I didn't know where MJ was taking me to. All I knew was that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't muster enough strength to break free of her grasp. Surprisingly, Michelle didn't become agitated, though she did look over her shoulder and smirked.

"It's like I'm dragging a dog away from a dog park because it didn't want to go home," she deadpanned. Her smirk faded. "The only difference is that I can at least understand why a dog would want to stay at the park." We turned the corner. At that point, I gave up on trying to pull away from her and just walked with her. I looked down at the sidewalk and sighed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that I woke up in my room alone. I was about to look for you until I saw something major happening outside. I look out the window and saw you looking devastated. Then I remembered what you told me about May's death and I figured I should go down there and save you from yourself." I didn't respond to that. There was nothing I could say. She was right. She stopped in her tracks. I stopped and looked at her as she turned to face me. "If I let you go, will I have to chase you?" I shook my head. "Okay, I'm letting you go now." She slowly let go of my hand. I was tempted to run back. I looked over my shoulder at the direction where Aunt May lay. I frowned as I looked back at MJ.

"…I want to get out of here," I said.

"Where do you want to go?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know… I just know I can't stay here."

She nodded in understanding as she looked off to the side in thought. She then looked back at me with a smile. "Want a donut?"

I looked at her without saying a word for a few moments. I then nodded. "I'd like one."

She grabbed me by the hand again, this time gently. As she led the way, I walked along with her across the street. After a walk that was a lot shorter than it should have been, we were in front of Peter Pan. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. She used the key to unlock the front door before she opened it. We both walked inside. Peter Pan looked completely normal. It was at this moment that MJ's clothes quickly changed from jeans and a black shirt to her work uniform. She looked down at her clothes, then sighed.

"Even in dreamland, I have to wear this stupid uniform," she remarked with an exasperated tone.

"I still think you look cute in it," I said with a smile. She looked back at me with a halfhearted glare.

"We're still not getting freaky on the counter." I chuckled and shook my head. "Now go sit down at the counter, and I'll get you that donut. But no coffee, though."

"What about rooibos?"

"I can arrange that. Now sit." I complied, walking up to the counter sitting on one of the stools. I didn't have to wait long until MJ came back out with a box and two to-go cups in a pulp cup holder. "We can eat here, or we can go somewhere else. Your call."

I thought about it for a moment. I then had an idea. "…Do you still hang out at the roof of Midtown?"

At that, Michelle smiled. "I do."

I took the tea from Michelle as we exited. After she locked the door, we walked over to Midtown High. Much like Peter Pan, it was a lot closer than it should have been. This time, we didn't need a key as we reached the doors. The doors were unlocked, allowing us to enter. As we walked through the halls, a thought occurred.

"How's the school looking?" I asked. "After, you know…"

"After The Fuckboys of Humanity held us hostage?" MJ finished for me. "There are still some repairs that need to be done. There were graffiti on some walls since they wanted to leave their marks. There was also blood, and destroyed lockers from gunshots and other things."

"I'm sorry you all had to go through all of that," I apologized.

MJ scoffed. "It wasn't your fault, Loser. You, along with Cyclops and Shadowcat, saved us. You have nothing to apologize for. Besides, I will never get tired of bigots being put in their place."

"Neither will I." I smiled briefly. "…You know, I didn't even know you guys were being held hostage until Cyclops, Shadowcat, and I got there. That morning, my senses were going off like crazy. I felt like I was being pulled towards here. When I realized that I was being pulled in this direction, I called Scott. All I could think of was you, Ned, and Betty being in danger."

As we reached the stairway to the roof and entered it, Michelle looked at me. "Yeah, about that… I always wanted to know how you got your powers. I know you're not a mutant."

"No, I'm not," I confirmed. "…I got bitten by a radioactive spider when I was on a field during my freshman year."

Michelle paused for a moment as her eyebrows furrowed up in thought. "Freshman year… was it the one to Empire State University, where scientists were showcasing what they were researching?"

"That exact one." I frowned. "There were these spiders that were being experimented on for reasons I don't quite remember at the moment. One of them ended up crawling on me. By the time I realized it… well… worst hickey ever." Michelle snorted out a laugh. I allowed myself to smile. "But… after the bite, I felt like I was going to die. Being in the hospital was the worst part. I was slipping in and out of consciousness, and every time I was out, I had this fever dream of this giant spider the size of a bus staring me down. I figured it was my subconscious telling me that I was transforming, because, one day, I had that fever dream for the last time and the spider spoke."

"What did it say?" Michelle asked.

"'I have plans for you'. It was creepy. After that, I didn't see the spider again. But that was when my body started adjusting. I noticed I was eating a lot more. I became stronger, faster, and more agile. I'm able to climb walls and stick to ceilings without needing equipment. All of my senses were cranked up to eleven, and I got this new sense that tells me when danger is nearby."

As we reached the top of the stairwell and the door to the roof, Michelle made a noncommittal sound. "I'm surprised your web isn't part of your powers."

I raised my eyebrows briefly. "That's probably the biggest mystery of my life." Honestly, I was just as surprised as she was. The ability to spin my own web seemed like a logical ability for me to have. But, then again, maybe it was for the best. There had to be a line somewhere, as far as my abilities went. If not, then I'd no longer be Spider-Man – I'd just be a giant spider.

Yikes.

We stepped out on to the rooftop. As I did so, I looked up at the sky. The sky itself was pitch black, save for the stars and the moon, which was full. All across the sky were webs that were translucent and came in different shades of blue and red. Somehow, the sight didn't seem all that odd to me. What was more odd was the fact there was a large blank with two pillows on the ground for us.

"Did you prepare this?" I asked

MJ shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "All I know was that I wanted something comfy to lay my head on. I guess this is what manifested."

At this point, I came to two conclusions. Conclusion one, this was one very lucid dream. Conclusion two, Michelle and I were sharing the same dream. How was the latter even possible? I didn't know. But I wasn't complaining, especially when I considered how this dream started.

So we walked over to the blanket and sat down. Both of us were cross-legged and facing each other with nothing but the box between us. Michelle opened up the box, and they were filled with The MJ donuts.

"Bon appetit," she said. We looked at each other and smiled before we dug in and started to eat. We were quiet for a while, savoring the sweet treats in a comfortable silence. Once the donuts were done, MJ set the box aside before she pulled the teas out of the cup holder and handed me one. I took it graciously and took a sip. I closed my eyes and let loose a moan of contentment. I then opened my eyes and saw MJ looking at me. I could see it in her eyes that she had something on her mind. I didn't say anything, though. I merely stared back at her and waited. After she took a sip of her tea, she spoke. "You're still not over Aunt May's death, are you?" It was a question that really wasn't. Michelle could read me as easily as Albert Einstein could do elementary-level arithmetic. Her tone wasn't accusatory or unkind.

Still, I frowned as I lowered my head. "I'm not," I admitted. A part of me wanted to lie and said I was, but I promised MJ that I wouldn't hold any more secrets from her. And, by extension, that meant no more lies.

"Did you even take time to mourn?"

I took a moment to think about it. I then looked up at her and shook my head. "No."

"I see." MJ frowned. "Why not?"

I took a moment to think of it. I had a whole bunch of reasons, but all of them boiled down to one main reason. "I don't like thinking about it." I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts. "Em, I've done a lot of stupid and/or regrettable things in my life. But going to Doctor Strange and letting him cast The Spell ranks very high up on that list of things, especially when I could have just spoken to a chancellor at MIT. When I became Spider-Man, I've always made it a point to protect the ones I love and… I couldn't protect Aunt May. And every single time I think of her, I think of that failure along with every other failure in my life since I decided to become a hero… and even the failure that led to me becoming a hero. So… I try my best not think about it. But, it's not easy."

"Is that why you almost broke down the first time we all tried to see American Idiot?" MJ asked quietly. I nodded. "Am I the first person you talked about this with?"

"Technically, yes," I replied. "I talked to Scott, Craig, and Kitty about it first, but mostly because Kitty really wanted to know why, at the time, you, Betty, and Ned didn't know my secret identity even though you all knew hers and Craig's. You're the first person I really talked to about this as the main topic of conversation."

"…Peter… I'm going to be honest… I really think you need to get professional help for this."

I frowned. "Easier said than done."

Michelle's eyes narrowed. "You're not one of those people who think therapy is for the weak, are you?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, I'm not, I promise you, I'm not. It's just…" I felt something move across my skin. I looked down at my hands to see the red fabric creeping over them. I didn't freak out – I knew it was just my suit forming over me. Within moments, I was in my suit. The only thing I didn't have on was my mask. I sighed before I looked back at MJ, who looked at me with an ambiguous look. She then nodded in understanding.

"Spider-Man is the obstacle," she said.

I nodded glumly. "The only people who know that I'm Spider-Man are my fellow American Idiots and my fellow X-Men. I want to seek help. I really do. But doing that means being open abou being Spider-Man. And doing that is playing Russian roulette – not just with my life, but the life of that therapist and possibly the lives of those close to me."

Michelle took in a breath. "I get that. I really do." She then shook her head. "But you have a lot on your mind and a lot on your chest. I'm glad you're talking to me about this, and I want you to keep talking to me about these things. However, while I'm always going to be here for you to talk to, I'm not enough. You have to find some professional you can talk to." She leaned forward and placed her right hand on my shoulder. "Please find someone, okay? I don't want you to explode at the worst possible moment."

"I'll find someone," I declared as I placed my right hand on top of hers. "I promise."

Michelle smiled. That smiled faded into a look that I couldn't quite read. I realized how close our faces are. My face went warm, but I didn't pull away. I felt my suit move again. This time, it moved from me to Michelle. Within seconds, she was wearing my suit. She looked down at herself for a moment, then back at me with a coy look.

"Finally get to see me in your suit, huh?" she whispered slyly.

"It's a suit worthy of a hero," I replied in earnest.

She gave me a lopsided smile. She then leaned over and pressed her lips against mine. I closed my eyes as I kissed her back. There were a lot of feelings going through my chest as we continued to kiss and lay on our sides – joy, relief, appeasement, a familiar anger at myself for denying myself this, gladness for finally kissing her… that was just the tip of the iceberg. But, as I ended up on my back with her on top of me and tears of joy and relief running from my eyes, there was one emotion underlying all of those feelings.

It was my love for her.

Unfortunately, the dream came to an end. With a groan, I slowly opened my eyes. At the same time, I felt somebody move on my chest. I brought my eyes downward to see a familiar mess of curly hair rise up. Michelle groaned as she placed her left forearm on my chest and used it to proper herself up. She used her free hand to push her hair out of her face. She then looked down at me and raised an eyebrow.

"So… suit fitting of a hero, huh?" she remarked, her voice still a bit raspy.

Well, that confirmed it – we were both sharing a dream.

I blushed a bit, but nodded. "Even heroes need heroes, I think," I whispered. At that, Michelle smiled. I smiled back at her. My smile faded a bit as I slowly brought my right hand up and gently placed it against her cheek. "…I'm going to say something, Em. It's nothing bad. Just know that, I'm not going to say it with any expectation. Okay?"

"…" She gave me a look. But she nodded. "Okay."

"Okay." I took in a breath. "…Michelle, I love you. I really, really, love you."

I felt MJ's face heat up in my hand. There was a certain look in her eyes – something of mild surprise. She then closed her eyes and bowed her head. After taking a breath, she looked at me and opened her mouth to say something. But she didn't get to say anything as a song started to play, accompanied by the vibration of MJ's cell.

"You're a fucking nerd And no one likes you You're a fucking nerd And no one likes you"

MJ looked towards her phone in annoyance. Said phone was on her nightstand. She then removed herself from atop of me. "It's Ned," she said. Curiously, I looked at the digital clock on her desk.

5:23 AM.

"At this time in the morning?" I questioned.

"It's probably major." She scoffed as she sat up on her bed. "Well, major for him, anyway. He probably really needs my notes for one of the classes we're in or something." With that, she reached for her phone, unplugged it, and answered the call. "What do you want Ned? …Okay, I'm going to need you to calm down a bit. What test has you panicking?" MJ went quiet for some moments. "…I'm sorry, what?" She went silent again. Her eyes went wide before she looked at me. I furrowed up my eyebrows in worry. "Okay. Okay… No, don't call Peter. He's right here. I'll tell him… Ned, shut the fuck up before I find you later and stuff you into a locker! Just sit tight, we'll figure something out." With that, she hung up the phone. She placed the phone back down on the nightstand. She took in a breath of annoyance as she closed her eyes. "…So… we need to call Kitty."

I sat up and looked at MJ questioningly. "Why?"

"Oh… no big deal. It's just… well… one of the repairmen apparently found your old-old suit, web shooters, and webbing fluid underneath a set of lockers." She scowled. "Add to the fact that a certain douchebag keeps claiming he's your bestie, and… some government suits are there to investigate."

It took a moment for that to sink in. Once it did, there was only one thing I could say.

"What the - ?!"