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Peter’s apartment was at least 80 degrees. MJ swore the second she let herself in with the spare key Aunt May kept under the potted plant outside the door and yanked her sweatshirt off her head.
“Parker?” She called out. When Peter didn’t reply, she took her chemistry notes out of her backpack that he asked for since he missed school today and opened the door to his room.
Peter was wrapped up in two separate blankets and surrounded by dirty tissues. Return of the Jedi was playing on the TV and if possible, it was even hotter than out in the living room.
“You look like death,” MJ frowned, “and it’s way too hot in here! Are you trying to trap this virus in here with you?”
Peter coughed loudly in response. Though he tried to protest, MJ opened the window in his room to let the afternoon breeze in. He watched her put her chemistry notes on his desk and watched her sort through his mess of a desk, probably looking for a book she could borrow.
“You need to take a shower.”
“Hey!” Peter tried to push himself up on the bed but coughed instead. “I don’t smell.”
“No, but you need to wash this virus off. Plus, it’ll help you feel better and get you out of this bug-infested room.” She didn’t notice how Peter’s face went into shock before quickly recovering. “Come on, it’ll help.”
Peter flopped back onto the bed. “I don’t wanna,” he whined. He could hear MJ curse to herself and suddenly her hand was in his and he was off the bed onto the floor.
“Michelle!” He yelled but soon regretted it as he was coughing again.
“Get up!”
Peter came back fifteen minutes later, dressed in sweats and a decathlon hoodie. He noticed his bed had clean sheets, the tissues were gone, and a different star wars movie was playing. MJ was also sitting at his desk, her chem notes open as she copied them into Peter’s notebook…for him.
“Michelle…what is this?” He made his way over to his bed again, pulling back the covers to climb in.
“A change of sheets helps you not trap the sickness, your room was a mess and I got really annoyed when Return of the Jedi started itself up again.”
“So you picked Phantom Menace instead? That one sucks!”
“Would you rather have no Star Wars at all?” She snapped, and Peter’s eyes widened. He shut up.
That wasn’t all MJ did however, after she copied her notes for him, she brought him cough medicine, gave him dinosaur chicken nuggets she heated from the kitchen, and took out the kitchen trash.
The sun was going down and MJ was sitting perpendicular to Peter on the bed, her legs draped over him as she sat against the wall.
“I feel like I’m being stabbed,” Peter groaned.
“How do you even know what it feels like to be stabbed?” She laughed.
“Uh…I don’t,” Peter rambled. “If I did though…I would imagine it might…possibly…feel like this.”
MJ looked at him. “Are you alright?”
“No, I’m sick.”
“Why were you so defensive…”
“I wasn’t!” He coughed. MJ just shrugged and turned her attention back to the movie. Peter leaned out of bed to grab a water bottle from his backpack, but before he could successfully get it, his backpack fell off the nightstand.
“I swear Peter,” MJ grumbled as she got off the bed. She lifted the backpack up before Peter could say anything, and Peter’s Spiderman suit fell right in front of her, on the floor.
“What the…” MJ picked up the suit.
Peter could see her putting two and two together based on how her face went from confused…to shocked….to something, he couldn’t quite figure out. She looked up at him and Peter really wished he just stayed dehydrated. He watched Michelle crumple up the suit and throw it right at his head.
“Michelle!”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
“Well, it’s a secret!”
“Clearly not a well-kept one if you just keep it in your backpack!”
“Please, no one else knows-“
“Does Ned know?” She asked, her arms crossed.
“Well yeah, of course, he’s my best friend.” Peter shrugged.
Michelle was silent for a minute. Peter slowly sat up in bed.
“Okay MJ, please don’t be mad. I’m sorry, I didn’t know if I should tell you and I didn’t know if you would’ve wanted to know and I’m sorry please don’t be mad…” he trailed off when MJ picked up her backpack and her jacket.
“Enjoy the dinosaur nuggets,” she mumbled, and Peter heard her slam the apartment door behind her as she walked out.