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“Ned,” Peter hissed. “Ned. Ned!”
Ned turned to look at Peter with a confused look, wondering why Peter was talking to him during class. Peter rarely if ever did that.
“What?” Ned whispered back.
“Do you know if MJ is okay?”
Ned glanced over at the girl who had a book propped up before her face. That in and of itself wasn’t unusual. The strange part was MJ was asleep behind her book, her head on the desk, her crossed arms acting as a pillow, her dark curls hiding her face. MJ never fell asleep in class. Peter didn’t even think he had ever seen MJ fall asleep in school at all, even on bus rides or school trips. She was always alert, always watching. Yet here she was, asleep in class.
“Huh,” Ned said, carefully studying the girl. “Maybe she’s plotting murder or something.”
“I really don’t see that as a possibility,” Peter said. “I mean, she’s clearly asleep. She’s not listening to anything. She’s not hiding. She’s just sleeping.”
“Freaky,” Ned said, still staring at her.
“Do you think she’s okay?” Peter wondered.
“What do you mean?” Ned asked.
“I mean like, what if she’s in trouble? Or what if something’s wrong at home?”
“Well,” Ned said thoughtfully. “Her parents are divorced.”
“Wait, what?” Peter interrupted. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Ned said, giving Peter a side look. “Her name is Jones-Watson. With a hyphen? Her mom is Laura Jones and her dad is David Watson. Her dad used to be a cop before he got fired and went crazy. That’s what I heard anyway. She lives with her mom mostly. Pretty sure anyway.”
Peter was about to respond when he heard the teacher clear his throat. Peter immediately snapped to attention, before he realized the teacher was standing in front of MJ’s desk instead of his or Ned’s.
“You had better be sick or dying, Ms. Jones,” the teacher said. “If you’ve decided you’re above today’s lecture.”
MJ looked up grumpily from behind her book, glaring at the teacher. Then she gave her almost smile and said, “Maybe I’d listen if there was something worth listening to.”
The teacher stood flabbergasted before snapping out, “Detention, Ms. Jones.”
MJ just shrugged and curled up behind her book again.
Peter and Ned exchanged glances. Ned shrugged. He was just going to let it go. Peter was not. He could not. He was the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. This was his classmate. He had to do something.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few months later, and Peter had worked up the courage to ask MJ out. Though MJ insisted that she had asked him out. But Peter still hadn’t forgotten the incident. Or that every few months, MJ seemed more distant and shut out than she usually did. And Peter was determined to find out why.
Ned and Peter were hanging out at the public park one day, sitting on the swings, just swaying back and forth, talking about nothing when MJ walked up and sat on the other available swing.
“What’s with the bruise?” Ned asked.
Peter’s head swung around to look at MJ. There was a bruise on her wrist in the shape of a hand and her palms looked red and scratched as well.
Peter slid of the swing and rushed to stand in front of MJ, wanting to cup her cheeks, but unsure if they were at the stage in their relationship.
“Are you okay?” Peter asked. “What happened?”
MJ shrugged. “I was at my dad’s this weekend.”
“Did he hurt you?” Peter wondered, his voice high with anxiety, his hands beginning to shake with anger and fear.
MJ shrugged. “Not on purpose. He’s drunk most of the time. And I’m only at his house one weekend every other month. So I’m fine. I can deal.”
“That is not the point,” Peter said. “Your wrist has a bruise, your hands are cut. You are not fine. Look, if he is hurting you, or if you’re in some kind of trouble then I will-“
“Peter,” MJ interrupted. Her voice wasn’t sharp or angry. Just soft and firm. Which was somehow more commanding. “It’s fine. He was drunk. He didn’t mean it.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Peter argued. “He got drunk around you, putting you in danger. MJ, that is not okay. That makes it worse, honestly. And if he knows he’s violent when he’s drunk then it’s fault when he hurts you.”
“I said I could deal,” MJ said quietly.
“But you don’t have to,” Peter insisted. “You shouldn’t have to deal with it.”
"It’s whatever,” MJ told him.
“How can you say that?” Ned whispered. “I mean, getting drunk all the time and putting the only time you have with your kid at risk? That’s messed up.”
MJ shrugged and looked away, her wayward curls falling in front of her face.
“It’s fine,” she whispered. But there was a tear slipping down her cheek. Peter didn’t argue this time. He just pulled her into an awkward hug.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Mr. Stark?” Peter said, pushing through the doors to step into the office, sliding out of Happy’s reaching arms. Happy had not been, well, happy, at Peter trying to barge into Tony’s office, but Peter hadn’t cared. He needed to speak with him.
“What’s up kid?” Tony said, looking up, motioning for Happy to go away.
“I was- I was wondering if you could help me out with a little project thing,” Peter said, sitting down in a chair across from Tony’s desk. “My- You know my friend, MJ, right?”
“I have heard you mention her before,” Tony agreed. “What about her?”
“I’m really worried about her,” Peter explained. “Her dad… her dad sounds really… Her dad is David Watson. He used to be a cop and-“
“And he was fired for always being drunk,” Tony finished. “I remember that story, yeah. I didn’t realize he was married.”
“Well, he’s divorced,” Peter corrected. “But that’s not important. He’s MJ’s dad and he’s still an alcoholic and he’s hurting MJ. But- but MJ won’t admit it and every so often she has these cuts and bruises and I- I think- it needs to change and I want to do something.”
“And you’re asking me… why?” Tony said with a slight smirk.
“Because you can probably actually do something?” Peter said with a nervous grin. “And I know you’d do anything for me, so… you’ll do something for my friend?”
Tony gave Peter a long, hard look for a while and then burst out laughing. “You’re too smart for your own good, kid. Alright. What do you want to do?”
“I dunno,” Peter admitted, looking down at his hands folded in his lap. “Get him in trouble? Contact CPS? Just… I dunno. Something that will keep him away from MJ. Because there’s… there’s something else. She- MJ hasn’t said it in so many words but- I- I think he’s… harassing her too. Like… sexually. She won’t say it. But I’m really worried. And I just… please tell me there’s something you can do.”
Tony looked at Peter silently for a long while with a fond smile before nodding slowly. “Yeah kid. I can probably manage something.”
“Thank you Mr. Stark,” Peter said, standing up and giving an awkward bow. “Thank you so much. It means a lot.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tony said, walking Peter to the door. “And uh, thanks for trusting me kid. It means a lot.” And then he pushed Peter out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter was eating lunch with Ned when a stack of books dropped in front of him. The crash startled him and he gave a little shriek as he looked up and saw MJ.
“What was that for?” Peter and Ned demanded.
“What did you do?” MJ demanded.
“Wh- what did he/I do?” Peter and Ned wondered at the same time, looking between each other and MJ.
“My dad got arrested last night,” MJ explained, sitting down, the corners of her mouth beginning to twitch.
“Uhhhhhh,” Peter said before shrugging. “I didn’t- I didn’t do anything. I don’t know anything.”
MJ gave a long look, staring him dead in the face, boring holes into his skin. Finally she leaned back with a smile.
“Well, whatever you did, thanks.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Peter repeated, but he was smiling.
The rest of lunch passed uneventfully but as they were leaving, MJ grabbed Peter by the shoulders and hugged him tight.
“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. “Really.”
Peter smiled and blushed and hugged her back, holding her, waiting for her to let go first. When she had leaned back, she smiled at him, but then got serious and said, “But don’t ever do something like it again.”
“You got it,” Peter said.