Flu season was just around the corner. Meaning everyone at Stark Tower had to get their flu shots. Tony, not wanting anyone to miss work, brought nurses to the tower to do it for them. Most of the staff had easily received the shot, however, there were a few stubborn people.
Not all of them were necessarily afraid. Some just had a lot going on that week or had a last-minute meeting come up. That’s what MJ told herself after missing her third appointment. She was just busy. That was the reason, no doubt.
So she ran into yet another conference room-- she had booked her schedule full for the next week-- and avoided even looking at the nurses in the elevator next to her. She thought her plan, erm- her busy schedule, would keep them off her tail.
She didn’t take into account that her boyfriend would notice.
After yet another meeting, MJ headed upstairs. She checked her watch, 12 AM. Peter was sure to be asleep by now. And he probably wouldn’t see her before her next meeting in the morning, starting around 6 AM.
She groaned at the thought of having to repeat her busy schedule again. It was worth it though. The elevator doors opened in front of her and she stepped onto the floor. Her feet dragged as she slowly made her way to Peter’s room.
Quietly, she pushed the door open to see her beautiful boy sleeping on the bed. A small smile brushed onto her face as she headed over to lay with him. Carefully, she laid down by his side and wrapped an arm around his waist.
He grumbled quietly and she could feel the stretch of his muscles as he yawned. She peaked over curiously. Had she woken him? Surely not, he usually slept through her entrances.
Alas, he rolled over to face her. His tired eyes met hers.
“M?” He murmured softly. She pressed her lips to his nose and wiped a crusty from his eye.
“Go back to sleep,” she whispered to him as she stroked his hair with a loving hand, trying to soothe him back to sleep. He nodded and pulled her close to him.
“Cancelled your meetings for tomorrow. You’re… you’re working too hard,” he said sleepily.
She froze. Shit. He was going to fuck up her plans, erm-schedule.
Peter drifted off soon after, leaving MJ awake with her thoughts and trying to formulate another excuse. Maybe she could leave the tower? No, that wouldn’t last long she would have to come back eventually. Make plans with Peter? Those wouldn’t last all day. Hide? Still a possibility although FRIDAY would probably give her position away.
She pushed herself further into Peter’s warm hold. Nothing she could do now, and she had to get some sleep before the sun came up. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Morning came too quickly.
She woke up to someone kissing her cheek. Unlike her boyfriend, she was a light sleeper. Little could keep her out. Her eyes opened and the sight of her boyfriend greeted her.
“Morning,” he said as he pressed another kiss to her face. She opened her eyes. He was already showered and dressed. Jesus, what time was it?
Being the graceful being she is, she pushed his face away from hers and pulled herself into a sitting position. Peter sat patiently at her side as she came back to the land of the living.
“What time is it?” She asked in a croaky voice.
“Around 10. Breakfast has already been served,” He answered.
She rubbed her eyes and nodded. Slowly, she crawled out of the bed and stood on the cool floor. Peter wrapped his arms around her and they both held firm for a moment. One of their many traditions: morning hugs.
She breathed into the crook of his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Hey, are you feeling okay? You slept way later than usual and slept through me getting ready. I hope you’re not sick already. I know you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, but don’t worry I scheduled you an appointment for later today,” Peter said softly into her ear.
Her arms tightened around him. She forced herself to keep breathing. Nothing was wrong. Nothing was wrong. At least, that’s what she wanted to convince herself and especially Peter.
He pulled away and frowned, moving his hands from around her waist to cup her cheeks.
“Hey seriously MJ. You’re acting weird. Did I say something? Talk to me,” He babbled as he gave her The Concerned Parker look ™.
“What time is the appointment,” she barely managed to force out.
“Um, 4?”
She nodded, mostly to herself, and stepped past her worried boyfriend. She reached the bathroom door and spared a glance back at Peter.
“Cancel it.”
She slammed the bathroom door shut, leaving poor Peter bewildered. MJ took a nice long, warm shower. It wasn’t because she hoped the jittering in her hands would fade, it was because the water felt nice.
When she exited the bathroom a good 20 minutes later, Peter was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he had gone to cancel the appointment. She took her time getting ready throwing on one of Harley’s sweaters, a comfy pair of pants, Peter’s fuzzy socks, and pulling her hair into a low, messy bun.
Once ready, she headed out to the common room. No one was there except for Peter, who was sitting on the couch with an omelet.
“Okay, something is definitely wrong,” Peter commented as he handed the plate to MJ. She took is without a word and sat next to him.
“You’re wearing mine and Harley’s clothes, something you only do when you need comfort.”
Wow, the omelet was really good.
“Why did you want me to cancel the appointment?”
Steve really outdid himself this time.
“I canceled it if you were wondering.”
He paused.
“I did move it, however… to 2 PM… in the medbay.”
For the first time, she brought her eyes to his. She cocked an eyebrow at him, to which he only crossed his arms and pouted slightly.
“I’m not going.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t need to,” she explained as she finished off the omelet and set the plate of the coffee table. He studied her for a moment before scooting slightly closer to her.
“What are you afraid of?” He asked innocently. A defensive look immediately appeared on her face.
“Nothing,” She said curtly as she reached for the plate and brought it to the sink. Peter waited patiently for her to return to the couch. After a moment, she did and sat far away from him.
“Is it the nurses?”
“Peter, drop it.”
“You’ve been in hospitals before. You see me in the medbay all the time.”
“Peter.”
“The only thing that’s different is the… the needle.” Peter concluded, his eyes brightening slightly as he reached his hypothesis. “Babe, are you afraid of needles?”
MJ got to her feet and quickly headed to the elevator.
“Of course not, loser. Now I have somewhere to be if you’ll excuse me--”
“You’ve got nothing to do,” Peter said as he quickly followed her. “Please, sit. What happened to not running away from our problems?”
That cheeky bastard using her own words against her.
“Fine.”
She turned back around and once again sat on the couch. Peter sat as well, this time sitting right next to her. For a moment, there was quiet. Neither of them said a word.
Peter hesitantly reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. She went willingly, wrapping her arms around his neck and taking a deep, shaky sigh. He rubbed her back encouragingly, hoping she would open up.
“My mom was a heroin addict. My dad… he tried to protect me from seeing it, from seeing her but when he wasn’t home… I watched my mom inject needle after needle into her skin. She even tried to inject me a couple of times,” MJ said in a heartless tone. “Then one day when I was home alone with her she stuck one too many needles into herself and started seizing. I called 911. When the medics got to us, they kept shouting how she ODed.
“CPS kept a close eye on my family after that. My dad barely kept hold of me. I never saw my mom again. My dad never talks about her. I don’t even know if she’s alive or dead. I vowed to never stick anything into my skin after that. On the way, I may have developed a fear of any needles going into me as well.”
MJ watched the emotions run on Peter’s face as he processed her story.
“MJ… I don’t know what to say. I just want you to know that I love you and I am so sorry you had to go through that. Thank you for trusting me.”
His arms wrapped tighter around her and she felt a sob building in her throat. Her shoulders shook violently as she tried to hold back the sudden wave of emotions flooding her. Peter kissed her temple softly.
“It’s okay to cry,” he whispered.
She buried her face into his shoulder and wept loudly for the emotions she could no longer contain. He never let go, only offering reassurances and kisses.
God all the emotions hurt. She kept them locked tightly in a box until now. And now that they were free, there was no holding back. Not only that but she knew that needle was going in her at some point no matter what. That definitely did not help calm her down.
The elevator dinged open, but MJ didn’t notice. She was too busy trying not to spiral into a full mental breakdown. She gripped Peter tight, trying to ground and soothe herself. It was barely enough.
Suddenly, another presence dipped next to the duo. This person rested a hand on MJ’s shoulder and carefully place a blanket around her shoulders. She didn’t need to look up to know who it was.
“Harley,” she choked out. She probably looked like a mess with her tear-stained face and runny nose.
“Hey, Jojo. I don’t know what’s got you so upset, but Peter and I are here for ya, okay?” He said softly as he leaned into Peter’s side and maneuvered MJ off Peter’s lap and between them. She nodded rapidly and grasped his hand.
“Alright, darling. That’s good. Now, I know it’s hard but you’ve gotta breath for me. Deep breathes, oaky? Just like you’re always telling Peanut. Can you do that?”
She squeezed her eyes tighter and shook her head.
“No? Not yet?” Harley said as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders. She didn’t respond, only sobbed harshly into his shoulder. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do. Peter’s gonna tap your leg and you’re gonna count how many times he does. You can do it in your head if you would like, okay Jojo?”
Sure, that was easy enough. She could attempt that. She nodded slowly. Suddenly there was a finger laying on her thigh. It tapped once, then rapidly twice, then paused and tapped three slow taps.
Peter continued the irregular pattern, and MJ counted every one. Surely enough, after 10 minutes she had her breathing and tears under control. Her cheeks dusted pink as she realized how embarrassingly she had just acted.
“Sorry,” she whispered to the boys, feeling the fatigue wash over her.
“We are happy to take care of you for a change, MJ,” Peter replied as he kissed her cheekbone. She nodded and curled into his side.
“Thanks, Lee,” she said as she opened her arms to give the boy a hug. He laughed lightly and obliged, falling into her arms and giving her a long, warm embrace.
“Why don’t you sleep, Jojo? We’ll be here when you wake up,” Harley suggested. MJ nodded and it didn’t take long for her to be out like a light, missing the concerned looks of the boys above her.
When she woke up, she was laying in the same place, Harley and Peter conversing quietly over her and the TV on low in the background. Peter noticed her immediately and gave her a nervous smile.
“Hey, MJ.”
She yawned and settled back against him in response.
“So, MJ, we were thinkin. I know you don’t want to talk about this or get a shot, but Tony won’t make exceptions. Especially for someone who works with a lot of staff members like you do,” Harley started explaining. MJ’s face quickly turned sour and she looked away from the boy.
“Harley and I are both gonna come with you. It will be quick and over before you even realize it happened,” Peter jumped in. MJ, in a rare moment of weakness, pouted and bit her lip anxiously.
“There’s no getting out of this?” MJ asked quietly. The boys shook their heads remorsefully.
“When?”
“As soon as possible. We want to get it over with and not be dreading it all day,” Peter answered with a supportive nod from Harley.
“I… I might get a flashback during or after,” she warned them, tears already refilling her eyes. God she really didn’t want to do this.
“That’s okay. We’ll help you through it,” Harley said as he stood off the couch and held out a hand for her.
“I’m bringing the blanket,” She said, not reaching up to grab Harley’s hand, in fact, she seemed to curl tighter to Peter’s side.
“Okay,” Harley nodded. Harley gently grabbed her forearm and pulled her up. She went willingly, her eyes turning empty. Harley helped her stand, Peter following soon after. The trio headed to the medbay, MJ in the middle and the large blanket dragging slightly behind her.
Once they got there MJ stopped at the doors of the room. The boys waited for her patiently. She didn’t move forward though, nor did she plan to. In fact, she took a small step back. Peter gingerly swept her up in his arms and carried her in.
“Peter. You leave me and you’re dead,” she whispered fearfully as she clutched him tighter.
“I’m gonna be here the whole time,” he reassured her as he sat on the edge of the bed, holding her in his lap. Harley stood next to them, looking sympathetically at MJ.
The nurse entered the room a moment later, holding a small tray with her. MJ’s face when white as she barely suppressed a flinch. Instant regret haunted her as she saw the small needle laying on the tray.
“I don’t want to be here,” She whispered to Peter, or Harley, really anyone that was listening. Harley brushed her hair back and gave her a quick peck on the forehead.
“Hello, Michelle. My name is Flora Morris, but you can call me Flora. I am going to make this as quick as I can for you. Could you please take off your sweatshirt for me?” Flora introduced herself as she strapped on a pair of gloves. MJ looked like she was about to faint.
Peter slid the blanket down and helped MJ out of Harley’s sweatshirt. He was quick to pull the blanket back up once he was done, wanting to keep a safe space established for her. Flora grabbed the tray and moved it next to the bed. MJ squirmed away uncomfortably.
“No. I don’t want to do this,” MJ muttered as her squirming turned into thrashing. She jerked and withered. Peter could barely keep ahold of her without hurting her.
“Harley,” Peter yelled at the older boy. Harley quickly moved in front of MJ and cupped his hands around her face, efficiently hiding her view from the needle.
“Jojo. Look at me,” Harley commanded, making the girl open her eyes and bring them to Harley.
“Good. Nothing’s happening. Alright? You’re gonna hurt yourself. Peter’s just giving you a hug,” Harley explained carefully. MJ nodded through the hiccups as more tears leaked from her eyes. He motioned for her to take a deep breath, and she did to the best of her ability.
Flora moved closer to the trio, but this time Harley blocked MJ’s view.
“After this, we can watch whatever movie you choose. Peanut and I will only complain a little,” Harley said with a soft smile.
“Okay,” she said miserably.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harley saw Flora about to puncture MJ. He subtly motioned for Peter to hold MJ tighter.
“We can order some food after this too. Whatever you want, although I personally vote for Chinese,” he continued blabbering.
The needle went in. It was quick and somewhat painless. MJ wouldn’t agree, however. She jerked in Peter’s arms and threw her head back, almost hitting Peter in the face.
“Mom?” She asked hazily through a harsh sob.
“No, no, no. It’s Peter and Harley,” Peter said as he quickly pulled the sweater back over her, picked her up, and headed to the elevator.
“Peter?” She asked again. Her gaze remained wide open, and she shivered involuntarily every few seconds.
“Yea, you did so well, baby,” Peter said as he kissed the top of her head.
“I’m scared,” She whispered through a weep.
“Why, Jojo?” Harley asked as the trio plopped down on the couch.
“I don’t… I don’t want to be like Mom,” she admitted.
“You won’t. You are so much more than your mother and always will be,” Peter said confidently. MJ nodded slowly, trying to comprehend.
With Peter and Harley at her side, she knew everything would be okay. They would always be there for her and she for them.