Lose the Lights
Peter shows MJ all the stars and constellations they can see out at the Compound. Comfortember 2022 # 13 - Losing Track of Time, #11 - Holding Hands, and #15 - A Quiet Moment.
"I still can't believe your mom let you come up here for the weekend."
"I know, right? I thought she'd be totally against it, but when Pepper Potts herself extended the invitation, I don't think it ever occurred to her to say no."
Peter opened the panel above them, and climbed out, bending down to give MJ a hand as well. She climbed up and joined him on the roof of the Avenger's Compound. He resettled the backpack he carried and led her over to his favorite spot. He pulled the two big blankets out of his bag, and then the small thermos of hot chocolate and two cups.
"Wow, you're super prepared there, aren't you?"
"The Boy Scout motto is 'Be Prepared.'"
"Peter, when were you ever a Boy Scout?"
"Well, a Cub Scout, when I was little."
She looked at him in surprise, then shrugged, smiling. "Actually, that tracks."
He shook his head in exasperation. "Help me spread this out, so you can take advantage of my preparedness."
They spread one blanket on the roof and sat down on it, and then Peter wrapped the other one around them. They'd have hot chocolate when they got chilled.
"So… what are we doing up here?"
"FRIDAY?"
"Yes, Peter?" she asked from his Starkwatch. Right, no speakers up here.
"Can you dim the outside lights, and kill the ones up here please, as per our conversation earlier?"
"As per our conversation?" MJ giggled, teasing him gently. He scoffed at her.
The lights dropped to low levels, and were extinguished directly around them.
"Oh. Wow!"
Peter smiled, but it was so dark MJ couldn't see it. All they could see were-
"The stars! They're so bright!"
"Aren't they amazing? Lay down, or you'll get a crick in your neck. I may know that from experience."
"Do you know any of their names?"
"Actually, yeah. Tony and I spend a lot of time up here. It's a good place to sit and think, or just get some quiet time. Some perspective. It used to kinda freak him out, because of the whole wormhole into space at the end of the Battle of New York, you know?" MJ reached over and gently grabbed his hand, calming him as his words started to trip over each other.
"Oh. Hey. Um, but now. Now, he likes to lay out here with me. He's taught me lots of constellations and stuff."
She nudged his shoulder with hers. "The stars, Pete? Tell me about some of them."
"Right. You see that super bright one up there? That's not a star at all. You can tell, because when you concentrate on it, it's not twinkling like most of the others."
Their curls were pressed together as he pointed and she tried to make sure she was looking in the same place. "So what is it?"
"Well, that one's Jupiter."
"Oh, wow. What about that one? It's really bright."
"But see how it's twinkling? Kind of blinking? That's actually Sirius. It's the brightest actual star in the sky. And if you look over this direction, do you see the three little stars in a row? Those make up the belt in the constellation 'Orion.' It's my favorite."
"Peter?"
"Yeah? He turned his face towards her and found MJ's already there. She pressed her lips against his quickly, and let out a little breathy laugh before pulling back.
"You're really cute when you're excited about stuff."
Peter's brain seemed to be short circuiting, and he didn't make sense when he did talk. "Uh, I mean, I don't… Um."
"Pete."
"Mmm-hmm?"
"Tell me more about Orion."
"Oh, yeah. Well, see that star at the top that's kinda reddish?" MJ nodded against the side of his head. "That's Betelgeuse."
"Like the movie?"
"Pretty sure the star was named first…"
He went on, pointing out different stars and constellations to her. They drank the hot chocolate, and laughed about things that had happened at school that week, and snuggled under the other blanket.
"Underoos? You guys still up here?"
Peter turned, startled, to see Tony's head poking up through the roof access.
"Yeah, we are. But shhh. MJ's asleep."
"Aw, so cute," he said dryly. "But bud, it's almost 10. We didn't realize you were still out here. I thought you wanted to watch a movie tonight, too?"
"Oh, we did! Sorry, we just lost track of time."
"Look, we figured out a new constellation using that app on my phone."
"Really?"
"Yeah, c'mere and I'll show you." He flipped up the edge of the blanket, and his mentor came to lay with his head close to the teenager's so he could point out the "new" discovery.
Which is where they still were when another head popped through the access point. This time it was Pepper. "Tony? I sent you to find the kids half an hour ago!"