Spider-Man: Home Sick

18 - Truths

MJ's P.O.V

I sat around a small campfire eating beans out of the tin with 3 complete strangers who had risked their lives for me not 1 hour ago. They'd introduced themselves as Luke, Pippa, and Anya. Pippa and Luke were avoiding eye contact with each other, probably because of him admitting his feelings towards her, but that could also just be how they normally acted around each other (after all, I'd only just met them), but Anya busied herself cleaning and bandaging the cut Cade had given me across my face, and then sorting through her med kit, as if searching for something to do.
It was silent for a long time until Pippa quietly said to Luke, almost a whisper really "Did - did you mean it?"
He seemed shocked she'd said anything and took a second to gather his thoughts "Did I mean what?"
"What - what you said earlier. About... About how you feel about me..."
Luke smiled shyly "Every word."
Pippa looked up at him for a long time until she suddenly lunged forwards and kissed him. Luke looked like he would have been less surprised if she'd punched him, but soon he reciprocated and kissed her back.
Some shouted at them "Get a room!", another voice yelled "Not a private place, you guys!" and a third, I think it was Zara, said "It's about time!"
Sighing, I stood up and headed down the tunnel, towards where Peter had stormed off to earlier.

He was sat on the grass area above the tunnel, his legs hanging over the edge.
"I, um, I brought you some food." I offered the lukewarm tin of beans lamely. He took it, though he didn't do anything except stare at it.
I took that as a good sign - at least he was acknowledging me - and sat down beside me.
I just watched the grass gently blow in the wind for a long time until Peter finally said "It - it's true, isn't it? What Cade said?"
I hung my head in shame "Yeah."
"Was... Was it all an act? Everything... Was that all just pretend?"
"No! I - I didn't even know he was my dad until a few years ago, and that was after I'd first met you."
He looked up at me, meeting my eye for the first time since he'd found out "So it was just by chance that we met? The daughter of the man who created the Avengers, and Spider-Man?" He chuckled softly, a pale imitation of his usual laugh "Or fate."
"I don't believe in fate."
"No?" He raised one eyebrow, and a hint of who we used to be gleamed through "How do you explain us meeting then?"
I thought for a long time "Luck." I finally decided. "Meeting you was... Luck."
"Your dad is really... Nick Fury?"
I gulped "Yeah. I - I was only 7 when I - the - when he left. I... I couldn't have even remembered his name - it wasn't like he was around a whole lot before then."
"What about your mum?"
"My mum?" I tried to avoid answering "Let's just say... She wasn't around either. I - I've never even met her. Dad - Fury, he - he didn't like speaking about her..." And neither do I. I added silently.
"But what - what happened?"
"He left." I shrugged "All I remember was that one day he was here, and the next he wasn't. He left me with this family - I think they're ex-SHIELD agents - and I never heard from him again until maybe a year ago."
"Why did he - "
I sighed "It was right around when he found out Hydra had infiltrated Shield, and there were attempts on his life. I guess he wanted to protect me, but... it felt an awful lot like abandoning to me." I looked pointedly at Peter "And, I mean, no one knew I existed anyway. Only him, my mum, and later on Happy."
"Happy knew?!"
I winced, mentally smacking my forehead "Uhh, yeah. He - I mean, sometimes he'd check up on me for Fury - he isn't part of Shield so no one's notice him. He was - I guess he was a sort of social worker." I let out a short, bitter laugh.
"How much - how much of - of this," He gestured to us "How much of it has been a lie?"
"I - None of it. Okay, I lied about my dad, but everything else - everything - has all been real."
"So... So you weren't just watching me because - well, because of your dad?"
"No," I smiled shyly "That was for... A different reason."
He stared down at the ground dejectedly "You could've told me."
"I know, I just - I didn't know how. I was planning to, and then the whole thing with Mysterio happened, and then the - your secret identity being revealed, and it all just got a bit... Complicated." I glanced at him hopefully "Could you... Could you ever forgive me?"
He heaved a deep sigh "I guess I can't be one to judge on keeping secrets... But from now on, no lies, okay? From both of us."
"Deal." I agreed.
I turned to look at Peter face on and he caught sight of my cut.
His hand rose up to touch it gently and I turned my head away.
"This is exactly what I didn't want happening." He murmured softly "I didn't want you - any of you - getting hurt because of me."
"It - it's nothing, really."
His fingertips slowly traced the length of the cut, from my temple to my chin, and then reached for my hand, hesitant at first.
I gripped onto his hand, scared that if I let go he would disappear again, and I leaned into his shoulder. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest and each little puff of air exhaling from his nose as it ruffled my hair.
However long we sat there, in the cold September night air, it wasn't long enough.

Peter finally said what I could tell had been lurking in his mind but I was afraid of him asking "If Nick Fury is your dad... Who's your mum?"
I looked up at him, silent for a long time, until I finally answered, my voice quiet as if I hoped he wouldn't be able to hear it, "Her name was Carol Danvers."