Voice Inside My Head
MJ corners him a month after the official pregnancy announcement. Peter raises a brow as he tucks his Physics textbook into his bag. MJ stares back steel-gazed.
"Can I help you?" He asks. MJ's lip quirks slightly, and he knows it's because of his growing confidence. Harley seems to have had that effect on him. Nonetheless, MJ shifts her bag, which hangs off her one shoulder, and leans her free one against the lockers.
"Pepper Potts is pregnant," She says. Peter nods.
"She is." He agrees, gaze fixated on MJ even as he closes his locker. She juts her chin out slightly and narrows her eyes.
"You already knew," She says. "You and Keener." Not a question, but a statement. Peter nods again.
"They told us last month; got us matching shirts and pulled out one that said 'Iron Daughter'." He says. MJ grins, but it's quick, and she's quick to shake back into her steely-eyed stare. Peter raises a brow. He's seen this look before. It wears MJ's face most often as Decathlon Captain; it reads 'there's something I want, and I'm going to get it'. Peter quickly learned to be intimidated by it.
"I want to meet her." She tells him. Peter's eyes go wide and then he's pressing a hand against her mouth. MJ barely has time to yelp as he leans mere inches from her face.
"How did you know the baby's a girl?" He whispers. MJ bites his fingers and he yelps, shaking out his hand as he jumps back.
"I want to meet Pepper Potts, dumbass!" She enthuses. Peters head tilts to the side; shocked, and he blinks.
"Oh." He says, like the dumbass MJ had accused him of being. A grin slips onto her mouth, and she forgets she was annoyed with him.
"Yeah." MJ says. "Oh." She says 'Oh' in a tone Peter recognizes as being meant to mock him. MJ watches him shift his weight.
"You could come over?" He says, then cringes. "Or-"
"Tonight?" MJ asks, as though already decided. Peter nods, hoping he doesn't look as stupid as he does in his minds eye. MJ nods, gives him a once-over, then nods again. "Have someone pick me up for six." She says, and leaves with the trill of the lunch bell. Peter blinks, looking blankly to the space she had previously occupied.
Harley comes up behind him, clapping his hands on Peters shoulders. He wears a big grin.
"What's up Peanut?" He asks, because that's Harley's thing. Nicknames and full-body laughter and being a big ball of Tennessee sunshine. His head dips into Peters line of vision and Peter swallows, meeting Harley's eyes.
"I think I accidentally invited MJ to dinner." He says. Harley blinks, then he's nodding.
"Solid," He says. "Will you need a condom?" Peters ears burn crimson.
"HARLEY!" He yelps, and then his brother is laughing.
At 6:17, Peter stands on the stairs to Stark Tower. The sky is dim, and the air is nice. The city is quiet by his standards, and if he strains he can hear Peppers and Tony’s heartbeats from the penthouse. He’d been working the past two hours to help arrange dinner, since he had accidentally organized it. He and Tony cooked pasta whilst firing back and forth at each-other in Italian, (Harley would chime in whenever the dialect hinted at a word of Spanish he knew).
He then spent thirty minutes trying to decide what to wear,
(“May he’s absolutely precious; I’ll send pictures.”
“Tony!!!”)
And then another ten attempting to bribe Harley into not wearing his cowboy boots.
(“Peanut, these shoes are my soul. You simply can’t ask me to abandon my entire self and construct on the basis of image.”
“I’ll do your chores for the weekend.”
“Deal.”)
Now he stands, fifteen minutes after Happy left, and waits. He hears the buzzing of the motor, and times his walk so he reaches the bottom of the stairs just as Happy pulls up. MJ steps out, flashes him an ‘happy-by-MJ’s-standards’ smile, and Peter meets Happy’s eyes through the open passenger window.
“Thanks Happy,” He says, who shrugs, then nods.
“Buzz me when you’re finished, kid,” He says. Peter goes to nod, but MJ shakes her head as she reaches his side.
“Nah,” She says. “I’m taking the subway.” She says. Peter meets her eyes with a small frown.
“Are you sure?” He asks. “Happy really wouldn’t mind.” He says, ignoring Happy’s look of indignance and repeated mutter of ‘I am head of security; I am not a glorified babysitter’.
MJ shakes her head.
“No offence Harold,” She says. “But I only generally take advantage of the patriarchy once a day, so maybe next time.” She blinks routinely, and Peter looks blankly between her and Happy. He mouths ‘Harold?’, at the same time Happy rolls his eyes. He drives away without a goodbye.
Peter turns to MJ and rubs his hands together.
“So…” He says, then swallows at her quirked smile. “Inside?”
They stop at the elevator, and Peter looks at her. She catches his eye.
“You look really pretty.” Peter says, somewhat nervous, and she raises a brow. She’s wearing a mustard-yellow floral dress with leggings and doc-martens. She’s scrunched the sleeves around her elbows.
“Therefore I have value?” She asks, and glances up as the elevator opens. Peter pales as she steps inside. He starts shaking his head, and she turns to look at him.
“No, that’s not what-” He starts, when she blurts; “I’m messing with you.” There’s a small smile on her lips and Peter breathes out a similar one. She looks him up and down as he steps into the elevator beside her.
“You look pretty too,” She says, tilting her head slightly, and Peter grins. The elevator doors close.
“To the penthouse, Mr. Parker-Honorary-Stark?” F.R.I.D.A.Y. asks, and MJ’s eyebrows shoot up. Peter nods, glancing up.
“Yes please, F.R.I.,” He says, then catches MJ’s eye. “She’s Mr. Starks AI.” He explains, and she nods.
“Impressive.” She muses, and Peter smiles, becoming more eased as the conversation progresses.
“Just wait,” He says. “I’ve been talking you up to Pepper for the past hour.” He grins, but it falters when he notices MJ paling. “MJ?” He asks, and she meets his eyes. They’re wide and panicky.
“Oh my God,” She says, and Peter blinks. “Pepper Potts is upstairs. Oh my—Oh God, Peter, I don’t think I can do this.” She looks at him wildly and his eyes widen.
“Okay; F.R.I., stop, please.” The elevator halts wordlessly and MJ jolts slightly. Peter reaches forward and takes hold of her wrists, rubbing small circles against her skin with his thumbs. “MJ, breathe.” He says. She shakes her head.
“This was a bad idea.” She says, and his heart pangs at her sudden vulnerability, but he shakes his head.
“No it’s not.” He says. “Trust me; Pepper Potts is only human, and she cannot wait to meet you.” He lowers his voice. “MJ you’re every bit as incredible as she is, and she is over the moon waiting for us; she even made Harley shower.” This makes her lips quirk, and he hears her heartbeat calm at the same time she begins to loosen her shoulders. “Okay?” He asks, and she nods, gnawing on her lip the same as she did when she first asked him about meeting Pepper. He raises a gentle brow, and she nods more confidently.
“Okay.” She says, and Peter nods.
“Okay.” He echoes, then glances up. “Take us up F.R.I..”
When they get to the penthouse, Harley's gaze falls immediately to Peter’s left hand wrapped protectively around MJ’s right, and they pull apart with pink cheeks. Tony looks up from the kitchen, a dish-towel thrown over his shoulder, and beams.
“Scary-Spice!” He says, and Peter nods MJ into the living room. The elevator closes behind them. Tony puts the dish-towel onto the counter and moves around the island to shake her hand. “Pete’s told us all about you.”
“Impossible,” She replies immediately, shaking his hand. “I’m too evasive.” Tony raises a brow and sends Peter a smirk over her head.
“I’m just finishing dinner,” He says, nodding back to the kitchen. “And Harley is just finishing setting the table like he was supposed to do five minutes ago.” He glares before nodding at MJ and moving back into the kitchen. Harley has pushed himself off the couch and saunters toward the kitchen. Peter follows after him, and by extension, so does MJ, out of awkward obligation.
“Keener,” She nods. He looks back at her with a smirk and sets a pile of plates into Peter's hands.
“Jones.” He replies. She offers to take silverware, and the table is almost set when Pepper Potts strolls into the area. MJ swears her soul leaves her body and she nearly stumbles with the forks she’s placing. She catches Peters eye and he winks, standing and pulling her to the island, despite her glaring protest.
“Pep!” He says, catching her eye as she kisses Tony’s cheek. She brightens and meets Peter and MJ near a ceramic pineapple. MJ nearly questions it.
“Michelle!” Pepper Potts says, and MJ could melt. She smiles.
“Ms. Potts,” She says. “Thank you for having me.” Pepper grins, wide and warm, and MJ realizes that this is how she commands a room.
“Call me Pepper,” She says. “And you’re welcome anytime; I kept telling Peter to invite you all over.” She says, and MJ is dazzled.
“Okay.” She breathes, and Pepper nods toward the table.
“Peter tells me you want to pursue art?” She asks, and leads MJ into an animated discussion as Tony begins dishing out pasta.
Dinner went wonderfully, one of the best Peter had had since the snap, and lasted until eight-thirty. He walked MJ back down to the lobby, and then insisted on accompanying her to the subway as well. She smiles while they walk.
“Thanks for inviting me,” She says, and he nods, smiling softly.
“Yeah,” He says. “May wanted me to tell you she was sorry she missed it.” MJ grins.
“I won’t hold it against her,” She says, and they slow down. The subway is about fifteen meters ahead. Peter smiles.
“I’ll let her know,” He says, and she smiles again, looking ahead as a train begins to pull into the station. They stop, and she pivots to face him. The jacket she’d been carrying earlier is now wrapped around her.
“You have a good family, Peter,” She says. He smiles warmly.
“Thanks,” He says. MJ looks over her shoulder at the train once more, and then, turning back to him so fast he doesn’t see it coming, kisses his cheek. She pulls away with a blush and nods.
“See you,” She says, and then she’s on the train, pulling away from him. Peter blinks, face hot and heart warm, and says it only to the wind she leaves behind.