Thanks for checking this story out! I absolutely loved "Spider-Man: No Way Home", but the ending was heart-wrenching. I have no idea how this is going to be resolved in either the next Dr. Strange movie or the next Spider-Man movie, but my brain needed an outlet on where it could possibly go before then. Let me know what you think! As you know, us writers thrive on comments.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1
The wind blew against Michelle's face and through her hair as she soared through the air. Fear mixed with exhilaration filled her being. Her heart beat rapidly, much faster than the steady rhythm of the heart in the chest pressed against her.
"Hang on," he whispered in her ear. His voice sounded so confident, so decisive.
She liked it. Her arms tightened around his neck, savoring how his hand gripped her waist.
With a spray of webbing, he sailed them around a building and over a busy street. Some of the people below waved at them. She smiled down at them, feeling incredibly special to be in her position.
Their swing progressed up until she realized he hadn't shot out another web. A squeal escaped her lips as they kept traveling up and up. Any second their momentum would be lost and they'd plummet to the ground.
Laughter rumbled through his chest, obviously prompted by her worry. He easily guided them over the edge of the tallest building's roof. Gently, he set her down on her feet.
She wobbled a bit, clutching his arm. "That was amazing, Spider-Man," she breathed out.
He steadied her with his hands on her hips. The placement denoted an intimacy between them. She liked that even more.
"I'm glad you agreed to swing with me again," he told her in a husky voice. He took a small step closer to her.
She smiled, her hands going back around his neck. Her thumbs hooked under his mask. She waited a beat for any protest.
It never came. He seemed to expect this.
She pushed his mask up, intending to kiss his lips. The cloth moved up over his chin. Anticipation gnawed her insides.
Michelle bolted upright in her bed, clinging to dream. Disappointment then crashed down upon her. The dream always ended the same. She never got to see his face, even though everything inside her screamed that she'd seen it before. She just couldn't remember. It infuriated her.
XXXXXXXX
"Shut up, you stupid troll," Michelle grumbled.
She slipped her phone back in her pocket. Work had been so slow that her manager had left an hour earlier. With only fifteen minutes left and everything done she could to close before locking the door, she'd indulged in a peek at the Friendly Spider-Man Facebook Watch Group.
The group obsessed over Spider-Man, supporting him against his detractors. People posted pictures (most of them blurry), videos (usually just streaks of blue and red), personal experiences with him and just general thoughts. Everyone was so supportive. Right up until this past week when the site had been invaded by trolls. Jerks who yelled about Mysterio being right and that he was a menace as claimed by J. Jonah Jameson. It made her so furious.
She'd really debated about telling the group that she'd been at the Statue of Liberty for the big battle, but now she was so glad she hadn't. Her memories of that night were so hazy and disjointed that it seemed like it had happened years ago rather than just a few months. The trolls would have ripped her apart over her memory gapes.
The ringing of the bell on the door scattered her thoughts. Annoyed that someone would come in so late, she slapped a fake smile on her face. Walking toward the front, that fake smile turned real when she saw who'd walked in.
"Peter! Hi!" Michelle cringed inwardly at the excitement in her voice. She never got excited about seeing customers, but something about this awkward, shy guy made her heart race and her palms sweat when he walked in the door. She wished he'd come more than the once or twice a week she saw him.
"Hey, MJ." He flashed her a smile.
The third time he'd come in, she'd insisted he call her MJ. Weird since only her Dad, Ned and childhood friends called her that. It just seemed right for him to call her that too.
Tapping down on her strange emotions revolving around Peter Parker, she asked in a casual tone, "The usual? Small coffee?"
He nodded, settling down at the counter.
As she brought him the cup of coffee and took the bills he held out, Michelle noticed his ratty winter coat had another mismatched patch sown on it. His cheeks also looked a little gaunter than before, like he'd lost weight. She frowned, knowing anything she asked about his life would be evaded and the subject turned to her heading to MIT in the fall. He seemed to be really stuck on that particular subject.
Instead, she glanced at the donuts left in the racks behind her. Her eyes fell on the one chocolate donut left and something clicked. She grabbed it with a piece of waxy paper and placed it in front of Peter.
"Oh, um, I..." Peter stammered, his awkwardness emerged.
"On the house," Michelle assured him. "I'm going to toss them anyway. They'll be stale by morning." She leaned in and whispered, "Sometimes I steal a few for my Dad."
Peter laughed. "I won't tell. Thank you. Chocolate's my favorite."
Somehow she already knew that. Confusing, but she shook it off.
Peter licked his lips before scarfing down the donut.
Watching his tongue move along his lips made Michelle shiver, and not from the cold. She mentally slapped herself. What had gotten into her?
They chatted as Michelle cleaned the counters and swept the floors. She slipped him a couple more old donuts because he looked so hungry. He tried to deny it but ended up voraciously devouring them.
In the middle of a sentence, his words cut off as his head whipped around towards the door. Almost like he heard something, but Michelle hadn't heard anything.
He scrambled off the stool and grabbed his backpack. All the awkwardness that had faded as they talked returned. "I, umm, forgot I've got to get to an appointment," he said in a rushed voice.
"At nine o'clock at night?"
"Right, yes. Zoom call with someone out west, in...ah, Seattle!" he finally spat out, obviously making it up on the fly. He moved to the door but stopped to look at her. "Thanks again for the donuts." The shy smile made another appearance. "And the conversation."
Then he ran out, running down the street.
Michelle stood there, unsure how she should feel about his sudden exit. Mad? Insulted? Yet, the more she thought about it, she the more she realized how right it felt for Peter to depart in such an impromptu manner. That was even more confusing!
Before she could go back to sweeping the floor, loud sirens blared through the night. She counted four police cars driving fast down the road. The red and blue lights dancing across her window made her breath catch.
They drove in the same direction Peter had just run.
