Dealing with it

Chapter 6: Sleepover

  They spent the rest of the weekend carefully avoided the fact that this was probably the last weekend they would spend like this. Carefully avoiding the topic of divorce. In all the weekend wasn't completely horrible but it was unpleasantly tense. Steve was no MJ who was able to wash away all the awkwardness, in fact Peter probably got his awkwardness from his pa. It certainly wasn't from Tony at any rate. 

  When Steve left on Monday though, Peter was miserable. Even more miserable than when one month, two weeks and three days came. He hated the fact that things had finally balanced out after the Accords- of course things were far from perfect butt...- and now things were changing again. Peter was coming to hate the unknown. What if one or even both of his parents drew so far away that he never ever saw them again? What if the divorce destroyed Tony completely? God he just wanted to see his dad to talk to him and hug him. Maybe just see him because he missed him so much.

  The whole way to school he was locked him his hair, drifting along because the route and schedule was so deeply ingrained that he could. Even as he jogged up the steps to the school with the clamour of the other students around him, he was still not really focusing on everything around him.

  "Penny for your thoughts loser," MJ whispered in his ear, wrapping arms around him from behind.

  "Jesus Christ!" The teen jumped out of his skin, not having heard her approach as he rummaged through his locker. Plus, since when did she come up and hug him? Must be a new boyfriend/ girlfriend thing.

  "Calm it Petey, just me not one of your villains," she smirked as he turned to face her.

  "My... my v-villains," Peter stuttered.

  "Yes Spidey your villains," she said with the same smirk, folding her arms over her chest.

  Peter felt all of the blood drain from his face and he opened his mouth to say something but then couldn't really think of anything to say. MJ was studying his face with dark eyes and the smirk was more for show than actually victorious.

  "Don't sweat it, your not as good at secrets as you think. I've known for a while," she reassured him.

  "Oh, okay," Peter said eventually. Really there were worse people to know than his smart, and cool and generally very secretive girlfriend. Girlfriend... that was still cool to even think about. It made him smile a little.

  "So what had you in your head anyway?" MJ said with a small smile to mirror his own.

  "Um... well my dads are getting divorced," Peter said, not looking at her.

  MJ didn't say anything but she did reach a hand out and rubbed it down his arm. He looked up at her then and grabbed the hand that wasn't on his arm, pulling her closer. Pecking her on the lips before offering one more smile, he turned and closed his locker.

  "Better get off," he said to her before greeting his other friend who was bounding up like a puppy," hey Ned."

***

  He was just at the bottom of the steps from school just about to put in his earbuds, ready to go back to his empty house when MJ grabbed his arm. He turned to her with a smile and pulled the buds back out to listen to whatever she wanted to say.

  "Hey, so no one's home at yours I take it," MJ stated.

  "Um no, no one right now. Pa left this morning," Peter replied.

  "Well my parents are away for a few days too, you should come over," MJ said and it was the first time that he ever really saw her even slightly awkward.