Chapter Text
MJ swung around in her chair, staring at the ceiling. She’d been in her new room for a total of three hours and forty-seven minutes, according to Friday, and she thought she was losing her mind. “Friday, what happened to my phone?” She asked.
“Clint Barton has your phone in a secure location which has not been disclosed to me as of this moment,” Friday informed. She swore the AI sounded disdainful.
“I think I’m losing my mi-ind.” She sang.
“Michell, would you like to view the footage from around the tower until you are allowed to leave?” Friday asked. She perked up at that.
“You can do that?” She asked, rolling off her chair.
“I can do anything I am not specifically coded not to do,” Friday replied.
She smiled.
“Wait, is that ethical?” She asked. “Never mind, I don’t care. Pull it up.”
“Right away, Michelle,” Friday said. A small TV slid down from the ceiling. “Where in the tower would you like video access to?”
“Wherever Peter is,” She said, grabbing her sketchbook. Peter was the most fun to draw. He had a good depressed face for drawing.
“Patching you into the lab’s security footage,” Friday said. She sat up, excited to see what came up. The image blinked on, showing her Tony and Bruce in what seemed to be an argument.
“Where’s Peter?” She asked.
“My facial recognition is not fully accurate in low light, but may I suggest scanning the ceilings,” Friday said. MJ nodded and looked at the top of the footage. Sure enough, the spider boy was hanging from his feet on the ceiling, swaying nauseatingly, seemingly asleep.
“Hm, nothing good. There's something doodle worthy going on?” she asked. The TV blinked away, before showing her an unfamiliar living room. “Where is that?”
“You are looking at the main room of Steven Rogers and Bucky Barns living room,” Friday explained.
“Where are they?” She asked.
“I believe they will be entering the room in Four… three… two…”
Across the screen, she saw Steve and Bucky streaking across the room, accompanied by Bucky screaming over Steve’s ‘Captain America ™’ voice.
“Turn it down.” She said, glancing at the door. Clint and Natasha were differently in favor of spying, but they might not be in favor of her spying.
“You can not post pictures like-” Steve said, his voice coming across monotone.
“ I WILL POST WHATEVER I WANT! YOU LOOKED FUCKING ADORABLE!” Bucky yelled back. That line caught her attention.
“Fri, what are they arguing about?” She asked.
“It would appear that Bucky Barns posted an image to his social media outlet, which Steve would like taken down,” Friday informed.
MJ pulled her laptop out, typing in Bucky's Instagram handle. There were several fake accounts she had to scroll through until she found his, which wasn’t hard, seeing as he was the only Bucky Barns account with an oversaturated photo of Steve's face.
“Holy shit, is this the photo they’re talking about?” She asked, staring at the picture on her phone.
“That does believe to be in keeping with the dialog from the conversation,” Friday informed. It was a photo of Steve, very angry, holding a baby duck, while stuck in the stairs.
“Damn, I figured out what I’m drawing.” She said, grabbing her sketchbook.
“Glad to help.”
---
“Hey MJ, here’s your phone, just don’t make us read Ned’s fanfic again- what are you doing?” Natasha asked, throwing the phone on MJs desk.
“No promises.” She said, hiding her computer screen.
“Michell has been editing a video with my help, of Steven Rogers and Bucky Barns,” Friday informed.
“Rude,” MJ said. Natasha perked up at Friday's information, sitting on her bed.
“What exactly are you editing?” Natasha asked.
“You wanna see?” She said, handing over her computer. Natasha watched what there was of the Imovie video, grinning widely before clam shelling the laptop.
“That is very well edited MJ,” She said, still grinning.
“Please don’t make me stop, that’s pretty much all I’ve been doing in here, but it’s harder to get good footage because Friday isn’t showing me anything rated above ‘G’.” MJ said.
“Friday, override Clint Barton's codding,” Natasha said.
“Of course, which date of code would you like to override?” Friday asked.
“Yesterdays,” Nat said.
“Coding erased,” Friday said.
“Whow,” MJ said. “How did you do that?”
“I and Friday have an understanding,” Natasha said.
“Are you really okay with this? I kinda assumed you would be against me meddling in other people’s lives.” MJ said. Natasha just laughed.
“I have been trying to get Steve Rogers a date for years, this video is the best thing that has ever happened in this tower.” She said.
“You… don’t mind?” MJ asked.
“I am so happy you are doing this, show me the finished video,” Natasha said, standing up.
“Cool. Can I post it?” She asked. “Once it’s done and all?”
“Sure, but I better not be able to tell the account is yours,” Natasha said, leaving without another word. MJ grinned.
“I believe without the past restrictions, there is some new footage that may be of interest to your video,” Friday said.
“Perfect.”
---
“MJ I am so bored,” Peter said, walking into her room and crawling on the ceiling.
“Watch the posters,” She said, not looking up.
“What are you doing?” Peter asked, peering over her shoulder. She slammed her laptop screen closed and glared at him.
“Nothing. Why are you so bored?” She asked.
“Well, I can’t hang out with Mr. Stark for another hour because of the whole room thing, and I can’t go to school because the entire world is on lockdown, and I can’t patrol because they don’t trust me, I’m gonna lose my mind!” Peter said dramatically, before flopping down on her bed.
“Why don’t you practice?” She said, slowly opening her laptop screen again.
“Practice what?” Peter asked.
“Spiderman,” She replied. “Wall climbing or whatever.”
“Fine,” Peter said, scuttling out of her room. She laughed, sighing in relief, and picked up her computer again. She’d just posted the video a few minutes ago, and was stalking her email for any comments.
Sure enough, there were already four or so people commenting. Mostly how much they loved it and demanding to know where she had gotten the footage. She grinned, forcing herself to not reply. That was trashy.
Over the next hour, over a hundred more comments came in, and several thousand people had viewed the video. If Steve had been made about the Instagram picture this was going to reckon him. She was reading through them when someone knocked on her door.
“Come in!” She called, snapping her laptop shut. Natasha stepped in, grinning.
“I saw your video.” She said blankly.
“What did you think?” MJ asked, biting her lip. She wasn’t used to people actually knowing what she posted online.
“I like it. Maybe we should show it to them, get it through their thick heads that they like each other.” Natasha said. “It blew up already, huh?”
“Yeah, people seem to really like it,” MJ said.
“It is new information for them, they wouldn’t care as much if it were TV interviews and phone recordings form battles. You should keep making them,” Nat said.
“Aren’t they gonna freak when they find out it’s me making them.” She asked.
“MJ, if they know it’s you making them then I will have failed you,” Natasha said, completely seriously.
“Feels like I’m playing with fire here,” MJ said, before opening her laptop again. “Luckily, I’ve been a pyromaniac since I was 12.”
---
Over the next couple of days, the video blew up. It wasn’t particularly well-edited in her opinion, just a couple scenes with ‘Lucky’ by Jason Maraz playing over. But Natasha had made a good point, there wasn’t anyone else in the world posting this footage, and the internet seemed to be turning too much about Steve falling asleep on Bucky.
Or the time Bucky tucked Steve into bed.
Or the time Bucky caught Steve from falling headfirst out a window without batting an eye.
Or when Bucky lost his arm and Steve asked if he needed a hand.
There was a lot to turn to mush over. Still, when she saw the CEO of SI stock over to her with a completely neutral expression, she didn’t automatically assume she was about to be grilled over the video.
“Did you make this?” Pepper asked, holding up a tablet/hologram with the video on it.
“Why?” She asked, not looking up from her drawing. She didn’t want to give anything away that she didn’t need to.
“So that's a yes,” Pepper said. Much to MJ’s surprise, and vague discomfort, Pepper bent over and hugged her tightly. “Thank you.”
“...You’re welcome?” She said. “What are you… thanking me for… exactly?”
“This video. It’s the best PR I have ever had with the team. Now people actually want to know about Bucky, things aside from the winter soldier. I have gotten four phone calls about this video in the last hour.” Pepper said, grinning.
“Really?” MJ asked.
“This is the best thing to happen to this company since Tony fixed climate change,” Pepper said. “Keep it up.”
“Since he… wait, what?”