"MJ, what are we doing here?" Peter asks, feeling embarrassed at being in a women's clothing store.
"Everyone knows who you are and what you look like." Michele tells Peter. "Fortunately you spent most of your time on Earth," She looks at Peter, "and apparently in space... still dressing fairly masculine."
"Masculine?" Peter sounds a little offended. "This is a tubetop... I think... I got it from Xandar..." She starts looking at her clothes, then notices MJ looks confused. "I got it in space." Peter adds.
"It has sleeves, that would make it a crop top." MJ studies Peter for a second. "Aliens wear crop tops? Who would have guessed." She asks no one in particular as she goes back to ruffling through clothes.
"Do we have to go through this area?" Peter asks, pointing at the rack. "Wouldn't a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap do the trick?"
MJ stops to think for a moment then turns her head toward Peter while keeping her hands in the clothing rack to avoid losing her place. "Peter, this isn't a movie. Nobody ever falls for a disguise like that." She turns back toward the clothes. "Besides, those cameras have hawk-like vision. They'd spot you through shades instantly."
"Then what are we doing here?" Peter whines.
MJ lifts a black frilly dress and turns it slightly toward Peter. "No, it needs more color." She places it back. "The easiest way to hide is by not hiding at all..." she pulls out a piece of fabric and shakes her head before continuing, "in plain sight."
"How's that going to work?" Peter knew the answer even before she finished asking.
"As a girl, Peter." MJ says somewhat bluntly, but there is an odd look of excitement in her eyes.
"As a girl?" Peter repeats. "I don't know how to be a girl."
MJ shakes her head and takes a deep breath while still looking through clothes. "Peter, it's the twenty-first century. There is no definition for a boy or girl anymore."
"That doesn't make any sense." Peter protests.
"Just trust me on this, Pete." MJ says, holding a floral dress out in front of Peter, trying to gauge the size. "If you dress in ways that you normally wouldn't dress, specifically something flashy and stereotypically feminine, no one will realize it's you."
"But what about my face?" She asks. "My hair?"
MJ looks up at Peter's hair and lets her gaze linger for a second. "Hmm... it's too short to cut. We might have to..." She looks around the shop for a moment before spotting some accessories. She takes a few steps away and grabs something. "This ought to do."
"A tiara!" Peter protests holding up a hand.
"It's not a tiara, Peter. It's a hair band. A fairly sparkly headband, but a headband none-the-less." She starts to approach Peter who takes a step back while leaning away.
"Can we just think about this for a second?" Peter asks.
MJ lightly lunges toward Peter, trying to put the headband on her. "Just try it..." Peter sidesteps quickly. "Peter, we don't have time..." she says, sounding a little frustrated.
"We don't?" Peter asks, a little confused. "Nobody saw us come in here. We have all the time in the world."
"Yes, but we've got a lot of clothes to try." MJ says while making a strained face.
"A lot of what?" Peter is somewhat surprised by her answer. MJ turns away and seems to be hiding a smirk. "Wait... MJ..." Peter raises an eyebrow. "Were you planning this?" She tries to walk around MJ, who continues to turn away. "Are you enjoying this?"
"No!" MJ answers with a loud pout. She turns back toward Peter with an excited look. "Now put on the Tiara!" She snaps playfully approaching Peter.
Peter Parker starts to smile, realizing Michele was playing with her all along. "MJ, I think I would be more comfortable with something a little more my color..." Peter rushes away giggling.
"Peter! You butt!" MJ stomps forward following Peter with her eyes. She is clearly smiling now. "Get back over here!"
"Oh, look! Crocs and jeggings!" Peter calls back.
"Peter, don't you dare!" She snaps back.
"I think I might." Peter responds.
"Gimme those!" MJ shouts as she rushes toward Peter, laughing openly.
***Nearly two hours later***
MJ and Peter are happily walking out of the clothing store. Peter has a hairband with streamers dangling from her hair and another frizzy hair-band puffing up from the opposite side of her head. She is wearing cat eye rimmed glasses and is trying to strut. She stumbles lightly but MJ catches her. They both giggle.
Peter is also wearing a bubble gum colored top with a 90's cup design on the front. Despite the colors somewhat clashing, it goes with her medium length yellow tiger striped pencil skirt. It's a little tight and clearly the source of Peter's walking issues, but she doesn't seem to mind. The whole image seems complete with a pair of plastic pink heels about two inches high.
"These aren't so bad." Peter says to MJ who is still holding her arm.
"Well, they shouldn't be." She tells Peter. "They're made for children."
"Hey," Peter stops and looks at her. "I like them."
MJ studies her face for a moment, trying to determine if she is joking. "Of course you would." She smiles and can't help but hug Peter's arm tightly.
"I think I got it." Peter says mistaking MJ's affections for concern.
"Raise your hand up some more." MJ says. "Don't carry your bags with your fingers, use the inside of your elbow."
"Like this?" Peter asks as she lets her shopping bags slide down her arm.
"There you go." MJ tells Peter. "See, you're a natural."
The bags rattle a little as they continue to walk. "Did we really have to buy so many outfits?" Peter asks.
MJ lets go of her arm and gives her a confused look. "You mean, did YOU have to buy so many outfits?"
Peter smiles back. "They were cute."
"Peter, you're cute." MJ says before hugging her arm again.
"Michele Jones, are you hitting on me?" Peter asks playfully.
"Whatever makes you feel better, tiger." She tells Peter while reaching forward and squeezing the side of her hip with one hand.
"Hey, I like this skirt." Peter blushes.
"I can tell," MJ snuggles Peter's arm a little. "I half considered wrestling it away, but was afraid you'd fight me for it."
"I would never fight you, MJ." Peter pauses to look down at her.
MJ looks up to reassure Peter, but she is surprised by the gaze she is getting. Peter is beautiful and she could see the softness in her eyes. She is not sure what caused it, but for a long moment she was lost in her gaze. She knew Peter was a girl now, but looking at her now, all she could see was the boy she was crushing on hard not more than two months ago. Her eyes darted to Peter's lips and lingered for a long moment.
"What?" Peter asks.
The spell seems to break and MJ turns away, blushing. "It's nothing." She tells her, thinking of how to change the subject. "Your aunt is going to flip when she sees you." MJ turns back, trying to regain her composure.
"Oh shoot! Aunt May!" Peter says, looking away. "She must be worried sick! It's been almost a month since we last saw each other. I haven't been away from her this long before."
"Oh," MJ responds, not able to hide the disappointment in her voice. "Did you want to head home already?"
"I probably shou.." Peter can see the concern in MJ's face and suddenly feels guilty for wanting to leave her. "Well I..." She thinks of what to say next. "I haven't really seen you in nearly a month either."
"Yeah Peter, but she's your aunt." MJ protests. "I'm just your..." MJ shrugs her shoulders and turns away, "you friend."
"MJ?" Peter asks, unsure why things got so tense. "We've been through so much already, with the training and all... and Washington."
"Yeah, but I didn't know that was you Peter." MJ tries making excuses.
"I suppose that's true, but..." Peter looks down and juggles her feelings for a long moment. "I was kind of wondering..."
'What am I doing?' Peter looks away and wonders to herself, 'I was supposed to wait until I was a boy again before saying anything.'
"Wondering?" MJ asks.
"Wondering..." Peter continues.
'What if I'm stuck like this?' Peter debates in her head. 'Will she accept me like this?'
"Wondering..." Peter repeats. Her mind is racing like crazy now.
"I should probably just go..." MJ says, suddenly feeling very nervous and awkward. "I'll see you around, Pete." she says turning and trying to retreat as fast as possible.
"Would you go out with me!" Peter blurts loudly.
MJ pauses, wondering if she really just heard correctly. She partially turns back but doesn't look directly at Peter yet.
"Like uh..." Peter is feeling extremely nervous now, and speaking before her thoughts could possibly process. "Like... a.. date?" she asks with a stutter.
MJ can feel her face flush, despite having pride at never losing her cool, she knew she was feeling a little overwhelmed now. She started wondering if she really cared for Peter that much. When she looked up, she had her answer. "Yes..." she said, locking eyes with her.
"Yes?" Peter asks, almost in shock.
"Yes, Peter. I would like that." MJ could not hide her smile. She slowly walked up to Peter and when she got close enough they hugged each other.
Peter's bag of clothing swung around and smacked MJ in the butt. "Sorry." Peter said. MJ chuckles.
After a good few seconds they are both suddenly distracted by a Mojo drone which comes flying in. It studies them both for a long moment, and even moves in close to Peter's face. They both freeze nervously, before it turns and zooms off.
"I guess the disguise works." Peter says.
"I guess so." MJ agrees.
"You wanna get coffee?" Peter asks suddenly, letting go of MJ.
"As long as it's fairtrade." MJ responds.
"Yeah, I know a place." Peter tells her. "Let me use your phone. I can call Aunt May, and she can meet us."
"Good idea." MJ responds. "Tell her to bring your wallet."
"Right." Peter replies. "I've got to pay you back for the clothes." She raises her shopping bags to show them.
"And you're paying for the coffee also." MJ insists. "For the troubles."
"That's fine." Peter agrees. "I still remember how to be a gentleman."
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that." MJ smirks at Peter.
"Come on. It's this way." Peter holds out her elbow for MJ to grab hold of.
MJ reaches through her elbow but instead of looping arms, she reaches downward and grabs Peter's hand. "Lead the way, tiger."
Peter smiles and they proceed to the coffee shop.
*** Across town, in a library that can only be reached through the Sanctum Sanctorum***
"I've brought you some tea Grand Master." Wong sets down a cup of milk tea which steams gently from a gold inlaid cup, on a matching saucer. There are several cubes of sugar sitting on the side with a small stirring spoon.
"Thank you Mr. Wong." Dr. Strange answers in as passive of a voice as she can muster. She takes the cup and sips at the tea, closing her eyes to enjoy it. Her eyelids seem to linger closed for a very long moment before she forces them open. Wong is sitting about a meter away and studying her features with concern. "And why are you still awake?" she asks Wong.
"Besides guarding the library?" Wong asks, as a flimsy excuse.
"Yes, besides guarding the library." Dr. Strange says, taking another sip of her tea.
"Mostly because I am wondering the same thing." He tells her. Dr. Strange raises an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Why are you still awake, Dr. Strange?" Wong asks, while stretching. "You haven't slept in days. You already looked exhausted when you got here, and you look even more frightening now."
"The job of a sorcerer supreme is a very busy and hectic one." Dr. Strange answers.
"Yes, but the universe is safe now, Doctor." He lets the words sit for a moment before continuing. "Even your predecessor did not shy away from rest when it was needed."
"I suppose that's true, but I can hardly imagine she had to deal with threats as immense as six infinity stones, several galactic empires, and a team of avenging super heroes desperate to make bad decisions."
"She had her fair share of galactic threats that you don't know about." Wong says. Dr. Strange's face is buried in his book again. "You can't possibly view the Avengers as a threat?" Wong asks, looking at her with concern.
Dr. Strange looks up and studies his face for a bit. She can see the heavy concern. "No, I suppose not." Dr. Strange answers. "But right now they're scared and confused." She takes another sip of tea before continuing. "Until they learn to accept this way of life, they're liable to do something foolish."
"Are you really that worried about them?" Wong asks.
"It's not that I'm worried about them." Dr. Strange turns away as if to study her tea. "Tony and the others are desperate to change things back. They'd stop at no means to find these stones and use them." Dr. Strange looks back up toward Wong. "I don't have to tell you how dangerous even an innocent wish is, especially for the entire universe."
"This is coming from a guy who once used the time stone to eat an apple." Wong says.
"I didn't know better." Dr. Strange tries to protest.
"You didn't?" Wong asks. "As I remember, you seemed to know exactly what the risks were." Dr. Strange looks down toward her tea again. "And if I'm not wrong, you used the stone two more times afterwards. Once to save this planet, and once to save the universe."
Dr. Strange looked toward Wong with surprise.
"The Xandar sorcerer supreme told me." Wong says. "You know, even looking into the future ONCE could have catastrophic effects, let alone fourteen million times?" Wong paused for a protest that never came. "I'd ask what you were thinking, but as the sorcerer supreme, you were entrusted with that stone in the interest of using it only when absolutely necessary."
"Or not using it at all..." Dr. Strange begins to counter.
"If the infinity stones are so dangerous, and you really don't want to help your friends," Wong says, "then why are you researching ways to counteract them?"
Dr. Strange places her hand on the book. "If we can undo what they have done, then we'll never have reason to use them again." she argues.
"Alright then. How about, if the stone was never meant to be used, then why not destroy it?" Wong proposes, "Or drop it into the universe's deepest trench? Bottom of a volcano?"
Dr. Strange looks up toward Wong and wonders why his reasoning seems to be making a little too much sense.
"You spent too much time in the restricted section, Doctor." Wong pulls out a heavy looking leather book. "You did not think to go through all the regular sections of our library." He slams the book down. "Especially not the science section."
'Science?' Dr. Strange wonders as she looks at the cover of this new book and notices a triangle, a rectangle, and four trapezoids pointing in four different directions.
"We do have a science section, you know." Wong Yawns as he says this. "I'm going to bed." He bows then turns away and begins to walk off.
Dr. Strange looks up toward Wong, somewhat confused then back at the book. "Wait! What language is this?"
"English Doctor! It's English!" Wong leaves the library.
'English?' Dr. Strange wonders 'How could it possibly be...' That is when she saw it. Clear as day. Three letters formed by the six various shapes.
TVA