shoutout to the spooder-man server and ambi my beloved for hyping me up to write this! updates won't be regular quite yet; i've written four chapters so far, but the whole story is outlined, so everything should be posted by the end of the summer. i hope you enjoy this very self-indulgent fic :)

xXx

"I hope you realize I'm supposed to be closing, not giving you guys free food," MJ said, raising an eyebrow at her companions as she set down a plate of donuts in front of them.

"I think giving us free food is an instrumental part of closing," Betty said with an innocent smile, choosing a simple glaze donut from the small pile. She handed Ned a chocolate one. "Otherwise it'd just be thrown away, no?"

"Hear, hear," Flash agreed, taking a sip of the coffee he'd actually purchased from Peter Pan's, seeing as MJ's boss hadn't yet been out of the café when he, Ned, and Betty initially arrived. The fact that the man tolerated their semi-regular evening meetups was quite enough a test of his patience, in Flash's opinion—no reason to have made things worse by expecting free coffee.

"Do you want our help cleaning up?" Ned offered, ever the gentleman of their crew, and a soft smile tugged at MJ's lips. Each second of every day Flash found himself more embarrassed by how much that particular smile of hers entranced him, how much he sought to see such quiet affection grace her features.

Young love, or hormones? That was the question.

"Nah. But thanks." MJ grabbed a bottle of windex and a rag from beneath the counter, spraying the area farthest from their plate of donuts before beginning to wipe. "Anyways. Wasn't there a purpose to this invasion of my work space?"

Betty and Ned gave Flash a look that said Speak up, bozo, executed in perfect simultaneity. Flash rolled his eyes—typical.

"Just because I organized our trip doesn't mean I'm in charge of every detail."

His lighthearted complaint was met with three variations of Uh, you literally are, and Flash rolled his eyes a second time, biting his bottom lip to fight back a smile.

"Okay, okay. All I wanted to do tonight was review our travel plans for tomorrow. And our overall plans for the trip."

It wasn't every day Flash's parents—somehow, somewhy, some way!—gave him permission to take his friends to Mexico during spring break. If he hoped to ever leave his house upon return to Queens, he needed every element of this trip executed flawlessly.

Easier said than done, but Flash had never been one to back down from a challenge.

Well. Most challenges, at least.

In characteristic Betty Brant fashion, Betty pulled a small notebook out of her purse and flipped it open to a page in the middle marked by a pink sticky note. "Fortunately, I prepared an outline for tomorrow and a basic itinerary for the rest of our trip based on the information Flash has provided me over the course of the past month."

"Betty, whoever marries you is going to be the luckiest person in the world," MJ remarked, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn stain on the counter.

Betty winked at her. "I'm taking applications, if you're interested."

"Email me the paperwork."

"Done deal."

"Fastest engagement I've ever seen," Ned said, grinning, and MJ shrugged.

"You're just jealous because I popped the question first."

"Who wouldn't be?"

Flash cleared his throat, earning snickers from all his friends. "Can we get back on topic? Not that I want to lose my invite to the wedding, but I assume a date won't be set until after our trip."

"You would assume correct," Betty said. She pulled a pen out of her purse and traced the back end down her list. "Okay, our flight is at 10 tomorrow morning. Flash and I will be there at 7, MJ and Ned won't rush in until 8:30 at the earliest."

"Come on, Betty—"

"I want a divorce."

This time it was Flash's turn to laugh. "What, are you telling her she's wrong?"

Ned and MJ exchanged disapproving looks, but neither protested. A smirk inched onto Betty's lips.

"As I was saying, our flight leaves at 10 AM. The flight should take six to seven hours, putting our arrival around 4 PM once we factor in the time zone change. Liz will meet us at the airport, we'll check into our hotel, and maybe go out for dinner and do some window shopping since it'll be a little late to hit the beach." Betty snapped her notebook shut. "Any questions?"

Ned raised his hand, but MJ jumped in first. "Wait, you've confirmed Liz will be there?"

Betty nodded, eyes glittering with an eager satisfaction that made Flash smile. He knew how difficult the past two years had been for Betty without Liz—he'd been on the receiving end of a fair percentage of Betty's distressed texts—and if extending Liz's own spring vacation an extra day was a way he could reunite them, he'd do it. Well, he'd done it. Now it was just a matter of keeping their fingers crossed and hoping the flight went smoothly.

"Yep! Her flight leaves early Monday morning, which means we're really only going to have Sunday to spend time with her, but"—Betty gestured to her notebook—"I've packed as many activities into said Sunday as I can."

Flash raised an eyebrow. "Tell me you've left us a little breathing room."

Betty shrugged. "Eh. If I were you, I'd bring my inhaler."

Ned snickered while Flash rolled his eyes, but MJ was still caught up in Betty's initial revelation.

"I can't believe Liz will actually be there." That same gentle smile from earlier flitted onto MJ's lips, and Flash's stomach did a somersault. "God. It's been forever."

"I fully expect her to cry upon seeing us," Betty said, dropping her chin to rest on her propped up hand, and Ned lightly elbowed her in the side.

"Betty, you're going to cry upon seeing her."

Betty stared at him for a beat, eyes narrowed. Then she tossed her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. "And what about it?"

The incongruence of the perfect motion with Betty's terrible impression of Ariana Grande sent them all into stitches, only dying down when Ned recalled his initial question he'd never gotten to ask.

"So, wait. What activities did you have lined up for us throughout the week?"

Betty reopened her notebook, again flipping forward to the middle. "At the advice of MJ"—MJ threw a two-finger salute at her name, tucking the Windex and rag back beneath the counter before turning to reorganize supplies stacked behind her—"I did not develop a comprehensive outline. Instead, I have put together a list of activities we can choose from throughout the trip."

Flash tuned out Betty's comments as she began rattling off her list of ideas, not because he was uninterested, but because he'd helped her devise most of them. He'd organized the trip, after all, which had included multiple days of hours-long contemplation over viable sightseeing options and other activities to partake in while they were in Mexico. Of course, Flash had no doubt most of their time would be spent at the beach, but still—it never hurt to be prepared.

That was one thing Flash's parents had successfully drilled into him, however unwittingly.

"Wait a minute."

Flash was snapped back to the present as MJ spun on her heel, moving closer to their motley crew to drop her elbows onto the counter as she stared at Betty with suspicion. Betty's response was an impish grin.

"Yes, MJ?"

"You did not just say what I think you just said."

"And what would that be?"

MJ narrowed her eyes, reaching out to press Betty's notebook flat against the counter where they could all read her list. Tracing down the bullet points with her pinkie, MJ groaned when she got about two-thirds of the way down. "Betty!"

Flash bit his tongue to hold back a grin. Ah, right. He knew what this was about.

"'Study time'? You're kidding me!"

"Oh, you know I never kid," Betty teased. "But don't have a meltdown just yet." She tapped the word beside the 'study time' bullet point—'OPTIONAL,' in all caps. "No one has to study on this trip. I am merely outlining it as an option. However, AP exams are right around the corner—"

"Betty, they're an entire month away."

"—and some of us also have teachers who don't recognize that it is cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th Amendment to give us homework over spring break."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Ned said with a sigh, shaking his head. "Ms. Cox thought it was a great idea to assign 10 pages from our workbook due the day we get back."

Flash snorted. "And that is why I didn't take AP Physics." Even if it had pissed off his parents for the first three months.

"Yeah, Mr. Anderson didn't give Flash and I anything for AP Bio," MJ said, lifting her upper body off the countertop. She sent Flash an amused look. "Although knowing Flash, I bet he's already printed out some practice exams to do during the break, right?"

"Not all of us are bio whizzes like you, MJ."

"And you worry too much. You could get a 4 on that exam in your sleep."

"Yeah, well—" Flash bit his tongue to swallow the bitter comment that would have followed. "I, uh… I know I can do better than that. So I'll make sure I will."

MJ stared at him for an extended beat, stared at him in that close, unsettling way where Flash knew she could see right through his careful charade. It was the most annoying thing about her.

It was also what Flash liked most.

"I'd offer to help you study, Flash, but biology has never been my forte," Ned said, offering Flash an apologetic clap on the shoulder.

Flash chuckled. "I have like a dozen sets of vocab cards for the class. You could quiz me."

Ned held out his hand for a fist bump. "Whatever you need, whenever you need it."

"Yeah? Every night before we hit the hay?"

"You know it, dude."

Flash reciprocated Ned's fist bump, and Betty wrinkled her nose in faux distaste, though a certain mischief glittered in her eyes that made Flash oh-so-wary of what comment was about to follow.

"Wow." She shook her head, sighing. "That's the weirdest foreplay I've ever heard."

"Oh my God—"

"Betty, why would you—"

"Brant, I'm gonna tear up your plane ticket."

Betty stuck her tongue out at Flash, though the act didn't match the mirth that soon pulled her lips into a wide grin. "Too late, sucker. You already forwarded me the email."

"Fuck," was all Flash could mutter, and within seconds they'd all burst into uproarious laughter. Betty all but fell off her chair, with Ned stabilizing her stool at the last second. Even MJ, ever with her tempered reactions, couldn't stop her shoulders from shaking. Their laughing fit only died down when Betty's phone started ringing.

"Oops, that would be my mother," Betty said, wiping tears from her eyes with one hand as she picked up her phone with the other. "One sec." Swinging her legs off the stool, she headed toward a back corner of the café to answer, leaving Flash, MJ, and Ned to muffle their own snickering.

"Hey, I haven't had a chance to properly thank you for organizing this trip yet," Ned said after a pause, once his laughter was under control. He smiled at Flash. "If you hadn't, I'd just be spending the break with my lola. My mom and Marissa are taking their own mini vacation."

MJ rolled her eyes. "He says that like his lola isn't the most delightful person in the universe."

"Hey now, that's not what I—"

Flash chuckled. "Don't worry, I know what you mean." Of course, his own reasons for wanting to be away from his family were… of a different matter, but there was a note of similar sentiment.

MJ gave Flash a long look. He half-expected her to comment on his parents, but instead she said, "You know, if you really want to work on AP Bio during the break, I'd be happy to help you."

Flash's heart fluttered at the prospect. "For real?"

MJ nodded, and Ned snickered.

"Flirting over flash cards, huh?"

MJ smirked. "Jealous?"

Ned leaned onto Flash's shoulder, pressing the back of his left hand to his forehead like a distressed Victorian. "Alas, how fickle are the ways of men!"

"You're so fucking extra," Flash said with a snort, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Ned dropped his hand and gave him a dubious look, though he still kept his head on Flash's shoulder. "I don't think you're one to talk."

"I'll talk as much as I like."

"Sounds like a challenge," MJ mused. "Tell me, Ned, how do you intend to shut him up?" She tapped her chin, as if in deep thought, and Flash rolled his eyes while Ned snickered.

"Well, MJ, I think I'll leave that to you and the red lipstick Betty let you borrow."

Flash choked on his coffee at Ned's words, earning more laughter from the devious perpetrator, while MJ gave Ned the middle finger. Unfortunately, she didn't have a chance to deliver what Flash suspected would have been the perfect witty response—not that he was biased, he was just personally familiar with MJ's ability to fire back quips like Hawkeye Pierce—before Betty returned.

"Alright, gang, I have to head out," she said, grabbing her purse from where she'd left it on her stool. "My mom needs me to help her with something for Nancy before I leave tomorrow." A grin stretched across Betty's lips, and she bounced on her toes. "Ooh, I am so excited for this trip! It'll be the best spring break ever!"

"Not to out myself as an optimist," MJ said, another of those tiny smiles dancing on her lips, "but I think Betty's right."

"When am I not?" Betty shouldered her purse, checking her phone a final time before dropping the device into the bag and zipping it shut. "Okay, I'll be seeing all of you at the airport tomorrow. Don't forget your passports!"

Ha, yep. Flash had set exactly six alarms on his phone labelled 'PASSPORT' for that very purpose. Better safe than sorry.

"Hey, let me walk you home," Ned said, sliding off his stool and dusting off his pants. Flash pretended he didn't notice Ned throw him a wink. "It's dark now, and my lola's expecting me back soon anyways."

"Oh, such a gentleman," Betty swooned, placing a hand over her heart. "Thank you, Mr. Leeds, I will treasure your continued company."

With a wave and another reminder from Betty about the plethora of items they'd better not forget to bring, Ned and Betty disappeared out the café. The golden bell above the threshold chimed as the door opened and swung shut behind them, leaving MJ and Flash alone.

"Ironically," Flash mused, taking the last donut off the plate MJ had provided, "I think Betty is the last person of the four of us who really needs someone to walk her home."

MJ snorted, turning around to stack paper coffee cups on the counter behind her. "Agreed. She carries a makeshift flamethrower with her."

Flash blinked. "I'm sorry, she what?"

"Uh huh. A lighter and a can of travel size hairspray."

"You're lying."

MJ sent him a flat look as she picked up the now empty donut plate. "Don't insult me."

Touché.

Flash shook his head, disbelieving. "Damn. You know someone for almost six years and they never mention they could flambé you any time they wanted."

MJ shrugged, wiping a corner of the counter she'd missed on her first go-through with the cleaner as she headed toward the back room to stick the empty donut plate in the sink. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips. "I think you should count yourself lucky. If you didn't know about it, you can assume she was never tempted to grill you."

Flash almost asked how MJ knew about it, then, but somehow held his tongue. Hell, maybe she carried a makeshift flamethrower of her own, inspired by one Betty Brant. So instead he asked, "You're excited to see Liz again?"

"'Excited' doesn't begin to describe it," MJ admitted after a pause. "I've missed her a lot. Probably more than most people." She chuckled. "Well, except maybe Betty."

Flash smiled, too. "To be fair, she's got about 12 years with Liz that the rest of us will never have." A beat passed, and he shook his head before leaning across the counter. "Okay, tell me if I'm crazy. Do you think—"

"You're crazy," MJ said flatly.

"Fuck you."

"Oh, no, I won't do someone else's work for them."

Before Flash could think too hard—ha—about that comment, he rolled his eyes and pressed onward. "As I was saying. Do you think Betty and Liz have finally… made things official?"

Flash would not hesitate to acknowledge that he had not known Betty Brant as long as Liz Allan had, but all the same, he'd had quite the purview of their toeing the line with one another since 7th grade. He figured they were at the 'now or never' point in their lives, what with Betty about to head off to college, too.

Of course, maybe Flash figured that because he and MJ had also been dancing around each other for the past month and a half.

MJ frowned. "Betty and Liz? You think?"

"Come on. There's no way you haven't noticed how much she's been talking about Liz lately. The way her eyes light up and she smiles that big cheesy grin—"

"I'm not saying I haven't noticed, I'm saying I thought Betty and Ned were going to give their relationship another shot. Did we not both see him make such a big deal about walking Betty home?"

Flash decided to keep to himself that Ned's motivation to walk Betty home may have been tainted by a desire to give him the chance to spend extra time with MJ. "I think you've got your wires crossed."

MJ raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying I don't know my best friend?"

A smirk tugged at Flash's lips. "I'm implying you don't know Betty Brant."

MJ's eyes narrowed. "10 bucks Ned and Betty get back together over the break."

"15 says Betty and Liz kiss at the airport."

"You're on, Thompson."

They stared at each other for exactly four flat-faced seconds before dissolving into laughter.

"We're terrible people, aren't we?" Flash wheezed. "Betting on our friend's love lives."

"No, no, I would call us economical," MJ correcting, grinning, "but honestly, that might be just as bad."

Fair enough. And truth be told, Flash wouldn't be surprised to learn if Ned and Betty had their own bets going on about him and MJ. With a nerve that surprised even himself, he said as much to her, and MJ shook her head, amused.

"Well, Betty has been known to consider herself an agent of Cupid."

Flash snorted. "Which has turned out so well every time." He gave MJ the most confident grin he could muster. "But tell me, what would Cupid have to do to convince you of my worth?"

"Mm, I don't know…" MJ snapped her fingers. "Wait. Yes I do."

She leaned over the counter towards Flash, leaned so close the broken dahlia of her necklace slipped out from under her uniform, leaned so close Flash could see the faint freckles that decorated the bridge of her nose like stars, leaned so close his erratic heart skipped nearly a beat too many—

Before she proceeded to give his nose a gentle flick. "He'd have to give me ironclad proof you wouldn't dump me for Spider-Man if you got the chance."

"I—what—" Blood rushing to the tips of his ears, Flash could only sputter in response as MJ pulled away toward the back counter with a mirthful smirk.

"Too easy, Flash. Too easy."

"Ha, ha."

After shaking his head and somehow managing to compose himself, Flash noticed MJ was still putting away a few of the café's supplies behind the counter. "Hey, uh—do you need any help with that?"

MJ shot him a glance of faux shock over her shoulder. "Do my ears deceive me? Flash Thompson, offering to help me clean?" She placed a dramatic hand over her heart. "The world must be ending."

The twinkle in MJ's eyes told Flash she was just teasing as she turned around to stick the Windex back under the front counter. "The offer is appreciated but unneeded. I'm basically done. Just have to lock up."

There was a pause before she added, "Wait for me?"

Heat flooded Flash's cheeks, but he smiled. "Yeah. Definitely."

A few minutes later, MJ had shut off the lights, secured the back door, and together they headed out the front.

"You don't mind if I walk you home?" Flash asked as MJ tucked the store key into her pocket.

"I don't mind," she said, "but won't your parents?"

A scowl crept onto Flash's lips despite himself. "Eh. It's 50/50."

They took to a slow, even pace down the sidewalk. The night was fairly chill, with a light breeze fluttering through the streets. Some of the bitterness in Flash's chest dissipated when he noticed how the wind made the waves of MJ's hair dance like snakes—a ridiculous comparison, he soon realized, but apt and amusing enough to make him slightly less miserable at the thought of his parents.

"'50/50'? What do you mean?" MJ asked.

Flash shrugged. "Oh, you know. Depends if they even realize I went out." He shook his head, a strained laugh escaping his lips. "God. I can't wait for college."

Away. He'd finally get away.

"You and Ned still plan to room together?"

He nodded. "Yep. Although we don't know who our third roommate will be yet." Flash massaged the back of his neck. For some reason, talk about MIT would always send a twinge up his spine that rang through the base of his skull.

Ever since December, at least.

"And you still want to major in environmental engineering?"

Flash sighed. This conversation was not the one he'd hoped to have with MJ as he walked her home.

"Right, you don't need to answer that." MJ shook her head. "Would your parents really be so mad if you went into ecocriticism?"

She shifted a few inches closer to him on the sidewalk, ostensibly to avoid a pothole, but Flash didn't miss how she remained at his side even after. "I mean, I've been editing your AP Research paper since the end of February, Flash. It's really fucking good."

Flash ducked his head, embarrassed at her praise. "Eh. Not as good as your study on the effect of microplastics on marine life off the coast of Long Beach is coming along."

"Maybe if I had a draft of my paper we could draw comparisons. But even if I did, forget it—we aren't making this a competition." MJ slowed to a stop, pushing her loose curls behind her ear. Flash paused about a foot away from her. "Look. I can't make you change your major. But I can tell you that I think you'll be a lot happier if you do."

'Happier.' Flash wasn't so melodramatic as to claim happiness was a foreign concept to him, but there were certain areas of life where satisfaction was his aim, not happiness. As was the case here.

Satisfy his parents, and move on.

Then again, once he moved out, maybe that goal could change. But that was a problem for future Flash.

"Have you considered transferring schools?" MJ asked, snapping Flash back to reality.

"Transfer?" he repeated, and she nodded. "Are you kidding? MIT is one of the top schools in the country."

"Yeah, for engineering."

"Which is exactly what I'm studying."

"Please don't insult my intelligence."

Flash swallowed a too-bitter comment. He appreciated that he was getting better at holding his tongue, but if only he could stop the very temptation to lash out at others.

"Sure, I've thought about it," he admitted, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I've also decided against it. And not just because of my parents."

That comment seemed to stump MJ, if only for the briefest of seconds. "Okay," she said after a pause. "Why else? Don't you know how well you could do at WashU? UPenn? Even Cornell or Harvard?"

"Those schools don't have you and Ned," Flash said simply.

MJ stared at him. She sighed. "That's no reason to stay."

"It's reason enough for me."

"Flash—"

"MJ, let's not talk about this anymore." Flash checked the time on his phone before gesturing for her to continue walking. "Come on. Your dad will be wondering where you are."

MJ fell into step beside him. "You know I'm not letting this go forever."

Flash chuckled. "Uh huh. I find your stubbornness equal parts irritating and endearing."

"Ah, exactly how I feel about you."

"All of me?"

MJ gave him a once-over. "Hmm… I'll get back to you on that."

Before Flash could respond, his attention was snagged by a shadow floating above them. He looked upward to see— "Hey, it's Spider-Man!"

The superhero gave no indication that he'd heard Flash as he swung from one building to the next, though Flash realized with belated embarrassment that the sheer volume of his excited shout meant Spider-Man probably had and was just politely ignoring him.

MJ watched the superhero disappear into the glittering cityscape with her typical quiet fascination, though there was a faraway look in her eyes as she observed him vanish. It was a look of hers Flash had noticed was… well, not uncommon around Spider-Man, to put it one way.

"There's something about him that seems… familiar," MJ mused, fiddling with the black dahlia that still hung around her neck. "I mean, besides the fact that he's Spider-Man and we're from Queens." She shook her head. "Wish I knew what."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Flash said, gently nudging her with his elbow. "You're good at that."

MJ stared at the space in the horizon where Spider-Man had vanished a second longer before returning her attention to Flash. "I'll let you know when I do."

As they continued walking, Flash couldn't stop a smirk from pulling at his lips. "You know, maybe Cupid needs to give ironclad evidence you wouldn't dump me for Spider-Man if given the chance."

MJ laughed, eyes glittering with mirth even in the dim streetlights of Queens. "Can't blame a girl for appreciating a little spandex." She winked at Flash. "But hey—if you become a superhero, feel free to give me a call."

xXx

im on tumblr at starkravinghazelnoots if you would like to scream with me about mjflash and venom!flash