat around her shoulders just a tad bit tighter as she kept walking to make it to the cafe.

When she pushed open the door and heard the cafe's greeting bell ring, MJ released a breath she'd been holding in on the walk. The smell of coffee hit her nose immediately, making the redhead flash an enthusiastic grin.

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!! She thought to herself, glancing at the line of people waiting to order before scanning the cafe for Ganke and Miles. Sure enough, the two young men she'd been partnering with to scheme a way to help her best friend were at a table by the window, sitting beside each other while looking at a laptop.

"You think this cover will work with the video, Miles?"

"Yeah... yeah, sure."

"No comments? Thoughts? Snide remarks?"

"Nope. Upload it, looks good."

MJ could see Miles's normally lively eyes now filled with a lifelessness she hadn't seen in them yet. Equally as depressing was the clearly saddened light in Ganke's eyes as he was unable to get his best friend to banter with him.