A/N: 40 favorites! 62 followers! You guys are amazing!
Okay, so this chapter originally was a bit longer and included a Flash POV at the end, but someone's suggestion in the reviews convinced me to change it last minute. I added a new section in the middle and ended up pushing the Flash POV to chapter 10, so you all will have to wait a little longer to hear his thoughts. I had a blast fleshing out the reviewer's idea, and I really hope you guys like it!
Just a note- I do listen to your ideas and suggestions, so if you want me to include something in the story, drop a review mentioning it and I just might add it in!
Also, I completely forgot to mention this last week, but I have made a Pinterest board for Flash as well! Posting the link on my profile if you guys are interested!
As always, thanks a million for the kind reviews you all leave for this story. It inspires me to keep writing and come up with new surprises and fluff-filled moments for you guys to enjoy :)
"-And then I pulled as hard as I could on my webs and was thrown into the bell again-"
"Holy shit, Penny! Didn't that hurt?"
"Like absolute hell, but I knew I couldn't let the tower fall on anyone, so I grabbed them for a third time and was somehow able to hold it up until the battle was over."
"Woah. So Mysterio really did take down the water monster all by himself, huh?"
Penny gave him a sheepish grin. "Yeah. Spider-Man's webs weren't much help there."
Penny and Ned had shoved his bed to the furthest corner of the room and curled up on top, talking with hushed voices to further ensure that Flash couldn't hear them.
But Penny knew he wasn't bothering to listen. When he first went to the bathroom to "take a shower," she picked up on the sound of his breathing right by the door, clearly attempting to overhear their conversation. After about five minutes of Ned rambling about Betty (Penny texted him to do so until Flash stopped snooping, but he didn't need much encouragement), he gave up and actually started showering.
"I still think Spider-Man kicked ass," Ned clarified. "You saved our lives, Penny."
"Oh, you know. All in a day's work." She ruffled his hair playfully, and he batted her away, laughing.
The simple gesture brought a question to her mind that she had been meaning to ask him for a while. "Also, is it cool, us hanging out like we normally do? You have a girlfriend now, ya know. I don't want to make Betty uncomfortable or anything."
"Oh, Penny," Ned sighed, a dreamy look crossing his features. "Betty is the most confident, secure person I've ever met. She knows my feelings for her are real. And, of course, it helps that everyone knows about your obsession with Brad Davis, so yeah, she's cool with it."
Penny cringed. "Yeah, about Brad… I think I may have blown it."
And there's the whole matter of me still being into Brad, but also starting to develop feelings for Flash Thompson too… My love life will never stop being a mess, will it?
"What?"
For a moment Penny feared that she had accidentally voiced her thoughts. "What are you what-ing about?"
"You said you blew it with Brad!"
She let out a sigh, releasing the tension she had been holding in her shoulders. Phew. That would have been bad. "Oh. Yeah. Like, big time blown it."
"Well, as your best friend and love expert, I'll be the judge of that. What happened?" He clasped his hands together and placed them in his lap, looking very much like a concerned therapist.
The term "love expert" gave Penny flashbacks to the trolls in Frozen, and she tried not to be distracted by the visual image of Ned as a stone troll in a grass skirt.
Penny crossed her legs, repositioning herself so she was facing him directly. "Well, we were talking in the hall before going to our rooms, and he leaned in to kiss me, and then I kinda freaked on him…"
"Because it's your first kiss," Ned concluded.
"Right, well, it would've been my first kiss, but I panicked and turned my head so he kissed my cheek, and then I ran off when Flash suddenly appeared and asked for his sweatshirt back."
Ned nodded his head empathetically, patting her knee. "I see. And what did you say to him before you left?"
She groaned, placing her head in her hands. "Something along the lines of 'good night, ah, sorry, awkward, bye.' I was a trainwreck, Ned." Her words were muffled behind her fingers, but she knew Ned heard her perfectly based on the low whistle he released in response.
"Hey, it's okay, Penny," he reassured. "Everyone has their awkward moments."
She peeked at him from behind her fingers. "You think?"
"Of course. But yeah, you probably blew it with Brad."
"Yeah- wait, what?!"
"That whole situation sounded like a major friend-zone. Sorry, man."
"Ugh." She rolled off his bed and laid flat on the floor, looking like a rather dramatic starfish. "It's fine. I'm fine. We'll talk tomorrow, I'll fix it... It'll be fine."
And she genuinely did want to smooth things over with him. Whatever her feelings were for Flash, she knew there was no way on God's green earth that he would ever find her something even remotely close to attractive. Sure, he was being nicer to her and seemed genuinely concerned for her safety, but probably in that you're-like-my-short-awkward-little-sister kind of way.
So she figured the better option was to shove those feelings deep, deep inside and ignore them forever.
Ned continued on, oblivious to her internal crisis. "Or Brad could be really weird and tense for the rest of the trip and you'll both avoid each other constantly and-"
"Ned!" Her expression grew horrified, and he quickly corrected his mistake
"Uh, I mean, he'll be totally fine. You're right. Everything's great." To her chagrin, he ended his statement with a cheesy smile and a double thumbs up.
She laughed miserably. "You're the worst therapist ever."
"My rate is $50 an hour, by the way. You'll be getting a Venmo request."
"As if!"
She leapt back up on the bed and began attacking him with his own pillow, and within seconds he had surrendered, promising her first "session" was free between peals of laughter.
Suddenly, the squeaking of the shower handle turning caught Penny's attention. She dropped the pillow and urgently drew a finger to her lips, pointing at the bathroom. Ned's eyes widened in understanding.
"I needed to go anyway," Penny whispered. "MJ will probably be wondering where I am."
Ned leaned in close, lowering his voice even further. "Okay, but to circle-back to the Spider-Man stuff real quick, what are you going to do about that water monster? I care about your love life and all, but you need to be alive to have a love life. It's kinda in the phrase."
She shrugged at him, unbothered. "Nothing. It's dead. And besides, that Mysterio guy's all over it. All I'm trying to do is enjoy the rest of my vacation doing non life-threatening activities, and maybe even convince Brad that I still like him."
Ned nodded at her, his face solemn. "Good luck, Penny. I hope one day you and Brad can be as happy and in love as Betty and I."
Penny couldn't help but grin widely at her best friend. She hoped Betty knew how lucky she was.
"Thanks, Ned. I'll see you tomorrow." She jumped off of his bed and was about to head out when the click of a door stopped her in her tracks.
And then she felt her face get very, very hot.
Holy. Shit.
Flash, sporting a towel wrapped around his waist and absolutely nothing else, nonchalantly stepped out of the bathroom, kicking the door closed behind him. He was holding a washcloth in one hand, tussling his dark hair to dry out the excess liquid.
"The water was absolutely freezing," he scowled, sidestepping Penny, who was frozen in place, to get to his luggage. "And it smelled like it came straight from the canal. My father would be horrified to hear of these conditions. Are you sticking around much longer, Parker?" He pulled his night clothes from his bag, slinging them over his shoulder, and then stood to face her, crossing his arms. The action caused his biceps to flex in a rather enticing manner.
Not that she noticed.
"Not trying to push you out, but I'd rather not have to fall asleep to the sounds of you two playing couple's therapy."
"Nah, we talked it out," Ned said cheerfully. "Me and Betty are as solid as ever. Right, Penny?"
Penny was too distracted by the drop of water that was sliding from a lock of Flash's hair to hear him. It slipped from his forehead to his cheek, then past his jaw, down his neck, over his collarbone, across his surprisingly firm looking chest, and damn he wasn't anything close to ripped but those T-shirts and hoodies he always wore really weren't doing him justice…
"Parker."
Her eyes shot up. "Huh?"
"Ned was saying he and Betty are as solid as ever," Flash said, clearly amused. He looked like he was fighting off a smirk- it was a losing battle.
If it was even physically possible, Penny felt her cheeks grow hotter. "Oh. Right. Uh, y-yeah, that's what, um, that's what I'd say. About them. They're super solid. Super duper."
Ned was staring at her like she had grown a third head. Flash covered up a laugh with a cough.
Penny found herself wishing she could ram her skull into the bell again. Maybe then she could forget this entire night happened.
"Yeah... I'm gonna go," she managed to squeak. She spun on her heel and started striding towards the door.
"Parker."
She stopped mere inches from sweet escape, clenching her jaw in frustration. She couldn't handle any more embarrassment tonight- she just couldn't. "What, Flash?"
Penny felt a tap on her shoulder. Haltingly, she turned to face him, looking up to meet his eyes. They were so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his bare skin and see the drops of water clinging to his eyelashes. She attempted to swallow, but her mouth was completely dry.
"What, Flash?" she repeated. It came out as a whisper.
This time, he didn't bother to hide his smirk. "You forgot this." He held out her phone, his fingers leaving wet prints on its surface.
"...Oh." She retrieved it with a trembling hand, flitting her eyes away from his. "Uh, thanks."
"No problem."
They stood there for a moment. Penny dared herself to look back up at him. His smirk had softened into a smile, a sincere one that sent shivers through her body. She had ended up with her back pressed against the door, and there was only a few inches of space between them.
With a jolt, Penny realized that they were in a very similar position to what she and Brad had been in earlier that night. This time, though, she didn't feel uncomfortable or trapped. Weirdly nervous, yes, but not uncomfortable. His arms were crossed against his chest, not caging her in like Brad's had, and while he was leaning in towards her, he seemed to be in-tune with her own physical cues, ready to back up if she needed space.
Also, he was Flash. For some reason, that fact mattered more than any other.
And since when was Flash Thompson synonymous with comfort?
"Uh... Flash, are you going to let Penny leave, or...?" Ned sounded genuinely confused, eyeing the two with a dumbfounded expression.
They both seemed to snap out of it at the same time. Flash backed up a few steps, the sudden tension in his shoulders the first sign of any sort of embarrassment from the exchange. "Of course. Just making sure she got her phone. Geez, Parker, you can't just leave your stuff laying around," he huffed, looking anywhere but her eyes.
"Yeah. Uh, got it," she responded lamely, holding up the object in question. "Guess I'll get going now."
"Night, Parker," Flash muttered quickly, still not looking at her face.
"Goodnight, Penny!" Ned added, blissfully ignorant of the exchange that just occurred between the two teens.
"Yeah, uh, you guys too. Sleep well." She grabbed the door knob hard enough that the metal gave a little in her grasp, jumping out and shutting it behind her so quickly she felt her hair blow back from her face.
She took a minute to stand there and regain her breath.
Then the mental image of a shirtless Flash invaded her mind, and her heart rate grew erratic again.
Ugh, get it together Parker! Think of anything else! Aunt May's charcoal lasagna! Mrs. Thompson's stories about her thirteen cats! Steve Buscemi's face on the Statue of Liberty!
Finally, finally, she felt somewhat steady enough to head back to her room without keeling over from a heart attack.
So much for shoving my feelings far, far away, she thought glumly. And Flash definitely knew I was checking him out. Ugh, I'm such an idiot!
The hallway was mostly quiet, save for the bits of chatter she could pick up on from her classmates' rooms. It was nothing interesting- theories on Mysterio, excitement for Paris, blah blah blah...
And then the sound of one voice in particular made her stop dead in her tracks.
"So you're Miss Parker's assistant?"
Creeping forward as quietly as she could, she made her way towards her own hotel room door, listening in with wide eyes.
"More like her partner, really," MJ clarified to the mysterious voice. "I help keep her identity a secret so she can focus on her Spider-Man duties."
Penny's blood turned to ice. She had never told MJ about being Spider-Man.
"And as her partner," MJ continued, "I think I have a right to sit in on this meeting."
"...Fine. The girl's been dodging my calls long enough. I don't need to give her another reason to blow me off."
Holy shit, that's Nick Fury!
The sudden realization sprung her into action. She threw open the door, meeting two sets of eyes with barely concealed panic.
"Ah, Miss Parker at last." Nick Fury was sitting calmly with his hands folded in his lap, giving her a nod of acknowledgment. "You're a very difficult person to contact, Spider-Man. I was just talking to your partner here." He gestured at the teen sitting across from him, who appeared just as serene, as if discovering that one of her best friends was a superhero and also meeting the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was an everyday occurrence.
Penny stared at MJ, who winked at her and mouthed 'play along.' She then dropped back to her typical deadpan expression.
Penny awkwardly took a full step inside of the room, firmly shutting the door behind her. "Uhhh… yeah. Yes, um, I'm glad you've met MJ. Who knows I am Spider-Man. Wow. Um, sorry, I-I just wasn't expecting to see you in my hotel room, Mr. Fury, uh, sir-"
He held up a hand to silence her, and she quickly clamped her mouth shut. He seemed equal parts amused and annoyed.
He settled back into his chair, folding his hands together. "It's good to finally meet you, Miss Parker. I saw you at the funeral, but I didn't think that was a good time to exchange numbers."
Penny nodded a little too hard at that. "Yeah, no, that uh, that would've been really inappropriate.
"That's what I just said."
"...Right."
Penny took a seat on the bed next to MJ, still reeling from shock. MJ, likely noticing her ashen face and stiff posture, gave her a reassuring nudge with her elbow, smiling briefly.
Penny didn't turn to look at her. This was all too surreal.
"The important thing is, you're here. I tried to bring you here. You avoided me, and now, you're here. What a coincidence."
MJ's cool exterior cracked for a moment as her eyes widened. She turned to Penny, who was still staring straight forward at the wall. "You were avoiding Nick Fury?"
"W-well, I mean, I just figured if it was a real emergency he'd get a real Avenger," Penny spluttered, crossing her arms defensively. "And I was going on vacation, so…" Her voice slowly softened into a whisper while Fury glared daggers at her. He was definitely annoyed now.
"You are an Avenger, Miss Parker. Tony Stark officially enlisted you before the snap. That at least I know."
Penny bit her tongue so hard it started to bleed, fighting off the sudden tears that burned her eyes. Mr. Stark didn't make me an Avenger because I was ready. He made me an Avenger because they needed all the help they could get against Thanos. That's all. I wasn't truly ready then, and I'm still not ready now.
I'm just not good enough.
She batted away the dark thoughts, the same thoughts that had been invading her mind ever since the reporters back home asked her if she was "the new Iron Man." Her tears were furiously blinked back, remaining unshed for the time being.
"I used to know everything," Fury continued, his tone biting. "Then, I come back five years later and now, I know nothing. No intel, no team, and a high school kid is dodging my calls."
Penny cringed. "...Sorry."
He sighed, shaking his head a little. "I think you may already know why I'm here, Miss. Parker."
She nodded, absently picking at her cuticles to fight off her nerves. "The water monster, right? But that's already taken care of. Mysterio's handled it."
Fury took a triangular device out of his pocket and placed it firmly on the table. A projection of a globe appeared above it, which then zoomed into a single city. "Not quite. A week ago, a village in Mexico was wiped out by a cyclone. Witnesses say that cyclone had a face."
Penny placed a hand over her mouth at the images being displayed. A massive tornado tore through buildings, leaving the village in ruins. When she narrowed her eyes, she could clearly make out two eyes and a mouth within the strange creature. She shuddered.
MJ leaned in, eyebrows furrowing together. "Same as the water monster. So there are more of these things out there."
"You're catching on. Three days later, a similar event happened in Morocco. A village was-"
He was cut off by a knock at the door. Mr. Harrington cracked it open, peering inside with a tired smile. From his angle, he could only see MJ and Penny.
To Penny's horror, she saw Nick Fury pull a small dart gun out of his pocket, aiming it carefully at the teacher's chest.
MJ was unphased. "Hi, Mr. Harrington."
"Hello, girls. Just making the rounds. See if anyone needs any emotional counseling after today's traumatic event. And making sure you're okay, of course, Penny."
Penny and MJ exchanged glances.
"No. we're, uh, we're okay. We're fine, thank you." Penny flashed him her most innocent grin while watching Fury and his gun in her periphery.
"Yeah, we're good," MJ agreed. "Good night."
He let out a sigh of relief. "Great. That's great, actually, because I'm not really qualified to-"
"Mr. Harrington, Penny's feeling hormonal since she's on her period right now, so we'd really appreciate some privacy," MJ deadpanned. Penny whirled on her, but her intense stare made her back down from protesting.
Mr. Harrington, meanwhile, had stiffened and already began backing out of the door. "Oh! Uh, okay. Well. I'll let you girls get to it, then." Not knowing what to do with his hands, he gave them a thumbs-up and quickly shut the door."
Now, Penny turned to her. "Excuse me?"
She shrugged. "It got him to leave, didn't it?"
"Ladies." They both turned to Fury, who was pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes scrunched shut in frustration. "May I continue?"
"'Course." Penny nodded for him to continue, fighting off waves of embarrassment.
"A village was destroyed by what may well be another world-threatening-"
Another knock interrupted him, and he threw his hands in the air in exasperation.
"Penny? You awake?"
Penny froze.
Shit. It's Brad.
Every inch of her was begging to go out there and clear the air, but she knew that, once again, her duty as Spider-Man came first.
She gave MJ a pleading look, silently communicating with her friend.
MJ knew exactly what she was asking. "She's asleep, Brad."
Penny winced at the audible disappointment in his voice. "Oh. Already? Because I thought I heard her coming from Flash's room a little bit ago…"
Shit. She covered her face with her hands, but didn't make a sound.
"Yeah… uh, she mentioned talking with Ned, but was completely wiped and fell asleep pretty much instantly. She just had a concussion, you know," she said, her tone flat. Penny didn't miss the touch of venom in her voice. For whatever reason, MJ still seemed to be holding a small grudge against Brad.
"Well… okay then. Let her know I stopped by when she wakes up, 'kay?"
"Yup. Goodnight."
She held her breath until she could no longer hear the sound of his retreating footsteps.
Either Fury didn't notice her obvious distress or he just didn't care, because he continued without skipping a beat. "You see, that's why it's imperative-"
"Hey, girls!"
"Son of a bitch," Fury muttered under his breath.
Penny felt her headache from earlier resume its pulsing as Mr. Dell started rambling about bacteria in the canal, vomiting, witches, and so on from outside of their room.
"I'll deal with him," MJ muttered, jumping off the mattress and sliding out the door, closing it firmly behind her.
It was intimidating being alone in the same room as Nick Fury, especially an irritated Nick Fury. Penny stared at him, afraid to say anything.
Finally, he broke the silence. "Another person touches that door, you and I are going to attend another funeral."
She would have laughed, but she didn't think he was joking.
"Suit up," he continued, standing. "I'll meet you outside. We're going to our European base to talk in private."
Penny jumped to her feet as well. "...Cool. Sure, sounds good. And, uh, how exactly are we getting there...?"
"You'll see."
Fury walked over to the closest window, swiftly opening it and jumping out. Penny heard the tell-tale sound of jetpack-like technology, specifically…
"Stark technology," she whispered to herself, mouth curving up in a smile. Fury must've installed the same boosters Tony used in his suits into his own clothing somehow.
Even dead, his presence could be felt almost anywhere.
Big shoes to fill… once again, she had to fight off the wave of nausea that always seemed to plague her when she was reminded of her overwhelming responsibilities.
The door cracked open, and MJ slipped back inside. "I humored him for a bit, and then said I was going to research local witches and stuff. That seemed to appease him." Her words came out in a rush, and was twisting her hands in the material of her shirt, looking at the ground.
"Oh. Cool."
"Where's Fury?"
"Outside. I'm supposed to suit up and meet him out there."
The girls stared at each other for a moment. MJ suddenly looked awkward, and Penny shuffled her feet.
"... Are you mad?" MJ's voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes searching. For the first time since she had met the girl, Penny sensed that she was in a state of complete vulnerability. "You can be honest with me, Pen."
Penny's eyes widened. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"
"Because I figured out your big secret and stuff. Well, to be honest, I was only, like, 65% sure at this point," she continued, wringing her hands, "and then Nick Fury was in our room and I pretended like I definitely knew all along because he was going to shoot me with his dart gun, and I know you didn't want me to know-"
"Are you kidding?" Penny blurted out before she could stop herself, stepping closer to her friend. "Of course I wanted you to know! I wanted you to know more than anyone. Heck, part of me was hoping you'd figure it out because you know me better than anyone next to May, and I was pulling my hair out trying to keep this from you!" She took a second to breathe in large gulps of air, having rambled without bothering to inhale. "MJ, if anyone should be sorry, it's me. I'm sorry I kept such an important piece of who I am from you. I love you like a sister, and I couldn't be happier that you know."
MJ nodded, her lips firmly pressed together. She was rapidly blinking back tears. Without speaking, she stepped towards Penny and wrapped her in a hug, which she fiercely returned.
"Thanks for trusting me," MJ whispered, her voice wobbly.
"Thanks for always having my back," Penny returned, hugging her even tighter.
After a minute, she reluctantly let go, holding her friend at arm's length. "We have a lot to talk about. Like, a lot a lot. But I need to put on my suit and go talk to Nick Fury, because if I keep him any longer, he might sic the Hulk on me."
MJ laughed, wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks. "Of course. We'll talk soon."
Penny nodded at her. "We'll talk soon."
Minutes later, she was in her classic red-and-blue spidey costume and leaping out the window, praying that she still had a shot at having a somewhat normal summer.
And she couldn't help thinking that Spidey was even more powerful than ever now. She had herself, her guy in the chair, and now a new totally badass addition to the team: the one and only Michelle Jones.
I change my mind. Spider-Man can totally kick Mysterio's ass.
A/N: In case anyone was curious, the review said I should have a moment where Flash bursts in the room in a towel. Originally I just had Penny kicking the door before she left and making him scream in surprise, but I thought this turned out better, don't you? :))