Trigger Warning: sexual assault, sexual harrassment, rape. Apologies for not adding these before, it just didn't occur to me 🥺
MJ walked towards the hospital with Peter, her mind full of questions. There were so many things she wanted to talk about, particularly the kiss and how to apologise for shutting everyone out for what felt lile the millionth time. Peter stopped walking and turned around to face her, making her slow down with a heavy sigh, dreading the words that would leave his parted lips. "Why did you ignore us? We tried to call and text you but you just didn't answer. I was more than ready to help you out if you were sick, MJ. If it was my fault like I'm sure it was... if it was about that kiss, it was stupid and I'll never do it again, I promise-"
"Pete," she mumbled weakly, her eyes clouding with tears from how much he cared. Bloody hell, I'm so soft now. What are you doing to me, Parker? She ignored Venom's chants to devour his 'tender, muscular flesh' and stared blankly at him with her arms folded. "It's none of your business. Can we keep going, now? I kind of have a dying mother I need to check up on in the hospital."
"Sure, we can keep going but you're going to answer me," he said with determination, undeterred by her nonchalance. She clicked her tongue and shrugged in response. He grinned at the sight, taking it as agreement. She had missed this dorky side of him, a lot more than the side that had definitely gone crazy and kissed her for no reason, though a small part of her wanted him to do it again. Scratch that, a large, gigantic part of her. Huge. Bloody. Huge. Dammit, MJ, stooooooop! "Where were you?"
"I was... around. I hung around some homeless shelters, then just slept under the stars for a bit. I didn't feel like going home to my dad, you know?" His eyes visibly widened and she felt like laughing but his frown stopped her. He had been so worried about her but now, here was the person he had swung around Queens for, shrugging like her absence didn't affect anyone in the slightest.
"You lived on the streets by yourself for two weeks, MJ? Seriously? What were you th-"
"Venom was with me. Now, Peter B. Parker, choose your next words very carefully or I'll finally let Ven have a taste of you," she said with a teasing smile, bumping his shoulder as they reached her mother's ward. She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand impulsively, shaking her head and reluctantly pulling away but he gripped her hand tighter. She ran her free hand through her hair and looked straight at him seriously, clearing her throat awkwardly when he brushed her hair out of her eyes. In a whisper, she asked, "Pete, what are we doing?"
"Meeting your mom." She laughed and held her head, shaking it slightly to get rid of all her thoughts of not being good enough for him. No one would ever be good enough for Peter Parker but she would make it her life's mission to ensure that whoever he chose to love would fit the bill. Now, if only she could stop crushing on him and Spiderman, assuming her theory was wrong and they weren't the same person, she could make sure his future wife would treat him right instead of plotting her murder out of jealousy.
"So you're not going to ask me about Venom, then?"
"Nope. Spidey told me while we were both avoiding you... sorry about that, by the way. What is with us and avoiding each other so much? Would it kill us to just be together for a month with no issues, just hanging out?" She sighed, pursing her lips at the thought. He was right. Somehow, they could never around with each other in a drama free world without someone keeping their distance, that someone usually being her. That was something she was going to have to change.
"It's okay. I mean, you're here now, aren't you?" He nodded slowly and stepped closer, sending her such an adorable lopsided grin that she felt a desperate urge to draw it and frame that moment in time forever. Why does he have to be so fucking cute?!
"I always will be, Zea." He took her hand and pressed his lips against her knuckles, chuckling when she retracted her hand with wide eyes. She trailed her thumb over her caramel skin, her mouth running dry when she felt goosebumps trial up her arm and looked up at him, holding up a middle finger for all to see.
"Fuck off, Tom." He opened the door for her and stood beside her with a low bow, raising his head when he heard shaky coughs from within the room. MJ took heavy steps to the bed and sat down, tears welling up in her eyes when her mother placed her frail hands on top of hers. She held them and kissed her knuckles like Peter did to her, trying but failing to put all the pain she felt watching her mother fade away into words. Instead, she smiled and wiped her eyes when she saw the frown on her mother's face. She never wanted to see her frown again.
"You... you sound a lot better, mom. D-do you need anything? Water or food or- should I get you another book from the house- do you need me to call the doctors? I can get the nurse if you need her-"
"I'm okay, darling. Just look at me! I feel just fine." She smiled weakly and lowered her head to lay on her mother's chest, asking herself why they were both so bad at lying. Evelyn Jones was trembling, her eyes glassy and wearing a scarf that covered up proof of the cancer she had brought upon herself that she didn't want her little girl to see. She wouldn't have called her if something wasn't terribly wrong. "I told the nurse to get you a cake for your birthday. I-it's your favourite; Oreo ice cream cake... Nancy! Bring it in!"
She coughed again and used a browned handkerchief to wipe her eyes, the corners of her eyes crinkled and her eyes bright when they wheeled a table into the room. MJ walked over to the cake, wide-eyed and turned to her mother. "I remember when you... saw it in that shop... IceRock, was it? You told me you wanted it then but I was too damn busy... wasting my money on drugs... now I can finally... give it to you before I go..."
"Mom, this is too expensive, you know that! We can't afford this," she whispered, shocked when her mother laughed, then coughed, looking up at her with a small smile. Her eyes were bright but MJ could see sadness in them for a moment and she didn't know why.
"Honey, how much money do you think we have? Check my bank account right now. I've got a million dollars in there somewhere... if your 'dad' didn't guess the passcode by now." She rose a hand to draw MJ closer, a twinkle in her eyes. "Not that I don't trust Peter but the nurse is still here. Nurse Nancy, you could leave now! Aww, hell, leave the cake! It was my daughter's birthday a few months ago and she deserves the veey best! The code is 1-9-0-8. The 19th of August, the day God blessed me with you bundles of joy!"
There were tears in her eyes as she spoke. MJ shook her head and wiped them away, smiling sadly. "There's a lot you don't know, baby girl. Things I need to tell you in case of... incasities. I bet Dave didn't even know the passcode. He's never cared enough to remember my birthday or even my name, let alone yours. I haven't done good at all, baby girl... I should've been there for you, I should have stayed..."
"You're here now. That's all that matters." She nodded slowly and cleared her throat, clutching her daughter's hands. They were warm, MJ noticed with a small smile. Not as warm as they could have been, but warm all the same.
"You need to talk to Tony Stark, okay? Give him my name and tell him that you're my daughter." MJ frowned, about to ask why but her mother sent her a warning look and she got quiet. It reminded her of simpler times, it was the same look she would get when she was caught reading under her sheets in the middle of the night or after she accidentally burnt off her mother's eyebrows that one time. They had grown back now but even back then, hairless eyebrows or not, the look was still effective. "Don't interrupt, I need to keep going. There's this company, darling... sky... fy- chy? Dammit, I can't remember. There was a y in there, though. So much to discuss, so little time..."
"We have all the time in the world, mom. Don't talk like that, y-you're going to get better and everything will go back to normal-" Evelyn's eyes softened and she shook her head, placing a trembling palm on her daughter's cheek. MJ held it there with her hands, unconsciously trying to memorise her touch and warmth.
"You never know, sweetpea-"
"DON'T SAY THAT! YOU... ARE GOING TO BE... fine. Please, don't..." she felt arms around her torso and leaned back, not bothering to resist Peter. She barely noticed the light kiss he placed on her temple as she stared at her mother. The arms that had held her when she cried, the lips that had kissed her forehead before she went to bed or to school, those twinkling eyes... becoming nothing but a distant memory all for a substance that pushed away her pain and troubles only for some time, pushing away her daughter in the process. It had been years since those arms had been around MJ, years since she had gotten a good luck kiss before school and a kiss goodnight.
"Peter? Thank you for being there for her when I should've... I feel okay leaving, knowing that you'll be watching over her to keep her safe. Please learn to know when she's not okay. She hides it well. Such a strong little seventeen-year-old. Now, MJ, d-don't forget to be a good girl... and... oh, screw it! C'mon over here and gimme some sugar, baby girl." She hugged her mother the best she could, feeling ashamed of herself and pulling away when she felt her tears resurface.
Instinctively, she bent her head and let out a small, heavy breath when her mother placed a frail kiss on her forehead. She shut her eyes and covered her face with her hands. "Be strong, sweetheart, but know that crying is not a form of weakness. Don't ever be ashamed of those tears. They make us who we are. You march up to Stark, that sweet crazy bastard with your head held high and never let anyone degrade you. I love you, baby girl. Remember that. How was that for a final speech? I did good, didn't I, hun?"
MJ was so overwhelmed at first she couldn't speak. She wanted to scream out that it wasn't her final speech, that she wasn't going to die but there was a lump in her throat that stopped her. Instead, she managed to crack a smile as she let out a strained chuckle, nodding slowly. "It was spot on, mom... Mom? Mom! I need doctors! Help! Please!"
Peter ran out of the room immediately to get them some help and her breath hitched as she held her mother's limp hand in hers, the drawn beep from her heart monitor fading into the background as a sea of doctors poured into the room. A nurse managed to pull her out and she heard distant screaming as she fought back, trying to get another glimpse, something in her telling her that that was the last time she would hear her mother's voice or the twinkle in her eye before her eyes drew shut. It was when she was about to sink to the floor that she noticed Peter was holding her.
She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face against the crook of his neck, relieved. She was not alone. It would be hours later that she would realise the screams were her own once she noticed how much her throat ached from the exertion. Her body shook and he wrapped his arm around her torso, the sight of her in pain and watching them cover up her mother's body with a blue cloth as he faced the door bringing him to tears. "It's all going to be okay, I promise, MJ. Y-you can come s-stay with me if you'd like, too. Anything that'll-"
"Don't... don't. Just don't..." she staggered back, bumping into someone. Jeremy frowned at her, then glanced at the room and his mouth hung open as he turned back to MJ. She ignored the saddened look in his eyes and turned away, shoving her fists into her pockets and fought through seas of patients and staff, her tears stinging her eyes. She stopped at Forest park, unable to move any further and sat on a bench, clenching her trembling fists as hot tears poured down her face. Venom wished to remind her that he needed to eat but noticing his host was clearly upset, he decided to let her do as she pleased until he couldn't take the hunger anymore. He had never experienced loss but by sharing a body with her, he could tell that it was a painful thing to go through.
After some unsuccessful attempts, MJ managed to force herself up, barely noticing how late it was until she felt the darkness surround her with no moon in sight in the starry sky. Holding in her tears until she got to the apartment, she opened the door and swallowed when she saw her father sitting on the couch, his eyes red with beer cans lying at his feet. He was in shorts and a dirty tank top, as usual. She looked away and walked on, about to drop her bag on the kitchen table when he gripped her arm and yanked her back, sending her bag and everything in it crashing into the dusty, carpeted floor.
"Where have you fucking been?!" He paused when he saw the tears in his eyes, her lower lip trembling incessantly as hard as she tried to stop it. She flinched, wrapping her arms around herself until she saw his eyes soften. He came close and she felt her breathing stop. He pulled her arms away slowly, ignoring the fear in her eyes and wrapped his arms around her torso. She sobbed and accepted the embrace, desperate for any form of comfort, even if it was from a man with alcohol perpetually laced into his breath who hadn't shown her any form of affection in her entire lifetime. "What's wrong, Michelle?"
"It's m-mom, sh-she's gon-ne..." He held her closer and she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, tearing up from her sadness and disbelief in the comfort she was receiving. As she had expected, it wasn't going to last. She noticed his hands start to go lower but ignored the slow but sure increase of her heartbeat until he placed both hands on her bottom and pressed her against him. She pushed him back and shook her head vigorously when Venom tried to come out, knowing if she let him, her father would be dead in seconds. "You can't say no, it isn't optional. I'm your father, bitch. Don't worry... one day, you will worship and beg for me... yes... I'm just going to make you feel better, alright? It will hurt at first but damn, you'd be surprised at how much pleasure you could get."
"N-no! Get off me, you bastard!" He grabbed both her arms and forced her onto the couch, towering above her as he struggled to hold her down while pulling off his shorts. "Get the fuck off me, dad, please! You said you would do it when I was eighteen-"
"So you would run away, eh?" She froze and he chuckled. "Next time you decide to have a diary like the pathetic little shit you are, hide it better. You're mine, all mine..."
"I am not pathetic, get off- GET OFF, DAMMIT!" She struggled to push him off, feeling the urge to let the black substance encase her limbs and let the symbiote do whatever he pleased with her father pulsing through her. The burst of adrenaline as she tried to fight back made it an even bigger struggle and she gulped and shut her eyes, letting her instinct kick in and hit him between the legs with her knee. He grunted and chuckled darkly as he pressed his hands against his shorts, his eyes roaming her frame.
"That's right; scream my name, call me daddy, baby girl. I like it when they fight back." She shuddered and felt hot tears slip down her cheeks because of his rough touch at first, then the moment she decided to let Venom out. She stopped moving and went still, a small smile on her face. He smirked, completely unaware of what exactly he was about to face as he straddled his daughter. "Finally giving in, I see. Weak, just like your dead mother. I'm just happy that I'm not related to either of you, though this would have been so much hotter if you were my kid."
"You can hurt me, Dave, hate me, destroy me. But you brought my mother into this and you're about to find out that that was the worst mistake of your life. My mother was the strongest woman I know. She worked hard to provide for me and your ungrateful ass for so long. Even when she got that addiction, she fought back and she fought back against the diseases that came along because of that addiction until today, the day she died. The same day that you sealed your fate. Have fun in hell." She shut her eyes and Venom took over, covering her entire body in himself and grinning. He picked up her trembling father and licked his lips, growling when he felt something hit his back. He turned around and licked his teeth voraciously, rubbing his hands together with glee once he saw Spiderman crawling on top of the ceiling.
"Yummy, spiderchum!" Peter swallowed when Venom's limbs stretched forward to grab him, causing gaping holes to emerge in the ceiling as he was almost caught each time. He webbed Venom's face for a moment, blinding him and used the time to web him to the walls. He slid down from his web on the ceiling, hanging upside down in front of the creature and shook his head with a frown hidden behind the mask.
"M, what are you doing?!"
Ven, what are you doing?!
I need to eat! And if this spider keeps blocking me, he can be my appetizer before the main dish is served.
This wasn't part of the plan, Venom! Listen to me- don't hurt him!
"M, I know you're in there." He dodged a fist once the creature broke free and dove out through the window, forcing MJ to let out a pained scream from within the symbiote, both of them struggling for control. She couldn't lose him; not like this. She had lost her mother already that day, she wasn't sure she would be able to handle the death of another loved one.
"This is who you are, MJ." She turned around to see him walk through her door, holding up a picture. Venom remained frozen, unsure of what to do as he looked at the drawing but MJ could only shake her head as she tried to control him. That damned picture she had drawn for his birthday. Why did she even bother doing something so stupid? She should never have written anything else, Peter didn't need to know how much he affected her just by speaking to the beautiful, forever-adored Gwenyth Maxine Stacey.
"You did this for Peter because you're you, M. You're sweet and funny and you give a damn about him, something not many people do. You don't even know how amazing you are... How fucking badass it was to see you stand up to your dad but eating him is definitely taking things little too far. You're strong. Take back control. Lemme see that smile of yours again, beautiful. It honestly takes my breath away every time you send one my way, especially when I cause it."
She shut her eyes, shaking her head in amusement as a smile grew on her face. He always knew how to use just the right words, it was infuriating but she loved it about him; her knight in spandex tights. Venom went back into her but not before apologising to the boy and threatening to eat him if anything happened to MJ. He nodded slowly, slightly terrified but both were glad she had someone else watching over her. "Hey, Spider-boy..."
"M," he responded with a soft smile that she couldn't see before wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling his head into the crook of her neck. She let out a sob and turned around to see her father on the floor, staring at them both with a wet patch on his shorts. She smelt the urine and turned away with a small smirk, chuckling when Spiderman walked over to him and punched him in the face without a thought.
The man fell to the floor, knocked out cold and he turned to her to whisk her away to a roof, more desperate than ever to be close to her and completely unashamed of it but she was gone. He looked around and saw the drawing on the kitchen counter, walking over her father's body to pick it up. It read:
Thanks for saving me, Spidey. Say bye to Peter for me, will ya? I might be gone for a while... don't look for me, okay? You're an amazing person and I'm happy you and I are friends. You two should look after each other while I'm gone.
From MJ with love
"Don't look for you? Michelle Alika Jones, why are you so stubborn?" He let out a nervous chuckle and turned to her father, glaring at his body. He wrote a note, explaining that he had tried to rape his daughter from the one and only friendly-neighbourhood Spiderman and dropped him off at the police station. After that, he swung off into the night, searching for her. He checked all her favourite places; the park and the streetlamp they always met each other at. He wandered around Flash's place for a while, the hospital for a while longer and dejectedly, he swung over to the school to possibly perform a small experiment to clear his thoughts.
Taking off his spider suit, he was about to enter the building when something in him urged him to look up. It was then that his sharp eyes caught a blurred figure on the roof holding a football jersey in her hands and shaking. It bore the number 7 which had been Flash's jersey number before he died and realising exactly who it was, he swung up to the roof, hoping fervently that she wouldn't fall off before he reached her.
Aggggg... idk if I should publish this or not ;-;
Thanks to everyone for over 600 reads, so far! I appreciate your interest in my book and my somewhat crappy somewhat not-too-crappy writing 😊
Just adding extra stuff till I reach 4000 words <3