“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“You’ve been in a bad mood all day, what’s wrong?” MJ sighed, throwing her bag down on her bedroom floor. Her boyfriend had been silent for a majority of their commute home and even before that, she noted he’d been particularly withdrawn from conversation all afternoon. She had an inkling as to what was bugging him but she wanted to hear him say it.
The boy’s dad had called that morning and asked if Peter would mind staying at hers for a few days, which they had planned anyway; but now rather than sleeping over by choice it was due to the fact that none of Peter’s family members would be at home. MJ knew that always made him anxious, he hated when they went on missions without him; partly because he felt left out but mostly because he always worried about their welfare. Especially when they all went, like they would be this time; the fear of him losing everyone all at once was enough to keep Peter awake at night- and more often than not it did, hence why Tony wanted Peter to stay there. It was never a good idea for the boy to be home alone in such an emotional state, it wasn’t good for anyone.
That combined with the fact that it was a last minute emergency mission and Tony had warned Peter that he wouldn’t be able to talk to him for the next twenty four hours- the boy was upset. Understandably so- but that wasn’t the issue, not for MJ anyway. The issue was he wouldn’t talk about it.
Even now, after months of dating, having been through so much together and having already gotten over so many hurdles- Peter still refused to verbalise his feelings. Now, MJ was understanding- to a degree- that it was just one of the boys many qualities he was working on; and the poor kid had a long list to go through so she wasn’t expecting him to change overnight, of course not. It was also just generally a teenage boy thing, and she made allowances because of it, but it was getting excessive. Even she had her limits.
Peter would never tell her anything, she’d always had to simply guess. And yeah, okay, she knew him well enough by now so her guesses were usually right- but it was draining. Both of their lives would be so much simpler, there would be less misunderstandings, less arguments if the boy would just talk.
But he wasn’t. He hadn’t all afternoon. MJ was used to him slipping into non-verbal states during times of stress but this wasn’t one of those instances- he could talk he was just refusing to and frankly? She was getting a little frustrated.
More than a little.
None of the usual tactics were working. She tried engaging in conversation about all his nerdy things he liked, she’d plied him with his favourite snacks- hell she spent half the bus ride hugging him even though they both hated PDA, it was usually a last resort that worked. But this time it didn’t. He just continued to sit there, pouting, barley looking at her- and as much as she understood, it hurt to see. Both because she hated being ignored but also she hated to see him so upset and being unable to do anything about it.
And her upset was turning into frustration as it so often did because- let’s face it- they’re teenagers. And teenagers don’t always think rationally even when they’re mature and well spoken like MJ. Everyone has things they’re bad at and for her it was regulating her emotions- especially when Peter was being a little brat-
“Don’t just ignore me, Parker.”
“I’m not, I said nothing.” Peter sighed quietly and turned away, leaning more towards the window; before muttering under his breath- “Not my fault you don’t listen to me.”
MJ elected to ignore the comment, but she refused to ignore him- even if that’s what he wanted, she wasn’t doing it. Because Peter may have learned how to be stubborn from his dad, but she learned how to be stubborn from her dad. “Yeah, you said nothing but your face says-“
“M, leave it, please.” Peter begged, sounding more exasperated than bothered by her persistence; like a parent who was overtired with their boisterous toddler- wow how the tables had turned. “Will you quit it?”
“You’re not even getting snappy at me- that’s very concerning, especially since I know you hate it when I do this-“ She hummed as she flicked the back of the boys ear; something she knew he absolutely despised. Anything to get a reaction right?
Well she certainly got one.
“Michelle!” Peter grumbled, shifting away from the girl but she didn’t let him. Not two seconds later she threw herself down on the bed beside him and threw her legs over his lap: essentially pinning him between the wall and the gap- continuously poking him; on his face, his chest, his arms- in an attempt to elicit some kind of response. All she succeeded in doing was making him for bright red and furrow browed. “Stop it, you’re getting on my nerves-“
“Then talk to me!”
“Why would I want to when you’re tryna make me mad?!”
“I’m not trying to make you mad, I’m trying to make you smile you dickhead.” She huffed moving to poke him again but Peter dodged her. For a second it looked like he wanted to grab her wrists to make her stop but she knew he wouldn’t dream of it.
“Stop it M-“
“Why? What’s wrong with a girl wanting her boyfriend to-“ And that was when her hand brushed over his rib cage; and Peter let out the single most adorably tiny giggle that MJ had ever heard.
They both froze. Peter looking like a deer in headlights as a small smirk appeared on his girlfriends face. It was miniscule, barely a twitch in the left hand corner of her mouth, but Peter knew it would soon make way for a devilish grin. “What was that..”
Peter pressed his lips into a thin line as his eyes darted around the room for the nearest escape route; before looking pleadingly into her eyes. “MJ don’t-“
“What was that?” She repeated, this time a little more sweetly as she crept closer to him. She knelt with one knee between his legs and the other hooked over him, while her hands snaked around his waist to lean on the bed; trapping the boy there. She knew he was strong, she knew he could easily throw her out of the way- but he wouldn’t. She knew that and he knew that, so Spider-Boy was stuck. And at the mercy of an evil adolescent girl on a mission.
“Nothing-“ Peter’s face rapidly turned a deep shade of crimson as he tried to vehemently deny what had just happened. He’d tried so hard for so long to keep this part of himself a secret from her- possibly even harder than he’d tried to keep Spidey a secret..okay, maybe not that much- but he tried super hard okay?! He knew what was going to happen now, at every given opportunity MJ was going to torture him-
And by god was he right. “Was that a little giggle I heard, Mr. Parker?”
Before Peter could answer or try and deny it any more, the girl slid her hand under his shirt and attacked him; running her fingertips up and down the sensitive skin on his sides and across his ribcage.
“N-no- ah!” The second MJ’s hands made contact Peter immediately started laughing again, that high pitch laughed usually reserved for when Ned said something he found truly hysterical; or Tony did his Steve impression. It was fucking adorable and what was even more adorable was the way Peter’s nose scrunched up as he attempted to hold the laughter in- but couldn’t. “Micky-y-y- stop!”
“Stop what? I’m not doing anything?” She tilted her head innocently and continued to tickle him.
“M-m- ah- MJ you gotta s-s-sthap! Please I ca-han’t- ah!” Peter begged as he writhed and tried to squirm away from her; but despite his super strength, his laughter weakened him. He dissolved into giggles, unable to fight her off, all he could do was arch his back and squeal as he tried desperately to escape his torment.
It was no use, MJ was having too much fun. She knew she should stop, especially when he managed to cry out in agony between each burst of laughter- but she couldn’t help it. He was smiling and after seeing nothing but pouts and frowns all day her brain told her that couldn’t be a bad thing- even though she knew it was. She knew he didn’t want to be smiling right now but she just couldn’t bring herself to stop. It was twisted and a little mean but she couldn’t stop herself, even when Peter tried to roll onto his stomach to evade her.
That’s why she didn’t notice when he attempted to cross his legs; but he couldn’t, not with her leg blocking his thighs from touching. She mistook the movement for him simply trying to throw her off of him but she couldn’t mistake what happened next. “M please! I can’t- you gotta- I needta-mm! No- please- I’m gonna-“
Before Peter could finish out his sentence MJ immediately realised what he’d been trying to say. She watched as a small wet spot appeared on the front of the boys grey wash jeans, spreading rapidly. Even when she very quickly pulled her hands away and moved off of Peter’s lap, the stain continued to grow- and spread down the boys legs when he sprang up, trying to minimise the damage to the girls bed.
But by the time he managed to do so there was already a softball sized patch of wetness on her sheets; which Peter just stared at, clearly horrified by what had just happened.
MJ sat back in her heels on her bed and covered her mouth. “Oh shit.”
For a long tense moment she waited for Peter to react, once again; she figured he’d yell because- well she’d just made him piss himself, who wouldn’t be mad? But instead he just turned to her with such hurt in his eyes and muttered brokenly; “I said stop.”
Okay. It hadn’t been worth it. It hadn’t been worth it at all.
She wanted a reaction out of him but- this ain’t it chief.
MJ flew forward, standing up and grabbing his wrists- a lot more gently this time as she tried to pull Peter out of a panic attack before it claimed him.
“Baby- baby I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you-“ She started muttering apologies as quickly as she could but Peter continued to twist away and try and block his face from view as tears fell. “Oh Pete, I’m so sorry! Please don’t- please don’t cry-“
The boy wasn’t in any mood to be comforted; likely due to the fact that a. MJ had literally just caused one of his worst fears to happen and b. He didn’t like comfort at the best of times, it made him feel like a baby; and nothing makes you feel like a baby more than crying, pissing your pants and being mollycoddled. Especially by your girlfriend in conjunction with all three of those factors. Today was not Peter’s day.
Instead of letting her hug him as she wanted to, he stepped around her and began to tug at the corners of the fitted sheet on her bed. “Y-y-you gotta move I gotta clean this up-“
The girl started shaking her head trying to do the task for him; it was the least she could do after- well that. “Let me do it-“
“Do you know how to get pee out of a mattress?” Peter asked matter-of-factly. There was no bite to his tone, no heat. He wasn’t angry, he’d gone into practical clean up mode and besides, he was right. MJ had no idea how to handle such a mess (though she was sure she could figure it out, it would probably be a good skill to have) whereas he did; and he knew it was important to start the clean up process as quickly as possible if they wanted to avoid a stain setting it.
That would be fun to explain to her dad.
So MJ took a step back, finally listening to him like she should have three minutes before, and let him tackle the bed. He moved quickly and luckily it looked as though the comforter had taken most of the damage; the mattress beneath looking relatively unscathed. Once MJ saw that she moved to hug Peter from behind, making sure to be even more gentle than usual as she didn’t want to frighten him. She knew she’d gone too far and likely undone a lot of hard work they’d done getting Peter used to being touched in certain places; so she wouldn’t have been offended if he jumped away from her.
Thankfully Peter didn’t reject the hug; though he didn’t lean into it either, it was still a start. “Babe, go shower. I’ve got the sheets.”
Peter nodded somewhat robotically as he moved to follow the girls instructions. She took his clothes and the sheets and put them on to wash while the boy got cleaned off, all the while thinking about what a stupid decision she’d made. She felt absolutely awful, how could she do that to him?
After a moment MJ looked up to see Peter standing awkwardly in the doorway, shuffling on his feet. Instead of changing into his pajamas like MJ assumed he would, he’d gotten changed into clothes he’d packed for the following day.
MJ understood what that meant. “You don’t have to go home.”
“I just peed your bed.” Peter said flatly staring at the floor. He looked so ashamed and it broke MJ’s heart- like the boy assumed that was punishable by him having to spend the night alone. Hell she wouldn’t put it past Peter to think that she’d break up with him for the accident.
“Because I made you. It’s not your fault.” She said guiltily; moving across the room to take his hand and gently lead him through the doorway. He didn’t resist, not at the touch or where he was being taken, but he didn’t look the slightest bit comfortable. “I’m serious, Peter I’m sorry. You can go home if you want, I wouldn’t blame you. You have every right to hate me-“
“I don’t hate you.” Peter sighed and dropped his shoulders, causing his bag to slide down his arm and onto the floor.
Though Peter cut her off immediately she couldn’t help but continue ranting. “You should- I went way too far and you’re right! I always say you don’t talk and then when you did- about something important- I didn’t listen! And it was- it was something physical Peter- I can't believe I did that to you-“
“Well, did you get off on it?” Peter asked bluntly.
MJ blinked a few times looking shocked- which Peter smirked at because the girl never looked shocked; not even when they’d had the whole ‘I’m Spider-Man’ talk, or when she found out her dad was an agent. But Peter referencing ‘getting off’, the boy who closed his eyes during Durex commercials, was enough to make her eyes widen. “What? No! I’m not a monster-“
“And you didn’t mean for me to..you know?” Even though it was Peter’s turn to try and comfort her, he still gulped and looked away. He couldn’t bring himself to say it, it was too embarrassing.
“Of course I didn’t! As if- I would never-“
“Then don’t worry about it. It was an accident on both parts.” Peter conceded, with a small defeated sigh, blush still present on his face; but he slipped his shoes back off and placed them by the door, confirming that he was indeed intending to stay after all.
MJ shook her head, still clearly wracked with guilt and unable to accept that Peter would forgive her so easily. “Mostly mine-“
“Yeah, mostly, but I peed on your bed so I guess we’re even.” Peter shrugged and offered her a small smile; one he offered up willingly this time as opposed to being forced. He was still embarrassed beyond belief but he couldn’t handle seeing the girl so upset; especially knowing his own refusal to open up had driven her to the tickle attack in the first place. No, he didn’t appreciate her not stopping- but he did appreciate the sentiment behind it and he could see how remorseful she was.
She looked damn near ready to cry and Peter wasn’t a fan. He gave her another soft smile and opened his arms, gesturing for a hug. “Come here.”
Even though she didn’t feel she deserved it she gleefully accepted the boys hug anyway; wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. “I’m so sorry- I should be comforting you right now you dickhead!”
Ignoring the verbal abuse Peter smiled and gripped her tighter; knowing that was purely MJ language for affection, a term of endearment if you will. “Yeah well I’m kinda used to it-“
“Exactly, which is why I should’ve known not to-“
“Well you know now.” Peter pulled back slightly to give her a look. “M, I know you wouldn’t do anything physical to me in that way, you know that right?”
“This is gonna subconsciously make you worry that I won’t stop now and it’s gonna-“
“Don’t psychoanalyse me, I hate it when you do that.” Peter rolled his eyes and dropped to the floor dramatically, sitting cross legged. “I won’t, I know you were just playing around, this isn’t the same as you forcing yourself on me.”
Though she did feel comforted by his words she couldn’t help but worry. “What if you have a negative association with my bed now?”
“Okay Pavlov, I'm not a dog.” Peter rolled his eyes.
“Skinner would have been more apt there actually-“
“No, that would’ve been an example of classical conditioning-“
“Bullshit! Operant!”
Oh god, nerd fight.
“No- you basically just re-enacted the little Albert experiment on me just with tickling instead of loud noises, the bed instead of the bunny and the-“
“Peeing instead of crying?” Despite her guilt she couldn’t help but smirk slightly.
Peter gave her a dry look before shrugging. “Well I did both, so-“
MJ’s face fell again and she pouted pitifully, laying her head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know you are. And you are forgiven.” Peter smiled sweetly and kissed the girl on the forehead. He knew it was an accident and as embarrassed as he was he knew he’d get over it; as would she. It was just something to add to the long list of embarrassing Peter related incidents they could laugh about in years to come. “So long as you know if you do that again I’ll web you to the wall.”
She laughed confidently and pulled away. “That’s bullshit.”
“Yeah it is.” Peter smiled. He’d never use his powers against her. He wouldn’t even attempt to tickle her back; both because he wasn’t a sadist like some people and would take no joy in it- but also because Mr. Fury had taught his daughter to go straight for the soft parts when defending herself. And Peter intended to keep his soft parts intact thank you very much.
“You’d never do something so kinky-“
“Michelle! Really?!”