Dirty Little Secret

The Aftermath - MJ

MJ didn't know what was worse; flying through the air with just Peter to hold onto or flying through the air with her eyes closed. She refused to open her eyes because she was sure that if she took even the smallest glimpse, she would either faint or vomit from a hundred feet above the city. So she clung onto Peter's shoulders as if her life depended on it, which technically, it did.

She felt his arm tighten around her back as he made a wide turn. The cold air blowing against them nipped against her cheeks but it was a welcomed feeling. Anything was better than being inside that building.

MJ had her legs wrapped around his waist and she shifted herself up so that her ankles could lock more tightly. He didn't say a word and she herself couldn't think of anything to say. What she had just witnessed was something she never thought she would see with her very own eyes.

Her conscious screamed at her for being so stupid. She should have trusted Peter. She should have known that he wouldn't try to stop her from doing something if he didn't believe it would put her in danger.

She let her fingers stretch for a few seconds from the tight hold she had on his shoulders. She could feel the material of his suit under her fingertips and she thought back to that moment when that- that thing pulled off Spider-Man's mask. Her younger self would have shot her fist into the air in triumph to see that her theories were right all those years ago but in those seconds, all she could feel was panic. The person who had cared for her since the beginning, who had made her feel things she never imagined she could feel, was about to be crushed to death. She had never wanted to be so wrong in her entire life.

MJ was glad her eyes were closed shut because it helped stop the tears that had formed in her eyes. She buried her face into the crook of Peter's neck and let out a breath of relief just knowing that he was okay.

"We're here," he told her.

She didn't even know where 'here' was but she let her feet unlock from around his waist and drop down to solid ground. She opened her eyes as she released her hold on him but he still remained holding her for a few seconds before he let go. MJ looked around and found herself standing right in front of the same building she had walked into a few days ago to talk to Peter and Ned about Lotrek.

"Take my ID and go through the front door. Ned's all the way down, last door on your right. Use the ID to unlock the doors," Peter instructed as he handed her his school's ID.

MJ took it and then looked up at him. He was looking for something in his bag but MJ had a feeling he was just avoiding her gaze. "What about you?"

"I have to call May. I'll go in through the roof." He didn't say anything more as he turned and zipped himself towards the top of the building. MJ watched until he disappeared on the roof and then willed herself to walk towards the front entrance of the science building.

She found the room immediately and scanned Peter's ID. A small click let her know that the door was unlocked and she walked in to find Ned busy typing rapidly on his laptop. She walked in slowly, wondering if he knew. Or if he knew that she knew.

"Hey," she muttered.

Ned unglued his eyes from the screen to turn and look at who had spoken. His eyes grew wide as surprise registered on his face and he blinked, getting rid of the trance he was on. "What- what are you doing here, MJ?"

"Peter," was all MJ managed to say.

Ned nodded slowly as he understood. "So, the secret's out, huh?"

"Pretty much," MJ chuckled softly as she took a seat on one of the lab stools.

"What happened?"