Miles had spent the rest of the night, all of Monday, and every second he could have of Tuesday, to think about how he should approach MJ.
They didn't want to come at him with fully romantic intentions, that just felt sleazy, and they didn't want to be that guy.
Talking about it with the other Spiders [when he, Gwen and Peni were definitely supposed to be in class] helped some. They threw some things that the MJs they knew liked.
Apparently Noir MJ worked at a Welfare Center and danced when she was younger. MJ B, was a gymnast and reporter, and the animal MJ [which stood for Moo-Jane apparently] was also a reporter but took more to cooking.
So now Miles had some vague ideas of MJ's interests. They were definitely a gymnast with how they got into that position hanging off a building. And of course he was also interested in art and graffiti.
Which is something Miles is sure he could talk about for days, so yay conversation topic!
Now all he had to do was have that conversation, which was so much harder thought than actually said.
-? ﾸﾏ-
It was around 2am, an hour before he and MJ had run into each other on Sunday.
Swinging from the taller buildings into the Bronx, Miles fell into a roll as the buildings got too short to swing comfortably. He began to run across the apartments straight to where he'd last seen MJ.
When they finally made it to the alley again. They saw MJ hanging from their kusari-fundo again [he'd looked up the weapon when he got the chance] working on their mural. He changed the way he was being held up now, the chains of the weapon were acting more as a swing as they sat in the middle.
Making sure their invisibility was down and walking in a not so sneaky way. Mainly not to have a repeat of Sunday's scare. Walking over to the edge Miles called out, "Yo MJ!"
The chains jingled as MJ startled and looked up, "Oh! Hey Spidey! Thought ya wouldn't make it for a second there." She said, chuckling, voice a bit distorted by their mask like yesterday.
"Like I'd break a promise, – Miles said jovial – Watcha working on now?" He walked on the wall of the neighboring building like it was normal, which it was, for them at least. He stood shoulder to head with MJ as they worked.
"Just some different layers, foreground and shit, want to get all that done before I start shading anything." He said, shaking the can some.
Miles hummed, the two were quiet for a second, before Miles finally had the courage to say something.
"So what got ya into graffiti art in the first place?"
"Well home was kinda bland when my dad bought it, so he'd let me hang up some of my art. Then when I got older he got me paints and the walls were basically covered with my art. Got my first set of spray cans when I was twelve? Maybe a thirteen, – He turned to look over at Miles, head tilted in a way that seemed prideful – Been making masterpieces ever since!"
He nodded, smiling, "I do graffiti myself actually! Lotta font heavy Slap tags and stuff! Few bigger pieces here and there."
That seemed to make them perk up, "Really! Can I see some of 'em?"
Miles smiled with a hum, and crouched to the wall, "Wait mind if I?" He gestured to her with a grabbing motion.
He nodded, "Yeah, no probles."
Activating his web shooters arms outstretched Miles quickly made a wide web sling closer to him for MJ to sit on. Which they did unsurprisingly gracefully, sitting with her legs crossed.
Miles pulled a few of his slap tags out of his pocket, setting them down on the webs.
"Ooh, this ones pretty, , – he said picking one of them up – when'd ya make it?"
Miles looked over MJ's shoulder at the one they'd picked up. It was one of his newer Spider-man specific ones. With Spidey written in bubble font, black with red line art on a name tag sticker.
"Made that one about a month ago, I put them up on my favorite perches. Got a few on the Empire State."
"Dang, how've ya not been caught yet?" She asked, going to look through the other stickers.
Miles laughed, "Well I'm pretty good at staying hidden."
And to emphasize his point he brought his invisibility over his head.
MJ jumped looking at him in obvious astonishment, "Wow."
She reached a hand out to where his face should be, slowly like he was asking.
"Go ahead," Miles grinned.
They moved a little quicker till their hand was gently cupping the side of his face. Rubbing his cheek with their thumb.
Miles felt their face heat up at the close contact.
"So you aren't like in a pocket dimension or something?" He asked,
"Naw, it's- well it's kinda hard to explain. But it's like I'm putting on a veil of webs or silk. So I can see the outside world from inside but it can't see me." They explained whilst removing said veil.
"That's so cool! My sister can do something like that."
"Your sister has powers?" Miles asked head tilted.
They froze, realizing that they said something they shouldn't have. Before answering the question.
"Yeah she's a mutant." They said it like they were testing him on his response.
And Miles quickly understood, "That's cool, she's doing alright?" They asked, trying not to sound rude or disgusted.
"Yeah she's good, doesn't live at home anymore cause she's adulting and shit. But we keep in touch. Met any mutants before?"
He nodded with a hum, "Yup, this Repo Mantis guy, vaguely knew him before he mutated. I help him out with bigger equipment when he needs to move it. And there are a few people on my block who mutated. Pretty sure I technically count as a mutant."
"Oh really?" She said genuinely interested, setting down the slap tags and turning their full attention to Miles.
"Yeah – he said rubbing the back of his neck – I wasn't bitten by an oozesquito, but what did get me was this practically radioactive spider. Didn't look like any I'd ever seen before. And next day superpowers. Didn't mutate on the outside but I'm pretty sure my insides are a little fucked up now though." They said with a laugh.
MJ hummed, "Never heard of that happening before. So you can still present as human?"
"Well yeah, though I've been told I look off in some ways. Mainly in how I move."
"Huh, thanks for sharing! Is there, uh, anything you want to know about me? – They asked before stuttering – Since you told me so much about yourself."
"Oh sure, well are- are you a mutant too?"
MJ pulled their hand away from his face [Miles hadn't even noticed it was still there] and pulled off their glove. To show a three fingered dark green hand. Wrapped in tight black bandages under a weighted glove, a little short on the fingers. Showing his nails and thin bright orange scars traveling down from the tip of their fingers and assumedly to the rest of their arm. Their nails were painted bright orange, slightly chipped.
Miles gently held her hand, turning it over and gently moving it around. It was oddly cold, and shook some with tremors, but they didn't mind.
"I'm a turtle, by the way. Been this way since I was a baby basically. So I guess I was raised as a Yokai."
Miles looked up from her hand, "Yokai?"
"Yeah people born non-human basically, us mutants are kinda a new concept really." He said, shrugging his shoulders, letting Miles hold his hand.
They noticed that MJ didn't emphasize and even ignored the fact that mutants had, as most humans knew, only started being known for a little over two and a-half years now. But if she didn't want to talk about it Miles wasn't going to bring it up.
"Do you have any other hobbies, outside of art?" Miles decided it may be better to just change the topic.
That seemed to do the trick as MJ brightened within the second, "I love cooking! Specifically really specific stuff like, I've gotten really good at cooking cheap meat cuts into basically A 5 course meals. If I do say so myself. My sibling has this small garden patch with vegetables. And we work together to make the best things. Like a few years ago I got this chuck cut of beef and they gave me some of their bigger carrots and a cabbage."
She began to stim, legs bouncing, Miles was happy he was getting comfortable around them, "Braised it till it fell apart, and steamed the carrots, some rice and the cabbage. Wrapped them in cabbage and some enoki mushrooms. Seasoned with sesame seeds, and the family sauce recipe. Courtesy of Sofu's* cookbook!"
"Oh! Have you ever watched Kondescending Kitchen starring Ruppert Swaggart?" They asked with a high voice in glee.
Miles grinned, "Yeah! My Uncle would put it on when he would watch me. We loved watching Satan's Kitchen and seeSwaggart tear into a shitty owner."
"Especially when they turn out to just be using out of date food for like everything!"
"Oh my god, when they tried to defend themselves with that shit!"
"If you can't keep the meat clean, why don't you just start making swine feed!" They both quoted Swaggart's famous words, before bursting out into laughter.
"It's a shame his shows got kicked though when he mutated," Miles said wistfully.
MJ hummed in agreement, "Yeah, ya know I met him before."
That made Miles quite down on the laughs, "Wait really! What was he like, did you get to talk to him outside of his persona? Does he actually smell like soy milk like everyone says?" They asked questions going at a rapid pace.
"Well for one I don't think he puts on a bad persona because he was a bit of an asshole in person. Which was disappointing, but still so cool. And he actually smells like soy milk, like to the point where I'm pretty sure it's a perfume or cologne or something, – but then they seemed to deflate a little – He sometimes tries to eat me and my siblings but like at this point I think he's just an obligate carnivore even though pigs are omnivores."
That whole last sentence made Miles freeze. Rupert Swaggart, or Meat Sweats as he'd heard the Mad Dogs call him, tried to eat people.
"Huh?!"
"Yeah but it's fine not like he could hurt me, I gots like so many ways to break him. Just gimme a butcher's knife and it's pork for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for weeks baby." He raised his hand making finger guns at them.
Miles couldn't hold down the laugh that ran through their body, making them shake with joy. MJ soon began laughing along with him.
As they calmed down he spoke, "Okay that's probably true cause you're really buff."
"Of course! Can't be a gymnast and danseur and not have gains for days." They said flexing their arms and kicking out their right leg for emphasis.
Which distracted Miles as he noticed that their cargo pants had fallen down their leg to their body. Showing her leg muscles.
Ones he was not staring at, cause he's trying to be respectful. And holy shit they bent their leg all the way to their head, mother of god.
Blinking hard he got back his senses, "But like don't go out looking for him or something. If Swaggart ever bothers you or your siblings again just call me and I'll be there."
"How am I supposed to call you if I don't have your number?" He said,
"Here lemme just," They pulled out a pen and picked up the slap tag that MJ seemed to like. Quickly writing his number on it, before giving it to MJ. Who stared at it before taking it gently, "Keep it,"
"Wow, so forward – she said with a cheeky voice – Who knew the friendly neighborhood Spider-man was such a lady's man?"
Okay yeah Miles was definitely blushing so hard right now, "I- uh, you- you don't have to take it if ya don't want to, um-"
MJ shook his head with a laugh, "Nah man it's alright, besides who wouldn't want a cute spider's number?" Pulling out their phone he put in Miles' number.
Miles felt his phone go off and he pulled it out and say the text she'd sent.
xxx-xxx(xxx) has started an unnamed chat with you
Unknown Contact : hihi!
Unknown Contact : its a me! MJ ;
Miles quickly added the contact to his phone and changed the name.
MJ : hihi!
MJ : its a me! MJ ;
Spidey : heyhey!
Spidey : spidey here
MJ's phone alarm went off. She turned it off quickly and looked back to Miles.
"I'll text ya when we can meet again!" He pocketed his phone taking the name tag with Mile's number too, flipped up to the rooftop, wrapped up their weapon, threw it into her bag, and picked it up. All within a few seconds.
"Bye!" Miles yelled after them.
"See ya soon Tiger," She gave him a two finger salute and ran off into the night.
-? ﾸﾏ-
He was smiling like a madman as he finished up patrol.
MikeyMikey had been anxiously waiting for Tuesday. He'd never really had a friend outside of her siblings. And the first happened to be Spider-man, which was absolutely rad!
So yeah Mikey was anxious, ridiculously so. And when Tuesday rolled around they quadruple checked their paint bag, went over their outfit multiple times. And left the Lair a little more early than normal just in case Spider-man got there before him.
-?-
When Spider-man finally got there, Mikey had perfected the nonchalant cool and badass pose he'd been painstakingly trying to do. Mimicking Leon and Donnie, because although he loved Raph, their eldest brother was the farthest thing from the kind of cool Mikey wanted to be around Spider-man.
"Yo MJ!" Spidey called out from the rooftop,
Mikey looked up excitedly cursing the chains as they jingled,"Oh! Hey Spidey! Thought ya wouldn't make it for a second there."
Yup so cool Angelo, definitely show your new friend that you thought so little of them. What a great plan, extra heavy on the sarcasm.
"Like I'd break a promise. Watcha working on now?" They said happily, walking down the side of the building. Which Mikey thought looked so cool, he kinda wanted to figure that out himself.
He began to shake the magenta can in his hand, stimming from excitement, "Just some different layers, foreground and shit, want to get all that done before I start shading anything."
The two went silent for a second, giving Mikey sometime to think.
Maybe he could be a little less bad-boy like Donnie, cause to be honest Donnie themself did not get anywhere with that persona.
"So what got ya into graffiti art in the first place?"
Now that was something Mikey could talk about "Well the house was kinda bland when my dad bought it, so he'd let me hang up some of my art, – some of those pieces were, up to this day, salvaged from the wreckage of their old home – Then when I got older he got me paints and the walls were basically covered with my art. Got my first set of spray cans when I was twelve? Maybe a thirteen. Been making masterpieces ever since!" They turned to the other teen smiling with pride.
The other nodded back at him, "I do graffiti myself actually! Lotta font heavy Slap tags and stuff! Few bigger pieces here and there."
That caught Mikey's attention, she'd seen slap tags all over NYC, even made a few of her own. All the designs tucked away in his graffiti sketchbook, that he'd recently pulled out again, "Really! Can I see some of 'em?"
They hummed crouching to the wall before pausing, "Wait mind if I?" He made questioning grabby hands at them.
"Yeah, no probles." He nodded,
Mikey watched as they made a web hammock, for a second there Mikey thought he was going to hold him again. She's honestly a little disappointed he didn't. But happily pulled themselves up on the chains and into the hammock sitting criss-cross applesauce.
He watched as Spidey pulled out about a dozen slap tags, laying them out on the hammock.
Mikey carefully looked them over. He liked the style with everything on name tags with Spidey, Spider, or Spider-man written on them, and wildly different fonts. From circle and blocky font, to perfect personalized calligraphy with a thick marker. All in bright or dark colors which stood out on the mainly white name tags.
All of them were really cool, but one caught his eye, "Ooh, this ones pretty, when'd ya make it?"
She said picking a white and blue name tag, with Spidey written in black bubble font with red line art. It stood out because of the color contrast.
"Made that one about a month ago, I put them up in my favorite perches. Got a few on the Empire State."
Mikey had seen some there before, almost immediately getting yelled at by a security guard to get down. Which they did begrudgingly.
"Dang, how've ya not been caught yet?" Cause Mikey and her siblings had a record for how long they could stay up there. Mikey's was a solid twenty seconds, with so many civilians in the building and guards now watching out for them regularly. It was getting harder to stay up longer than ten.
He set the tag down close to them, and began to look through the other tags.
Spidey laughed, "Well I'm pretty good at staying hidden."
As she looked up to him, Mikey jumped because holy shit where is their head?
Their thoughts were racing as they stared at assumedly nothing, but they still had that tell-tale feeling of being watched. So he wasn't gone.
"Wow," He reached a hand out slowly, asking.
"Go ahead," He said softly, encouraging Mikey
Moving quicker she awkwardly cupped their face without seeing it. Rubbing her finger on his cheek, feeling Spidey's mask, and another thing over it she felt the end with her pinky near his neck. They were warm like most humans, maybe a little colder than normal.
"So you aren't like in a pocket dimension or something?" He asked,
"Naw, it's- well it's kinda hard to explain. But it's like I'm putting on a veil of webs or silk. So I can see the outside world from inside but it can't see me." As they spoke a veil seemed to lift up and shimmer. Mikey starred as it flew into the air and out of sight.
Then all Mikey could think about was their sister Piebald, who could go invisible as well, "That's so cool! My sister can do something like that."
"Your sister has powers?"
He blanked as he realized what he'd just said. They'd just admitted to basically a stranger that someone in their family was super powered. As he tried to think up a game plan on how to respond, she decided to just test the waters, "Yeah she's a mutant."
Spidey seemed to understand quickly, "That's cool, she's doing alright?"
Well that seemed good, "Yeah she's good, doesn't live at home anymore cause she's adulting and shit. But we keep in touch, – then they carefully added a question – Met any mutants before?"
"Yup, this Repo Mantis guy, vaguely knew him before he mutated. I help him out with bigger equipment when he needs to move it. And there are a few people on my block who mutated. Pretty sure I technically count as a mutant."
Repo wasn't a horrible guy, kinda sleazy but amicable if you didn't get on his bad side. Like how Mikey's family had, which is unfortunate in the long run. Wait, that last part?
"Oh really?
"Yeah, I wasn't bitten by an oozesquito, but what did get me was this practically radioactive spider. Didn't look like any I'd ever seen before. And next day superpowers. Didn't mutate on the outside but I'm pretty sure my insides are a little fucked up now though." They said with a laugh.
"Never heard of that happening before. So you can still present as human?" He'd need to ask Draxum about that later.
"Well yeah, though I've been told I look off in some ways. Mainly in how I move."
"Huh, thanks for sharing! Is there, uh, anything you want to know about me? Since you told me so much about yourself." She didn't want to dig into their personal life much. They'd just met after all.
"Oh sure, well are- are you a mutant too?"
Mikey thought for a second, it wouldn't hurt to tell them. And doing so would jump over many difficult conversations that they thought up.
Pulling their hand away from Spidey's face he pulled off his glove. Showing them her hand, and silently cursing their tremors.
He held their hand gently. Running their finger pads over her knuckles. But the tremors, Mikey was thankful for that.
"I'm a turtle, by the way. Been this way since I was a baby basically, – carefully avoiding making that little tid-bit sound important – So I guess I was raised as a Yokai." Not that Mikey knew there was a difference as a child. But did they even know about Yokai?
They looked up, head tilted, "Yokai?"
That's a no then.
"Yeah people born non-human basically, us mutants are kinda a new concept really." He said, shrugging his shoulders. Mikey didn't move her hand, she actually kinda liked them holding it.
"Do you have any other hobbies, outside of art?"
Mikey was glad for a change in topic, and immediately wanted to talk about their love of cooking.
They talked quickly and at length about a cabbage roll dish that he'd made years ago with Donnie's carrots from their then small vegetable garden. Later writing it down in the family cookbook, that Splinter had somehow gotten back after all these years. Sho-sofu's** recipes were the best.
"Oh! Have you ever watched Kondescending Kitchen starring Ruppert Swaggart?"
"Yeah! My Uncle would put it on when he would watch me. We loved watching Satan's Kitchen and seeSwaggart tear into a shitty owner."
"Especially when they turn out to just be using out of date food for like everything!"
"Oh my god, when they tried to defend themselves with that shit!"
"If you can't keep the meat clean, why don't you just start making swine feed!" As they spoke in unison Mikey felt like someone finally got him in some way.
And as he watched Spider-man laugh, they felt their heart beat pick up and their face burn. For a second all he could think about was how absolutely adorable Spider-man's laugh was. And suddenly Mikey had a crush on Spider-man.
Not that Mikey noticed this change, just a subtle shift in their thoughts about the other mutant. Mikey just laughed along with them, for once in the past month, not a care in the world.
"It's a shame his shows got kicked though when he mutated," They said, nostalgia obvious in their tone.
Mikey was glad that April had gotten Sunita's cloaking broach back. But he still kinda missed the shows, "Yeah, ya know I met him before."
"Wait really! What was he like, did you get to talk to him outside of his persona? Does he actually smell like soy milk like everyone says?"
"Well for one I don't think he puts on a bad persona because he was a bit of an asshole in person. Which was disappointing, but still so cool. And he actually smells like soy milk, like to the point where I'm pretty sure it's a perfume or cologne or something, – He didn't want to ruin Spidey's perception of Swaggart, but the man was a bonafide part of his family's rogues gallery. And it would be easier for both of them if Spidey at least knew he was dangerous, – He sometimes tries to eat me and my siblings but like at this point I think he's just an obligate carnivore even though pigs are omnivores."
Spidey froze, and Mikey felt his heart sink a little, "Huh?!"
"Yeah but it's fine not like he could hurt me, I gots like so many ways to break him. Just gimme a butcher's knife and it's pork for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for weeks baby." He raised his hand making finger guns at them. Immediately feeling like the corniest motherfucker alive.
But as the other laughed, she felt a little better about herself and giggled.
"Okay that's probably true cause you're really buff."
"Of course! Can't be a gymnast and danseur and not have gains for days." They said flexing their arms and kicking out their right leg to show off.
Mikey technically wasn't a real ballerina, but the effort he put in to copy the people on tv was almost double what he put in for ninjutsu, and that was saying something. He was proud of his body.
"But like don't go out looking for him or something. If Swaggart ever bothers you or your siblings again just call me and I'll be there." Spidey said,
"How am I supposed to call you if I don't have your number?" He asked genuinely curious as to what they would do.
"Here lemme just," They pulled out a pen and picked up the slap tag Mikey had expressed interest in. Quickly writing his number on it, before giving it to Mikey.
Who's only thought in the moment was that he'd just gotten Spider-man's number, and she doesn't know why she's so gosh darn happy about it.
"Keep it," Spidey said in a voice light.
His voice snapped them back to reality, and they immediately began to tease, "Wow, so forward. Who knew the friendly neighborhood Spider-man was such a lady's man?"
"I- uh, you- you don't have to take it if ya don't want to, um-"
She found he liked making him flustered.
She laughed, pulling out their phone, putting in their number, "Nah man it's alright, besides who wouldn't want a cute spider's number?"
you have started an unnamed chat with Spidey
MJ : hihi!
MJ : its a me! MJ ;
Spidey quickly pulled out their own phone, adding their contact and responded.
MJ : hihi!
MJ : its a me! MJ ;
Spidey : heyhey!
Spidey : spidey here
And just like that their time together was up, as Mikey's alarm went off.
"I'll text ya when we can meet again!" He pocketed his phone taking the name tag with Mile's number too, flipped up to the rooftop, wrapped up their weapon, threw it into her bag, and picked it up. All within a few seconds.
"Bye!" Spidey yelled after them.
"See ya soon Tiger," She gave him a two finger salute and ran off into the night. Laughing to herself about how stupid that was, she's definitely changing his contact when they get the chance.
-?-
Mikey left the house quickly and came back carelessly. Which was the result of her downfall in all honesty.
Cause Leo and Donnie were known for staying up very late into the night.
Author's NoteSofu* - Japanese term for specifically your own grandfather
Sho-sofu** - Splinter's grandpa Sho, and the turtles great-grandfather