Author's Note: I promised I'd be back, and back I am with the fourth instalment in the life of one of New York's finest heroes. Now there will be quite a bit going on in this story and if all goes to plan we will be skipping forwards in the timeline but not quite yet. I own nothing.
Senior Shenanigans
1 Long Overdue
Mary Jane Watson was quite nervous, even if she honestly couldn't say why. She shifted from foot to foot in the elevator. Eddie laid a hand on her shoulder.
"MJ, you're gonna do great. I know you will." She smiled at him as he readjusted his camera lens. She took a deep breath as they stepped out of the elevator into a familiar living room. Well mostly familiar. The clutter and mess that showed that people actually lived here had been cleaned up, leaving the room more pristine than MJ had ever seen it. That did nothing to calm her nerves as Pepper Potts stepped up to them. The older redhead smiled and gestured them out onto the patio. MJ took a deep breath and stepped out just ahead of Eddie. The source of her worries was sitting there with a shit eating grin on her face wearing a plain black dress and galaxy leggings ending in black sandals. A laugh bubbled out of her throat.
"MJ you look like I'm gonna push you off the Balcony. Take a deep breath." MJ snorted out a laugh as Piper offered her the seat across from her. MJ pulled a recorder from her bag and set it on the table. She sighed again.
"Ok before we start I gotta ask. Why in gods name did you pick me to do your first ever publicized interview?" Piper let out a giggle.
"Because you're my friend, because you're a great reporter and you should be doing more than running coffee for Jamison. And because I'm much more comfortable talking to you than any reporter." MJ nodded. Piper had been putting off this inevitable interview since the world found out that she was the adopted daughter of one of the Avengers. But Tony could only front questions for so long. There were other reason that she was doing it this way though. Nothing she'd told MJ was a lie, there was just more to the situation than the redhead knew. Eddie had likely figured it out. But he knew the whole truth, that Piper was also Spidergirl, the only hero notoriously ragged on by the Daily Bugle. If she showed her support for the Bugle it took suspicion off her, at least as a suspect Spidey. He grinned and snapped a picture of her as she took a sip of her tea from her Hulk mug. MJ nodded and pulled out a notebook.
"Well since we've answered my biggest question lets get to the real questions, if you're ready?" Piper nodded to her friend and MJ reached out and turned on the recorder.
"So, here we sit with the most sought after interview in New York, the adoptive daughter of Iron Man, heiress to Stark Industries, Piper Parker." Piper grinned at her friend, MJ was a natural at this, Eddie was recording now, at the setup Piper had provided him. Piper grinned at MJ ignoring the camera.
"Miss Parker I have to say you've turned New York on its ear, since you came on the scene." Piper laughed.
"Well, Miss Watson I didn't intend to that's for sure." MJ leaned forwards slightly.
"Now one of the most burning questions the public seems to have is how did you end up adopted by Tony Stark." Piper nodded sipping her tea. That had been one of the bigger questions running around the papers and magazines. The internet had created an endless stream of explanations to how that had happened but she was here to lay those rumors to rest.
"Honestly, almost none of the rumors are true. My parents worked for Tony back in the day, my dad Richard Parker was a scientist who helped build the inteli-crops, mom was in security. When they died I went to live with my aunt and uncle. After they passed I ended up in Malibu. Believe me I was almost as surprised as Tony when that happened." MJ nodded, barely glancing at her notepad.
"I gotta know, do you actually call him Tony?" MJ already knew she didn't but the rest of the world didn't. Piper let out a laugh.
"No, I call him dad. Over the past few years we've really built into a family, me him and Pepper."
"So he and Pepper are a serious item?" Piper nodded at MJ's question.
"Bout as serious as it can get if you ask me." MJ grinned at Piper's answer and kept asking questions steering the conversation through her relationship with the other Avengers, her involvement if any in their battles, and her home life.
"So Mr. Stark claims you have no access to the armors, is that true?"
"Yes, that is true. I do help him alter and fix the armors but I cant wear them unless something like what happened to the Malibu house happens again." Piper said as MJ raised an eyebrow.
"Not even the suit you wore to the Osborn Charity Gala?" Piper shook her head.
"We're calling it the Oscar De La Renta, cause it's a mostly red version, and that is behind glass at the moment. I doubt I'll be wearing it again." MJ nodded and glanced back at her notebook.
"Speaking of that particular suit, after wearing it you earned the name Iron Lass, what do you think of that? Think you'll be sticking with the superhero life after high school?" Piper laughed loudly.
"Honestly no. Iron Lass is a terrible name. And the superhero thing is much more dad's thing than mine. I just maintain equipment." MJ nodded at her answer then she got a mischievous look on her face and Piper got the distinct feeling she was about to go off script.
"Circling back to the Osborn Gala, you showed up on the arm of the son of one of your father's biggest competitors, Harry Osborn. How did that happen?" Piper took a deep breath, this was MJ's career on the line so she sighed and spoke.
"Harry and I have been friends for years. When my dad got… abducted in Afghanistan, when he became Iron Man, I was almost completely on my own for a while. It was hard because I had already lost so many people. He was there for me when I needed someone most. We've been friends ever since." MJ nodded, like a lot of these questions she'd already known the answer.
"A lot of rumors have been spreading that you and he are an item, what do you say to that?" Piper glanced down at her fingers. That was a tough question, one she hadn't really thought about. She felt heat rise in her cheeks.
"We aren't a couple, we've been really close friends for year. He's a spectacular person, but… we've never dated." Eddie gestured for them to wrap it up, they were reaching the end of their time limit. MJ held out a hand to Piper.
"Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed today Miss Parker." Piper grinned and took her friends hand.
"It was lovely to speak with you Miss Watson." Eddie stopped the camera and grinned.
"Nicely done ladies!" Piper hugged MJ close. MJ returned the hug without a thought.
"How did I do?" MJ asked brushing her hair back. Piper laughed.
"You did great! I was not expecting the questions about Harry." MJ's face fell at those words.
"Did I overstep?" Piper shook her head, pulling Eddie into a hug as well.
"Not at all MJ. You did great." MJ breathed a sigh of relief. Eddie and MJ had to get back to the Daily Bugle. Piper bid them farewell and breathed a sigh as she changed into her costume and set out for patrol. Ava was busy with homework, wanting to make sure she got everything for the week done that night. Sam was having some one on one training with Steve and Danny and Bruce were sharing meditation techniques, so it was just her and Luke for the day. She swung in the direction of a large plume of smoke coming from a lab space near the river.