chapter 3
“Do you want to tell me why you’re sitting on my couch? I’ve been out running errands and my boyfriend is gone as well, and he was just as surprised as me when I told him on the phone.”
“Like I’ve told you many times, this does not concern you. I need to talk to him. Not you.”
“Well you can’t just break into our apartment and leave me in the dark. I get that you think you’re all cool because you’re Iron Man, but you’re not. Peter and I don’t like you. We regularly attend protests outside of your tower. We don’t worship you for saving the world, which frankly, you didn’t do. So many other people did most of the heavy lifting. You’re just there to take credit for others accomplishments and push the blame onto others. So I’m going to ask you again. Why the hell are you looking for my boyfriend?”
Just then Peter came rushing through their door. Thank god he had brought a change of clothes with him, because if Tony Stark didn’t want to talk to him because he was Spiderman, that would’ve been awkward.
Stark stood up, practically sprinted over to Peter and hugged him. Peter just stood there, staring at her with worry in his eyes.
MJ was very observant. She also had a lot of common sense and the ability to piece together basic information. She knew about Marco Stark. The whole world did. She also knew that today was the 22nd anniversary of his disappearance. She also knew, via the news, that today Stark was releasing some global scan to search for missing people and had the ability to age them up with almost 100% accuracy. She also knew all the mystery surrounding Peter's parents. How May and Ben didn’t even know that Peter existed until he was two. Yea, up until then Richard and Ben had a strained relationship, but having a child is a pretty big deal. How there were no photographs of Peter before his second birthday. She and Peter would often joke that Peter was taken as a baby. They never seriously thought about it though. Holy shit. Peter was Marco. Peter was Stark’s missing son. Her boyfriend, Peter Parker was Tony Stark's missing son.
Before she could say anything, Peter wiggled out of the hug and ran over to her. He grabbed her hand, positioning her behind him, and got into a defensive stance. She could tell that he was contemplating activating his web shooters. He turned his back to Stark and started talking to her.
“Em, if this goes downhill, I need you to run. I have no clue what’s happening, but your safety is my top priority. Go to Ned’s house and let him know. Call May. I love you so much and you know it kills me to see you hurt. I don’t think whatever is about to happen is going to be good. You have my lawyer's number. I love you so much.”
One of the reasons MJ loved Peter was his selflessness. He wasn’t afraid to put his own life on the line for others. He did it every day when he went out as Spiderman. But with that selflessness also came stupidity. MJ was pretty sure that Peter couldn't take a hint without being directly told something.
“Peter, I need you to look at me. I think I know why he’s here. I don’t think that it’s what you think it is. If it is what I suspect it is, you're not going to like it. This is going to change our lives forever. Just know that I’m gonna stick with you through this whole thing. I love you and I’m not going to let this change that. Whatever happens, I love you more than anything. You’re the love of my life, okay? Nothing can change that. Not even Tony Stark.”
“Em, what is going on?”
She looked over at Tony Stark, who looked equally shocked. Then she looked back at Peter, and before she could say anything, Tony Stark opened his mouth and said “You’re Marco Stark. My son.”