Archive of Our Own

“I can’t believe it, I’m in shock. Complete and utter shock.” 

“Ned, chill out.”

“How can I? You went and got yourself into this crazy situation!”

“I know, to be honest, I never expected it to happen to me. If anything, we should blame Peter. This has his name written all over it. If I knew his way of flirting was to get me an internship I would have seduced him sooner.” MJ told Ned as she twirled a curl of hair around her finger. Ned rolled his eyes with a smile as he examined MJ’s dopey expression. 

“You want to seduce him for a lot more than an internship–Hey ow!” Ned whimpered and rubbed his bicep gently where MJ harshly elbowed him. 

“The last thing I want to do is get sappy about my crush, with my crush's best friend.” 

“Ah-ha! So you admit it! You like him, oh my god he is going to freak when he hears this. Can I call him?” Ned had his hand on his phone and stared at MJ for approval. He just got a glare in return. “Hmph. Fine, be that way. But just know that he really likes you.”

“Did you know that you suck at keeping secrets? I have no idea how you hid his secret identity for so long. Don’t give me that look, I know Peter is Spider-Man.” 

“But how?! You never seemed suspicious or anything.” Ned asked her, horrified at the fact he wasn’t able to keep Peter’s identity secret like he swore to. 

“I put things together after homecoming. The constant disappearing when crime struck, the coincidence in locations, how you shook his shoulders like an excited child at Christmas when Spider-Man was mentioned. I could go on, but that would take days.” MJ smiled and poked solemn-looking Ned in the shoulder “Relax bro, I haven’t told anyone. I was so good at keeping things quiet even you guys didn’t notice I knew.” 

“This is such a relief. One of Peter’s biggest worries about asking you out had to do with all the secrets he thought he would have to keep from you. Now though…” Ned said this as he wriggled his eyebrows in a way that sent a shiver down MJ’s spine. 

“That’s enough crush-talk for one day. I literally got an internship with one of the most famous business women in the world and all you want to do is gossip about my crush?”

“I rarely get any one-on-one time with you. I want to know all of the secrets that Miss MJ keeps from the world. I feel like all I know about you is the fact you read a lot and draw people in crisis.”

“People in crisis will be you if you keep trying to get all emotion-ey and feely.” MJ said and pointed a pencil at his face as if it was a serious threat “Now, let me tell you all my plans to help improve Stark Industries while you work on your LEGO set…” 

MJ had mixed feelings on Stark Industries. Tony Stark was the epitome of what she hated. He was a cisgender, straight, white man with an ego larger than his bank account. She knew he made weapons that destroyed so many innocent lives, weapons that people constantly try to recreate or steal. 

Seriously, the amount of times I’ve seen rogue stolen Stark tech should be on my weekly schedule. She thought with a scoff

Tony had more money than what any sensible person could deem ethical. She admitted that she felt sick with herself taking place in the company while there were people at her very school living out of cars or eating out of the trash. 

Tony constantly spoke about himself in a manner that resembled Flash, in MJ’s eyes. It was an energy that grew brighter with every compliment then demanded more. He was a playboy, he was a narcissist, he was fine destroying half the city and leaving others to clean up after him. 

MJ couldn’t stand him to say the least. She hadn’t met him, but she knew enough from his history. Peter and Ned always geeked out over him and the other Avengers but she couldn’t fathom why. MJ knew that celebrities often had online personas that weren’t a reflection of their true selves. She knew they were flawed human beings that made mistakes. She supposes that’s why she had trouble idolizing people or looking up to them. The people in her life always seemed to let her down, so why wouldn’t a stranger?

She nodded to a security guard in thanks as he opened the door for her. She couldn’t believe that even after all of her prior reasoning, she was going into the dang building. 

Granted, she was going there for Pepper. Not Tony. 

Now Pepper was someone she could get behind. Not one-hundred percent, she was still a celebrity after all, but MJ had a tolerance for her. Pepper had been scorned by the public. People claimed she was just Tony’s little mistress and that’s why she got the job. 

MJ knew better. Pepper was brilliant with her work. She cleaned up every mess of Tony’s and tied up any loose ends. Her professional tact and productivity was something MJ aspired to have. Pepper had some magical ability of saying something bluntly and it was heard as nice. 

Oh, what I would give to say whatever the hell I want without getting socked in the face. MJ smirked to herself and stepped out of the elevator. She was on Pepper’s floor now. Part of her wishes she took Peter’s offer to walk her all the way, but she didn’t want to appear incompitant. Peter already got her into the meeting, she didn’t need him to help her crawl to the contract. 

MJ stood in front of the office door. For a moment she just stared at the nameplate. Something burned her chest. It made her heart ache with an intensity she never felt before. 

When she knocked upon the door and Pepper opened it she knew why. 

This is where I want to be. In a position of power to help those who can’t help themselves. This is my passion. 

“Michelle it is so nice to meet you, Peter has spoken highly of you.” Pepper beamed and gestured for MJ to sit down in front of her desk. MJ wasn’t one to swoon like Ned and Peter, but she was close to it with the size of the office. 

“You can call me MJ, ma’am, and Peter has spoken well of you too.” 

“Oh really? He is such a kind boy. I’m glad he didn’t scare you away with anything he may have shared. We’ve had some intense dinner arguments over the Star Wars franchise. The kid is so passionate I half-expected him to bad mouth me to you as revenge.” Pepper sat in her own seat and folded her hands together over her lap. 

“Even if he did, I would have still come. I’m not much of a Star Wars enthusiast. It would be a pity to let that stop me from meeting my inspiration.” 

“I’m honored, but do not feel the need to use flattery. I have seen your resume, and along with Peter’s recommendation I am certain you will get the spot.” 

“With all due respect, it isn’t flattery. While I do not agree nor support many of your business actions, you still have high regards from me. It isn’t everyday you see a woman rise to the top and prove the critics wrong with the click of her heels.” 

“I knew I would like you,” Pepper’s eyes sparkled with delight. “You remind me of my younger self. I used to always look up to women fighting for their place in society. Sadly, even when people like us make it to the top we still have our own challenges. People question if we are right for the job. They scrutinize you a lot more than they would a man.” 

“I can tell. Mr. Stark may have a lot of genius in engineering, but in economics and HR you are the real brains. Not to mention he could sleep with whoever he wished and still have a fanclub– sorry! I didn’t mean to speak out of turn. I know you two are in a relationship.” MJ quickly said in apology. To her surprise, Pepper laughed.

“I may be dating the man, but I can’t say I disagree. God, you and Rhodey would have a ball together. You both, along with a few Avengers and Peter, are the only ones willing to call Tony out on his bullshit.” 

“Still, I shouldn’t speak ill of your partner like that.” 

“It’s quite alright, you were speaking more on how society views him rather than his character. Something that I understand intimately. Did you know that once, while Tony and I were on a break, I drunkenly made out with a date in a bar? I caused quite the scandal!” Pepper said with an airy tone that made MJ feel safe. 

“I remember! People everywhere were shaming you, as if half of those news reporters weren’t getting laid as soon as they got home.” MJ responded happily. It was nice talking to someone that seemed to be on her wavelength. She loved Ned and Peter, she really did. But they didn’t get it.

They didn’t get how she constantly felt like she had to prove herself to even be seen. They didn’t get how if she got caught drunk at a club she would be called a prude while Flash got applauded when he puked vodka on his dad’s car. They didn’t understand the creeps she had to handle, they didn’t understand the fear she had walking alone across the street. 

Pepper did. And it felt nice. 

“So, MJ, what makes you want to work here? You clearly have mixed feelings on this company for its past. What makes you want to join it?” Pepper asked after some small talk. 

“I’m an honest person, to a fault my mom sometimes says, but I don’t think that ignoring a problem solves it.” MJ thought back to her dad, who shoved alcoholism in the back of his mind rather than facing it. She closed her eyes tightly then reopened them with purpose. 

MJ continued “This company has issues and it has things it needs to make up for. However, this company has a lot of funding and a lot of investors. I believe that this company can cause change in a good way if it tries too. We gotta make do with what we can. Even if it sucks. No offense.” 

“None taken,” Pepper smiled and began pulling out some papers. “It’s nice to have someone be upfront with me. A lot of people in business like to hide behind fake niceties. You don’t like the ethics of how we were built, and you are honest about it. I’m interested in what you want to do to help us improve. Much more interesting than if you wore a fake smile with ulterior motives.” 

“Oh I do have ulterior motives, I hear the coffee in the staff room is to die for.” MJ was so exhausted that the idea of caffeine had her close to frothing at the mouth. 

“Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but it’s because I switched Tony’s generic instant coffee order with the good stuff. He’s so busy rocking in his lab he doesn’t even notice the extra few dollars spent.” Pepper winked and handed MJ some contracts to sign. MJ took them gladly.

“Miss. Potts, you are my savior.” 

“So, how was she?” Tony asked Pepper as she reclined back in a chair. The two had made it home rather late that day and didn’t feel like cooking, so Tony ordered take-out for them to enjoy in the living room. Tony had to listen to Peter rant about “Mj this” “MJ that” all day in the lab. If the girl didn’t get the internship he swore Peter would spray paint his Iron-Man suits bright pink. 

“She was lovely. She openly hates your guts so I adore her.” Pepper said with a wide smile. Tony chuckled and ran a hand over his beard. 

“Peter did warn me of that. She apparently is very vocal in her opinions. And my past doesn’t help my image any.” 

“Relax Toones, she just hasn’t met the new you yet. Just make sure you actually work with her and me when we overpower this company with feminism by the way.” 

“Oh God.” 

“You have no choice. When she and Peter get married you want to get invited, right?” 

“Of course! Wait, babe. They aren’t even dating yet. Are you planning a marriage this soon after meeting Peter’s crush? Emphasize the word crush. Not girlfriend, crush.” Tony asked and discreetly stole one of Pepper’s dumplings from her plate “I can’t even blame you. I’ve been doing the same thing.” 

“Same thing?” Pepper scoffed with a smirk “No, you get Friday to play Here Comes the Bride if he so happens to even say her name.”

“Come on, you get a kick at how flustered he gets too! It’s just some fatherly love… and teasing.” 

To no one's surprise, MJ and Peter ended up dating shortly after MJ began her internship. They were planning on hosting a dinner for the Avengers (+Ned) to tell them (Peter’s idea, MJ would have been fine without the theatrics but Peter was the definition of ‘extra’. She let him have this.). However… they got caught making out by Tony when he went to ask Peter about an invention they were working on. 

Peter shrieked and flung himself across the room in terror while MJ just blinked at Tony, deadpan. Peter was internally losing his mind that his father-figure caught him giving a girl a hickey while MJ secretly found the whole thing hilarious.

“Oh, well this is a development.” Tony said to them after a few awkward moments of silence. 

“Uh, we weren’t, uh… it’s a side effect of the spider bite! I’m like, part vampire.” Peter stammered. 

“Peter, my dude. You are making this way more humiliating than it is. I can promise you that as soon as I leave Mr. Stark is going to fangirl over you getting a girlfriend.” MJ stopped Peter before he could ramble anymore non-sense. 

“No after this he is getting some sex-ed– Wait. Girlfriend?!” Tony, thankfully, processed that knowledge first. MJ could be numb to a lot of things, but hearing Tony rant about protection is something that even makes her face warm with embarrassment. 

“Does that mean I can’t throw the party?” Peter turned to MJ with a frown

“Loser, you can still throw the party. Although I wouldn’t trust Mr. ‘I am Iron-Man’ to keep this on the down-low.” MJ told Peter then explained to Tony “He wanted to tell everyone over a steak and vegan stir-fry dinner.” 

“That’s an interesting food combination.” Tony noted

“The vegan stir fry was the condition I had to follow if we were going to have the dinner.” Peter said, still petrified at the situation. 

“She is literally a mini-Pepper.” Tony said to no one in particular then ran out into the hallway, screaming: “PEP THEY’RE DATING!” Then Tony returned and pointed an accusatory finger at Peter “And you young man, we will be having a man-to-man talk later. I have puberty videos, protection options, all the stuff that will embarrass the hell out of you.” Then he proceeded to run away again to gossip to Pepper. 

“...At least he didn’t tell the Avengers yet?” Peter offered. 

MJ and Peter looked at one another then burst out laughing. 

“I warned you!” MJ tackled Peter then planted kisses on his head “We were gonna get caught!” 

“Sorry but I can’t resist your pretty-self!” He chuckled then held her face in his hand. He traced her jawline and looked at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world. “I’m so lucky to have you, MJ.” 

MJ wasn’t one to get sappy, but she hugged Peter tighter and put her head in the crook of his neck. That spoke more than any possible things she could have said back. 

For a while things were going great. Peter was promptly, “Embarrassed the hell out of” by Tony with a presentation (given by the following people in this order: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, then Tony Stark again.). 

Peter did not know how to feel about being lectured about how sperm works (which he already knew–not that the adults cared) by a super soldier who he once battled in an airport. He would have taken any of Steve’s ‘No Smoking!’ PSA’s before that anyday. 

MJ and Ned cackled whenever he reenacted the presentation to them. It made Peter’s pain worthwhile to have some awkward inside jokes with his best friend (+girlfriend).

MJ was doing well with her internship. She and Pepper had grown close as they worked together. Not only had they started programs to give part of their profits to homeless populations in New York, they also started looking for better ways to manufacture their tech while being more environmentally aware. 

MJ never told anyone that she initiated the programs. She never even told people that she worked with Pepper. She liked the layer of mystery it gave her, and she liked seeing people’s lives improved right in front of her own eyes without them feeling like they needed to dedicate their lives back to her or something. 

She saw some of her classmates (some she knew were kicked out of their homes or in a bad place of town) gaining much needed weight and coming to school in clothes that fit them. She saw confidence in the way they walked now. Before lots of kids with less money felt like they had to make themselves smaller to make up for their dirty, hand me down clothes. 

MJ liked being an observer. It gave her all the satisfaction she desired. 

However not everyone liked the new policies. Some claimed that giving money to those in need was ‘wasting profits on unprofitable people’. By some, that means a fellow employee who MJ nearly beat to a pulp. 

“I mean, who really cares about some people on the streets?” An employee named Chad, said as he filled up his coffee cup. Little did he know that the creator of the program was standing right behind him. MJ immediately snapped her head up from her phone, where she was sending Pepper a Tik Tok of kittens (that Pepper should totally buy for the good of human–and kitten–kind). 

“I mean, I have a friend who used to be homeless. She’s doing well now, has a job and family.” Another employee, apparently Chad’s friend, replied. 

“Exactly! She got a job! That’s what they should do instead of taking handouts!” Chad shouted. MJ had enough. 

“And what if they are disabled? Or come from a bad background? Not everyone has the privileges of coming from a stable home and getting a good education. To get a good education you need money, to get money you need to work. But you can’t get decent work without education. It’s a never-ending loop.” 

“Not if they try.” Chad snapped “And who invited you to this conversation anyway?” 

“Myself, and I’m hotter than you so you best not interrupt me. Are you aware that there are various members of the LGBTQ community kicked out of their homes, or pregnant teenagers? These are minors that haven’t even graduated highschool, don’t you think they deserve help too?” 

“Yeah, by working.” 

“Did you not listen to a word I said?! They can’t. They are minors without work experience or even a highschool diploma! Who’s going to hire them? And even if they weren’t minors, do you really think minimum wage is enough to get them off the streets to a place to live?” MJ was so tired of arguing with these types of people. 

“And what about the people that abuse the system to just get handouts because they’re lazy? What about the people who just use it for drugs?” Chad snapped back.

“So you would deny helping a ton of people in need because a few people will abuse it?” MJ was fuming. She could picture the young four year old with matted hair she bought a candy bar for earlier that week. She pictured the kind Muslim lady who helped her pick up some coins she dropped who was struggling to find a landlord without prejudice against her. MJ couldn’t imagine taking away something that could mean life or death for someone just someone could possibly abuse the system. 

“Whatever. I bet they are all just useless drunkards taking my money.”  Chad said (even though the money didn’t even affect his paycheck by a cent). MJ saw red and she almost swung her fist, luckily someone caught her wrist. Pepper had to physically drag her from the room to keep her calm. 

“Let me at him!” MJ snapped and tried to pry her way out of Pepper’s arms. Pepper was strong and kept a gentle, but firm hold on her. She passed Tony on the way to her office, who raised an eyebrow at them. 

“...Good morning girls?” He said tentatively 

“‘Morning Tony.” Pepper replied as if she wasn’t holding onto a teenage girl fighting against her hold

“Uh, everything ok?” Tony asked

“No, I am going to kill someone.” MJ muttered

“She isn’t, you’re not.” Pepper sternly told her then continued to drag her away “Have a nice day bae!” 

“Yeah, you too?” Tony called back then walked back towards where he was heading. 

MJ did not like being sat down in Pepper’s office like this. It reminded her too much of being yelled at in a principal’s office for breaking dress code. As little as she wanted to admit it, she did look up to Pepper and disappointing her made her feel something she hadn’t felt before. Guilty. 

She didn’t have parents who applauded her good grades or played catch with her. She had a mom who overworked herself then crashed to take a nap and a dad who liked drinking more than life itself. Pepper was different. She actually listened to MJ and cared for her. 

MJ felt like she was disappointing the closest thing to a mother figure she had. 

“No matter how angry you get, you can’t react like that. We aren’t like them, MJ. You know this. If we make a scene we get the entire country against us for being emotional or hormonal.” Pepper said to MJ after a minute. MJ was well aware, but the man struck a nerve with her. Anything about alcoholics had her on her toes.

 She knew her dad liked to drink to forget about money problems. Or marital problems. Or personal problems. Ok, the man had a lot of problems. And he loved chugging beer bottles in an attempt to fill up the emptiness inside his heart. 

“But alcoholics aren’t useless!” MJ shouted to Pepper, even though the conversation wasn’t directly linked to that issue. Pepper clasped her hands together and remained silent, she knew that there was a deeper reason to MJ’s reaction other than dealing with stupidity. 

“They screwed up, but they deserve a chance, don’t they? I know you can’t change them, they have to want to change… but that means if they want to, they will. Right?” MJ whispered, showing the most emotion she had since Pepper met her. 

Pepper wasn’t oblivious to the desperation in MJ’s voice. She grabbed MJ’s hand and stared into her misty eyes. 

“I can’t promise that every addict gets better. But Tony did. And thousands of other people do. Some don’t, and that isn’t anyone's fault. The people around the addict deserve a safe place too, you know that right? Love can’t cure a mental illness.” 

Pepper didn’t know MJ’s situation, and she wasn’t going to offer fake hope. What she was going to do was to make sure that MJ knew it wasn’t her fault that someone else was hurting. That the best you can do can’t always get a person to change, and that also isn’t your fault. 

Pepper wanted to make MJ feel powerful in something she could change, so she took her to the food bank to volunteer. Pepper watched as MJ’s eyes lit up as she helped some little kids get groceries, and elderly people get toiletries they couldn’t afford. MJ felt like she finally was able to help someone in the world, even if it wasn’t her dad. 

It slowly became a tradition for Pepper and MJ. Every Friday they would go to the food bank and volunteer, sometimes Peter or an Avenger would join them as well. Afterwards they would go get dinner and have small talk about whatever they found interesting. Sometimes it was politics, sometimes childhood memories, and sometimes Pepper helped MJ work through her teenage drama’s. 

MJ’s life was having somewhat normalcy. She had dates with Peter, she had decathlon, she critiqued Star Wars with Ned, she had her dinners with Pepper, and even started joining the Avengers movie nights. Stark Industries was improving (it now offered full insurance for transgender medical procedures and paid maternal leave). Everything was going great (minus the fact that MJ’s mom was constantly being a homophobic bitch and and her dad was almost never home). 

Then it happened. 

MJ was a week late for her period. Two weeks before that she had, ahem, done the dirty with Peter. We used a condom. It can’t be… I’m probably just irregular. That’s normal. She tried to convince herself. 

But this is MJ we are talking about. She thrives off data and assurance. She begrudgingly bought a drugstore pregnancy test (with cash to make sure her mom wouldn’t know) then stalked off to the tower with it in her backpack. 

“Aye, MJ!” Clint greeted her with a high-five, although all she really wanted was to get to her private bathroom there and pee on the freaking stick “You up for a game of B-Ball?” 

“Clint is convinced he’ll win. For some reason.” Natasha said and threw a balled-up piece of paper to MJ, who caught it immediately “Yup. She’s on my team.” 

“No fair! That leaves me stuck with Tony. You know he sucks at basketball.” Clint whined “How about we let MJ choose her team?”

“How about we let MJ not play because she’s too busy?” MJ said and threw the paper back at Natasha “But Nat, please do make sure Clint gets stuck with Tony.” 

“Hey!”

“Will do.” 

MJ smiled and left the two alone before making it to the master bath that was connected to Pepper and Tony’s bedroom. It was the most private place to do this. 

She unpackaged the strange box and did her thing. Then she waited. 

Ok, deep breaths MJ. There is almost no way that I’m pregnant. I used protection and teenagers get late periods all the time. It isn’t an unnatural occurrence. This is just to make 100% sure. She told herself then took a deep breath. Somehow that only heightened her nerves. 

But what if I am? I’m seventeen. I just finally got my drivers license. I can’t raise a baby! I can barely make it to the grocery store without having an anxiety attack! And all the money that would have to go to the baby, before and after! There would be doctor appointments and prenatal vitamins and unbearable pain. 

MJ stared at her ankles and the breath nearly left her lungs. I can’t end up pregnant. I can’t handle the image of me with cracked and swollen feet. I can hardly handle period cramps, they are the devil! The morning sickness, the back pain, the headaches. I remember my mom pregnant before she miscarried. She was constantly in pain. And the health risks… I have such a small frame, could my body handle a fetus? 

Could my mind? If I showed up to Midtown everyone would see me as ‘the weird pregnant girl’. The slut shaming would have no end. They would call me irresponsible, they would call me a whore, they would mock me wherever I go like they did to the pregnant girl in our class last year. She tried to kill herself because the harassment got so bad.

Would I have to quit my internship? No one is going to take a pregnant teenager seriously in business. They’ll think I have no self-respect. They’ll see me as a scandal despite my GPA.

Oh god. My GPA. If I have to deal with a pregnancy, how am I going to continue school once I’m almost due… they won’t want me to represent the decathlon team. Could I lose my scholarship? For reflecting the school poorly?

MJ’s mind was running a million miles in a hundred different directions. From worrying about how her friends would react to how her mother would react had her dry heaving into the toilet from anxiety. 

Then the timer went off. 

She shakily grabbed the stick and immediately dropped it. 

No. No. No. 

Her knees weren’t holding her up anymore. She was on the ground, sobbing. 

There were two lines.

Two lines deeming her life as officially over. It was in the hands of a fetus demanding her body to house it against her will. 

Then she remembered. The condom broke. She told Peter she would get the morning after pill the next day. 

I forgot because I had an exam to study for. I freaking forgot to take the medicine. Shit.

When MJ left the bathroom she was in a daze. The test was buried at the bottom of the trash and MJ kept the box in her backpack. She planned to throw it out at a random gas station. 

MJ sat at the counter in the kitchen and stared at the framed copies of degrees Tony kept up on the walls. 

Will I ever have that now?

“Were you banished from the basketball court too?” Tony asked, he noticed how pale and tired MJ looked but he didn’t say anything.

“Nope, I rejected them. I had better things to do with my time.”

“Like staring at my many achievements?” Tony poured himself a glass of water 

“Ha, no.” MJ breathed out a laugh “Just thinking. If I’ll ever manage to make it, like you did.” Tony watched MJ for a moment. That was the most real she had ever been around him. He knew that she didn’t trust him completely, so this was out of character. What she said next was even more out of character “What if I make too big of a mistake?” 

Tony sat down beside her and stared at his certificates. He had had various heart to heart talks with Peter. He knew Peter’s background, and he knew Peter better than himself. He wasn’t sure what to say to Peter’s girlfriend who didn’t really like him though.

“You know, they make a lot of jokes about my playboy days.” Tony took a sip of his water “They weren’t a joking matter to my professors. I had to go through my college courses twice, but you don’t see that in the papers. My dad was so ashamed he paid the big bucks to keep it quiet. Somehow, with Rhodey’s help, I eventually graduated. It was difficult.” 

MJ looked up and stared at Tony thoughtfully. 

“I was screwed up, kid. High on drugs and partying all the time just to bury the emotions I had. I didn’t want to heal from any abuse I dealt with, so I got a buzz from whatever I could. Then once I finally got my life together I ended up being the cause for so many people’s deaths. I used those mistakes to learn how to improve myself, and I’m saving lives with the tech that at one point ended them. If I can make it back from those low points and succeed, you can too.” 

 They sat in a content silence for a bit. MJ’s mind was fuzzy with stress. She wasn’t sure what to do. 

“Mr. Stark, did people ever hold your mistakes against you?”

“Yes, for one: You.” He teased “But I think what defines a person is the decisions that someone takes after they hit a rough spot. And sometimes, there isn’t really a right answer. I can’t say what’s the right path for anyone but myself.” 

I swear this guy is freaking telepathic. MJ thought to herself. 

“You know, you’re a lot better when you aren’t doing Ted Talks about how cool you are.” 

“Hey, gotta give the fan girls something.” Tony laughed and patted MJ’s shoulder. He looked at her and smiled “I don’t know what’s got you thinking so deeply. But whatever ‘mistake’ you made doesn’t ruin you. It just makes you human.”

MJ stared at the certificates on the wall. She imagined the futures that were displayed around her. 

To carry the baby meant taking a break in her education, whether she kept it after birth or not. She was already at a disadvantage in society because she was a female and a person of color. If people knew she got pregnant that would just make her chances at getting into good jobs or colleges lower.

Not to mention how her body would betray her and cause her unspeakable pain for nine months. Nine months of vomiting in the morning and hormones and not being able to bend over once she really started showing. 

Nine months of everyone around her scorning her and hating herself. 

Then the aftermath of pregnancy was a risk. Birth was a dangerous thing. She literally could die, or tear her vagina to the point it would need stitches. Her family had a long history of postpartum depression, she remembered her mom telling her about how her grandma almost took her own life from it. 

Birthing a baby into this world meant her education would be on hold, her health would forever change at least to some degree, people wouldn’t take her seriously, she could risk her mental well-being, and she would be bringing a baby into a world where shootings happen every week and human trafficking is a thing. 

MJ was honest when she says to people that this world is evil. To bring another human being into it feels wrong. 

She was weighing the pros and cons in her head whenever Natasha came into the kitchen for a snack. 

“Nat,” MJ started then stopped. I can not be serious right now. I can’t ask Black Widow about her political views.

“...Yes?” Natasha asked when MJ looked as if she short-circuited 

“Um, this is really random but uh, what do you think is a good reason for someone to get an abortion?” MJ braced to be hatecrimed.

“Oh, that’s easy,” Natasha bit her apple. “If the person doesn’t want to be pregnant or have children.” 

“Wait, really? You don’t think it has to be life or death? Or icest? Or anything?” 

“Definitely not. That’s someone's body, someone's womb. If they have an unwelcome visitor they don’t want, they have the right to kick it out. Now my question is, what made you ask me? You are one of the loudest pro-choice people I know.” 

“Just getting some outside opinions for a school assignment. Flash is going to freak when he hears Black Widow is pro-choice.” MJ said smoothly. She logically knew that Natasha would stand by her… but she wasn’t ready to share. It felt personal to her. She didn’t want a ton of people jumping into her choice. 

My choice. 

At that moment: She knew. MJ didn’t want to be tied to a baby her entire life. She didn’t want to be pregnant at that time in her life. 

She wasn’t keeping the fetus, and that was ok. 

“Ned, I need your help.” She stormed to Ned's place first. She originally was going to tell Peter, but she wasn’t 100% sure that he wouldn’t try to talk her out of it. She needed backup just in case. Plus, an outside person to vent to felt like a necessity. 

“You got it, I’m the guy in the chair after all. What do you need?” He asked eagerly. Sometimes MJ can’t believe Ned didn’t have superpowers like Peter. They both were so eager to help people. 

“We need to yeetus a fetus.” MJ said in a Gen Z fashion. Ned almost laughed before his eyes widened. 

“Wait a minute– are you? You know?”

“Pregnant with a parasite, yes.”

“Peter’s spider-sperm gave you a parasite baby?!”

“Nooo no! At least I hope not. It’s way too early to tell.” MJ was suddenly extremely thankful she chose to terminate the baby before she could have possibly ended up in a Twilight vampire baby situation. 

“Oh ok, that’s more boring but I’m still on board. Does Peter know?” 

“Not yet. I’m planning to tell him, just so you know. I just want to get everything scheduled and set before I have to deal with a huge tear-filled conversation. You know Peter is going to blame himself.” 

“It does take two to tango, you didn’t get preggers by yourself.” 

“For the sake of my sanity lets pretend I’m the virgin Mary because you knowing Peter and I had sex makes me want to scream.” MJ quickly stated and sat down on Ned’s bed. She grabbed his laptop and almost started Googling clinics before Ned grabbed the laptop

“Bestie, I love you, but I can’t let you do that.” 

“Excuse me?” MJ’s voice was cold enough to start a blizzard in Ned’s room. 

“Wait! Let me clarify! I can’t let you Google stuff without it being encrypted. With all the laws changing, if you get caught they can use your searches in court. Speaking of that, delete whatever period apps you have now.” Ned sat beside her on ther bed and passed her a water battle “Get hydrated, we are going to do some research. Can we pretend we’re evil spies hacking into a criminal base?” 

“Is this what you do with Peter? Roleplay?” 

“It isn’t roleplay then, usually we actually are taking down bad guys.” Ned grinned then got a bright idea “Stark Industries has pretty secure tech, wouldn’t you say?” 

“Yeah I guess– Oh. You want me to use theirs.”

“You’re a personal intern and lots of the tech there is shared by multiple high-level users. If someone–not likely– got the search history they would have to look through at least twenty other employees. I can guarantee you that Stark will sue the shit out of anyone who tries to do that though.” 

“Really?” 

“Haven’t you seen his Twitter? He’s always talking about employee rights to privacy. Maybe you’ve spent so long seeing the bad things about him, you didn’t want to see the good.”

“You might be right,” MJ sighed and leaned back on the bed. “He actually talked to me today. I was freaking out over the test coming back positive, he doesn’t know that though, and he sat down beside me. He told me about how one mistake doesn’t define you and it’s up to you to fix it how you see fit, and no one can decide that for you.”

“MJ I’m like 70% he said that because he suspects something. That’s literally the whole pro-choice anthem. ‘Your body, your choice’ or something.” 

“My body, my choice but you are close enough,” MJ laughed then panicked “How would he know?!” 

“To be honest I suspected it earlier this week and I’m not a super genius.” 

“How? I didn’t even suspect until today!” MJ exclaimed, slightly worried about how it took her so long to notice. 

“You threw up that latte I gave you. The same latte you once happily chugged when you got the flu. It was the only thing you didn’t puke.” 

“Oh. Yeah. Still, I haven’t eaten around him. And I’m certainly not showing yet.” 

“Hmm… did you do anything that day related to the pregnancy? Like a test?”

“I did but it’s buried in his garbage.” 

“MJ.” 

“Ned.” 

“People clean their trash out. He could have spotted it if he looked at the right time.” Ned said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. MJ gaped at him. 

“A billionaire saw my pee on a plastic stick.” 

“Hey, at least you didn’t clog the toilet.” 

“Ned.” 

The two got ready to go, and Ned delicately suggested telling Peter before they snuck into Tony’s tower to find information on how to get an abortion even though it was becoming more illegal with each passing day. 

“He could help us get in.” Ned

 said carefully “I know you’re scared, but Peter supports you completely. He went with my sister to her abortion so she’d be safe. If you kept the baby, he’d support you. If you abort it, he’d support you. If you had the baby adopted out, he’d support you.”

“I know, I know. I just don’t want him to look at me like I’m helpless. Or a whore.” 

“He's as much of a whore as you are. I did say that it takes two to–”

“Shut up before I throw something at you.” MJ grabbed a sock and tossed it at Ned, who dodged it. She laughed then smiled somberly at him "Thank you. For listening and offering your help." 

"Don't thank me," Ned squeezed her hand "for being a decent human being." 

Telling Peter was about as awkward as you could imagine. Ned demanded the trio to meet on the rooftop of Peter and May’s apartment. It sounded serious so Peter quit patrol early to join them. 

With some support from Ned she told Peter that she was pregnant. She will never forget his response.

He engulfed her in a tight hug and said “Whatever you decide to do, I’ll stand by you.” She breathed in his scent and they stood for a moment so everyone could quietly process. MJ left Peter’s arms with newfound purpose. 

“My dream is to help people in bad situations. I can’t do that if I’m in a bad situation myself. I want to get an abortion.” MJ said, her stance powerful. 

“Yeetus the fetus!” Ned cheered in support

“Ned, don’t you think that’s insensitive?” Peter shushed him while MJ laughed. 

“Nah it’s ok, I said that first,” MJ replied “Gotta cope with humor I suppose. And breaking the law.” 

“Oh that’s right,” Peter’s eyes widened. “They’re going by state law now, right? Is it still legal in New York?” 

“That’s the problem,” Ned sighed “It’s legal under certain circumstances. She could go to court and ask for permission, but let's be realistic. She’s a POC teenager in a happy relationship. It was consensual and it isn’t dangerous for her to carry to term at this time. The court allowing her to get one is iffy.” 

“Plus they’d make my parents sign an ungodly amount of papers. My parents knowing I had sex is a big no-no.” MJ rubbed her temples stressfully

“Why? You’re a teenager, it’s what we do.” Peter asked

“My mom is old fashioned. If she found out I had sex she’d force me to have and raise the baby as punishment. I’m so stressed I’m this close to eating and drinking everything that you aren’t supposed to when pregnant.” 

“No, no. You are not, under any circumstance doing that,” Peter grabbed her by the shoulders tightly “Do you know how dangerous that could be for you? People die from at home abortions.”

“And people die from giving birth!” MJ couldn’t stop herself from crying into Peter’s shoulder “I’m so scared.” 

“I know, I know. But Ned and I got you. We’ll figure this out.” 

And figure it out, they did. Peter may have, ahem, borrowed Tony Stark’s personal laptop (top tier security that the US government couldn’t hack in a hundred years) and began researching the best states to go to and addresses. He wrote everything down by hand, not trusting the Notes app on his phone. 

Ned was forcing MJ to be healthy. She wanted nothing more than to break every rule regarding pregnancy out of pettiness. Ned reminded her that those rules weren’t just for the fetus, but for her too. She could get anemic and sick because another organism was taking her nutrients. She couldn’t exactly split her meals half and half like: “Ok the fetus gremlin gets the coffee and I get the broccoli,”. 

The only thing the trio didn’t prepare for was their paternal figures catching on. Pepper and Tony were more observant than the kids realized. 

“MJ hasn’t used any of the complimentary menstruation supplies in a while.” Pepper noted as she chopped up some zucchini 

“Pep, stalking your intern’s menstrual cycle is kind of creepy. Law-suit material.” Tony said, half-awake after all of the meetings he’s had. 

“Not whenever I saw tons of pregnancy and abortion related stuff in my search history.” Pepper noted. Fun Fact: Tony and Pepper share one laptop out of all the laptops they both separately own. And Peter mistakenly took that one. And forgot to delete his searches properly. 

This woke up Tony immediately. 

“So it wasn’t a fluke.” Reality was hitting him like a train

“Excuse me?” Pepper stormed over in front of her boyfriend, furious “Does this mean you knew something and didn’t consult me?”

“It wasn’t my business to share. If you must know, about a week ago I saw a positive pregnancy test in our trash.”

“You what.”

“In my defense, I wondered if it was yours or Natasha’s too. I didn’t want to ask MJ with that also as a possibility. She already has a list of reasons to hate me, ‘creep’ is not one I care to add.” Tony said then groaned into his hand “Then we had a conversation.”

“I’m not liking the way this is sounding.” Pepper sat on the loveseat

“She asked me if she could still make it in the world if she made a mistake. And Natasha told me MJ asked her about her thoughts on abortion after I left.”

“Shit.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Tony, we gotta do something. Teenagers trying to get illegal medical care alone is asking for trouble. Whoever searched on my laptop didn’t even delete it right. They need support, money, and a safe place to recover.” Pepper told him worriedly. She could only imagine the loneliness and fear that MJ was going through. 

“We can’t force them to tell us. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to tell my dad that I got a girl pregnant at their age.” Tony shuddered, Howard wasn’t the poster parent for calm reactions. Pepper put a hand on his knee and smiled sympathetically. 

“We aren’t Howard though. They don’t have to be afraid of us having a bad reaction.” 

“Is that enough though?” Tony asked and Pepper’s phone went off. She checked it and showed Tony a message from MJ asking to meet up. 

“It has to be.” 

At their usual dining place, a vegan cafe, Pepper was gazing over MJ tentatively. MJ was different than she was, say a month or so ago. She walked with her head a little lower and she wore clothes that didn’t hug her skin. She was dressed in shame. 

“Hey sweetheart, is there a reason you wanted to meet me today? It isn’t our usual Friday.” Pepper asked as she sat down. MJ gripped the arms of her seat tighter and tried to smile. 

“Not specifically, I just wanted to see you. You always manage to cheer me up when things go haywire.” 

“By making fun of Republicans?” Pepper’s eyes glinted with mischief. 

“Heh, yeah.” MJ snorted “More importantly you always are there to listen to me. No matter how dumb my tangents are, you listen. It makes me feel seen.” 

“You deserve to be seen. You are a brilliant, passionate young woman. I always want to hear what’s going on in your mind, no matter how insignificant it seems to you.” Pepper assured her with sincerity. 

“Even if it’s just silly relationship problems and silly drawings I make of the teachers I don’t like?” 

“Especially those! I love seeing your artwork, the silly drawings are my personal favorites.” 

“...Would you like to see some comics I made? Ned and Peter forced me to make one of Spider-Man. Don’t worry, he ends up messing up and needing Magnificent Michelle to save the day.” 

“Will you be doing a dramatic reading of the dialogue?” Pepper asked

“Oh one-hundred percent.” MJ beamed and scooted her chair closer to Pepper to show her the sketchbook while they waited for their order.

MJ went home after her dinner with Pepper. However, this time was different. Her mom was sitting on the sofa in the living room, waiting. 

“Hi Mom, what are you doing?” MJ asked, a little shocked from the deadly serious look in her mother’s eyes. 

“Where have you been?” 

“With my boss, we get dinner sometimes. Remember?” 

“Oh yes I remember, Pepper Potts, right?” MJ’s mom didn’t bother to hide her bitterness. MJ simply nodded. “You know, I heard from the papers that she was a bisexual. I find it odd that a woman at her age is hanging out with a young girl like you so often. I could say the same about your boyfriend and Tony Stark, who’s also bisexual.” 

“I don’t see how sexuality has anything to do with me volunteering–”

“It has everything to do with it! MJ, answer me. Are you and your boyfriend being groomed?”

“ What?!” MJ gasped in horror “No! Mom, never! Miss. Potts is the sweetest human being on earth she would never!” 

“Funny, because just a few months ago you never would have stood up for a celebrity like that. She must have manipulated you into standing up for her. That pervert.”

“She isn’t a celebrity to me anymore, she’s my boss! She’s my…” Mom. 

“Lover?” MJ’s Mom questioned

“Ew, no, gross! Listen Mom, I get that you assume every non-het person is a pedo but you should know that isn’t true. Like, at all.” 

“I don’t care, I don’t need you to be influenced by those people .”

“Mom I’m fucking bisexual and I don’t like little kids! There are creeps in every damn sexuality, stop generalizing.”

“It’s not generalizing if it’s true! God, I can’t believe those perverts infected my daughter. Next thing I know you’re probably going to get pregnant from a ‘trans lesbian’.” 

“Lucky for you I guess because I was impregnated by a cisgender man! Does that make you any happier?” MJ shoved her hand over her mouth at the realization she told her mom what she swore she’d never admit to. 

“You’re what?” MJ’s mom sounded furious “What am I going to do, what are the people at my work going to think? Of course, you’d end up screwing up your life by sleeping around like a prostitute. I thought I taught you better than this.” Tears burned at MJ’s eyes and she knew that no matter how much she wished, this place would never be a home.

“You know what mom, screw you. I’m so tired of living here! You never speak to me because you’re so busy, and when you do it’s either to yell at me about my looks or grades or to say some homophobic BS! I’m done.” MJ snapped and grabbed her bag. 

“We aren’t done here young lady!” 

“You aren’t, but I am.” MJ turned around and walked straight out of that apartment without a second thought. MJ called Peter immediately. She knew he was probably on patrol so he’d answer her as long as he wasn’t in the middle of a fist fight. 

“MJ?” he answered on the second ring “It’s late, whatcha doing up?”

“Fuming as I stomp across the streets of New York.” MJ spat out so quickly that her words were almost incomprehensible 

“MJ, Wha–”

“My Mom knows I’m bi because she called Pepper a pedo and I wanted to stand up for her. Then I told her I’m pregnant.” 

“Oh shit.”

“Yuppp. I didn’t get kicked out or anything, but there is no way I am going back there tonight. Know any good alleys close to Midtown I can stay at for a few days?”

“No. Instant no. You are not staying in an alley. What kind of boyfriend would I be to let you do that? No, you are going to go to a safe place where we can cuddle and I can make you hot chocolate until you are better.” 

“And where would that be?” 

“Tony’s place, duh.” 

“Peter, you are such a freeloader.” MJ said, a few tears ran down her face but she was smiling. She had people in her corner. She had no idea how badly she would need that in the next week. 

Everyone was talking about a movie when Friday announced Peter and MJ were coming up. Immediately Tony and Steve started panicking, worried that something Spider-Man related happened for them to come unannounced. Meanwhile Pepper was worried about MJ’s home life. 

As if to confirm her fears, MJ had tear stained cheeks and was holding Peter’s hand like a life-line. 

“MJ,” Pepper said as Peter (still in his Spider-Man costume, minus the mask) and MJ came into the common room through the elevator. Pepper immediately ran to MJ and held her face, something maternal was gripping at her heart and she wondered if this is how Tony felt about Peter. MJ couldn’t help it, she started sobbing at the motherly touch and engulfed Pepper in a hug. 

Pepper instantly returned the hug and rubbed soothing circles on her back “Shh, it’s ok. It’s ok. You’re here now. I got you.” That only made MJ cry more. 

Peter frowned sympathetically at his girlfriend then saw that all of the Avengers were in the living room staring, confused. He discreetly pointed to the kitchen, silently demanding that they all leave before MJ sees them and gets embarrassed. As she hates showing emotion to anyone, let alone a group of superheroes. They thankfully got the hint and walked away. 

“Miss. Potts,” MJ’s voice came out raspy “Can I stay here for a few days?”

“Yes.” Pepper said, no questions asked, “And please, call me Pepper.”

“Thanks, Pepper.” MJ smiled as she sniffled. Pepper and Peter helped MJ into a guest bed before heading back out to the common room. Peter heard a bunch of hushed voices in the ceiling. 

“Clint, is the coast clear?” Someone, sounding like Bucky, asked 

“I don’t know, I don’t hear any crying…” Clint responded

“Idiots, Peter. We’re surrounded by idiots. Guys, you can return to the living room!” Pepper announced dramatically. 

Three Avengers (Clint, Bruce, and Bucky) all fell out of the air vents at once. Natasha, Tony, and Steve all walked out of the kitchen again like normal human beings. 

“I told you just to wait like the rest of us,” Natasha rolled her eyes then looked at Pepper “How is she?” 

“Tired,” Pepper sighed and slumped into her favorite recliner “Peter, what happened?” 

“I don’t want to share too much without MJ’s consent, but she and her mom got into a fight.” Peter replied “Her mom doesn’t… see eye to eye about some things.” Peter’s entire demeanor was the personification of rage. His fists were clenching around his mask, his teeth were gritted, and his eyes were glaring daggers. 

“Son, let’s go train in the gym.” Steve wasn’t asking, he was telling. 

“Why?” 

“Because you look like you want to murder somebody. It’s better to let all that steam out now.” Steve told him, and Peter sighed reluctantly. He and Steve walked away to the gym while the others continued conversing. 

“He’s not the only one.” Pepper admitted, “I’ve never seen her like that.” 

“Do you think her mom found out about the pregnancy?” Natasha asked, nonchalantly. Bruce and Bucky stared in shock while Tony and Pepper shrugged. 

“Shoulda guessed you’d figure it out.” Tony sighed 

“I was raised around girls who were taken advantage of and forced to give birth. I know morning sickness and pregnancy cravings like the back of my hand. MJ tried to hide it, but I know it when I see it.” Natasha said sadly. 

“Bruce, Bucky, Clint. You three aren’t to say a word about to anyone, especially MJ.” Pepper demanded. They all nodded immediately. 

“I already knew thanks to seeing Nat’s worried expression all the time, I won’t say a word. Not my business.” Clint agreed and chugged a protein shake. 

“Don’t worry about me saying anything either.” Bucky told them quickly “I’ll support the young lady no matter what happens and embarrassing her is the last thing I'd do.”

“If she needs any medical help I’m sure I could do something,” Bruce offered “I know people who can do abortions thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D . It’s more discreet to get one that way. Or if she wants to have the child I can help with that too.” Pepper and Tony’s ears perked up at the sound of that. 

“Why didn’t we think of that before?” Pepper asked 

“I could literally call Cho right now and get her to sign an NDA.” Tony murmured then turned to Pepper “Get MJ to tell you so we know what her plan is.” 

“She won’t don’t it.” Natasha spoke up as everyone started discussing plans. They all turned to her with puzzled expressions. Natasha explained “MJ doesn’t like the privileges that the wealthy have compared to the poor. Not everyone has Tony Stark the billionaire with private doctors sworn to secrecy and underground hospitals. Her morals are going to make her do it the hard way like everyone else, or not at all.” 

“Shit, you’re right.” Tony grumbled and slumped over to his favorite spot on the loveseat “So what do we do?” He asked. Pepper sat down beside him and squeezed his knee. 

“I guess we’ll have to find a doctor in a different state that will do it, then swear to MJ we’ll donate a lot to fellow clinics in operation.” Pepper sighed and looked at Natasha “Why does she have to be so stubborn?”

Without missing a beat, Natasha smiled and said:
“Because she takes after you.”

The next day MJ asked Friday to bring Natasha and Pepper to her room. Bucky, Clint, Tony, and Bruce all gave each other nervous looks. Whereas poor Steve was out of the loop and had no idea what was going on. 

Pepper and Natasha came into the room and slowly sat on the bed, worried they would scare MJ back into hiding under the covers. It was obvious she had been crying for a long while before she got the courage to call the women down. 

“So, you may be wondering why I am calling you here today,” MJ laughed sadly. “I got myself pregnant, like an idiot. It’s only the start but I already feel so damn sick and nauseous all the time.” MJ was crying again

“I told my mom I was bisexual and she call me a pervert, I don’t even want you to know what she said about learning I was pregnant.” MJ was letting out body-shaking sobs. She looks like the ocean in a hurricane, unstable and in pain. Pepper and Natasha both grabbed her hands and rubbed it sympathetically. 

“I feel so alone,” MJ sobbed out “I had a plan, and I’m going to lose it because of a stupid condom.” 

“Not on our watch,” Pepper said immediately “talented girls like you only show up in a blue moon. You aren’t losing your future. You are going to choose what’s right for you and we’ll build a future off either option.” 

“I don’t want to keep it. I can’t. I can’t, Pepper, I can’t. Everything hurts so much now and I– giving birth, the pain. No. I won’t Please Pepper, don’t make me.” MJ was pleading with every fiber in her soul. It took everything in both Natasha and Pepper not to demand Tony to give them suits so they could beat the crap out of whatever politician was putting MJ, and any other uterus owner, through this. 

“You don’t have to, dear, we support your choice.” Natasha said softly and put a strand of hair behind MJ’s ear

“We have ideas. And they might not be easy, but there are still options. We can always call Tony’s personal doctor Cho–” 

“No.” MJ interrupted Pepper immediately 

“Nat said you’d say that,” Pepper smiled softly “So the Avengers are planning a little field trip to Maine. You can’t tell a soul where you’re actually going, you might have to fake a vacation somewhere else even. But Maine is the holy land for us.” 

“Wait, her mom knows.” Natasha noted and panic struck through MJ and Pepper “If MJ comes back here, un-pregnant, her mom can report her.” 

“MJ you won’t like this,” Pepper said, turning stern “But if you really want to get this abortion you have to let us handle your mom with blackmail or something. You have to use the Avengers to your advantage–”

“But–”

“MJ I swear to you, I’ll have Tony working 24/7 to help whatever organization you choose or start his own. I will literally force Captain America to start making PSA’s about the history and importance of the pro-choice movement.” Pepper interjected

“MJ, it’s honorable that you don’t want to be treated differently because of your status with us. Still you have to remember that denying help for yourself doesn’t change if others get it or not.” Natasha told her then added “You can’t change the system in one day. You gotta help yourself out of this first, then fight like hell for everyone else.” 

“MJ, please. You know in your heart what you need to do. You shouldn’t have to struggle so much to get that, I’m sorry.” Pepper’s eyes were burning, hating that this child was having to fight tooth and nail for her bodily autonomy. 

MJ inhaled and exhaled. She knew that it wasn’t a perfect scenario, but this wasn’t a perfect situation. 

“Let’s go to Maine and kick my Mom’s ass.”

“That’s my girl!” Pepper cheered and wrapped MJ in a hug. Natasha swore they looked like mother and daughter for a split-second.

Getting to Maine and getting the abortion was no easy feat. The Avengers couldn’t go with MJ because it would draw too much attention to the fact she was from New York. So she had to go alone with Pepper (who wore a wig and crazy eyeshadow as a disguise), Peter, and Ned.  

At the clinic she was bombarded with graphic images and hate speech. People screamed slurs at her, death threats, and threats of hell. She bit her tongue and marched through a sea of hatred with her head held high. 

They could take her rights and they could take her body, but they would never take her spirit. 

With a spirit of passion she walked past the posters with her head held high. Ned and Peter happily flipped off all the protestors and Pepper whispered encouragement to MJ every step of the way. 

After the procedure, MJ felt like absolute shit. She felt exhausted and her stomach was cramping horribly. Peter got her a heating pad and gave her a shoulder massage in the hotel. 

“MJ, I’m getting a vasectomy as soon as I get back. I should have got one sooner, I’m sorry.” Peter told her as they snuggled in their bed (under the watchful eye of Pepper and the overly-invested-in-his-friend’s-love-life Ned Leeds).

“Not your fault, I forgot to take the morning after pill.” MJ yawned. 

“I personally blame Mrs. Jones’ stupid bio exam. Her stupid workload makes me forget my name.” Peter retorted, which caused MJ to fall into a heartfelt laugh. 

“You really would have stayed with me if I kept it?” She asked quietly. She had zero regrets, but she wanted to make sure. Peter held her tighter.

“I would have personally changed every diaper and thrown the dirty ones at any villains on my patrol.” 

“Gross.” MJ muttered, then gave Peter a peck on the lips “I love you, loser.”

“I love you too, dork.” 

Full recovery was expected to take 4-6 weeks, with side effects like light vaginal bleeding and cramps. But MJ did it. She made it through the worst of it. 

She at first thought she would return to her home soon. But after her mom learned she got the abortion, she wanted nothing to do with a ‘murderer’. 

MJ walked away, her soul bruised but not broken. 

Pepper welcomed her into her home with open arms. MJ was surrounded by a group of people who fully supported her sexuality and her right to choose.

As Pepper’s right-hand woman, she was given opportunities she never would have had without the internship. MJ spent her final high school years getting the most out of her education and hanging out with her friends. She lived a life she never would have been able to have, had she had the child. 

She spoke at court hearings for women’s rights on various occasions. So often that she and Fox News infamous reporter, Tucker Carlson, were in an on-going Twitter war. Which was mostly her retweeting segments of him going on long ass tangents about her ‘insane left wing ideals’ and making fun of his fashion. 

Funny thing was: anytime she said about a certain outfit he was wearing, he never wore it again. 

MJ graduated top of her class, Peter behind her. She got into her dream college and went into law so she could dedicate her life to defending the people that no one was willing to take a chance on. 

She was maid of honor at Pepper’s and Tony’s wedding. She and Pepper didn’t always get along. They were like mother and daughter. They had arguments, they had fights, and they made mistakes. But like a true mother and daughter bond, they always made up and worked hard to learn from past conflicts. 

Stark Industries' image was forever changed. It went from the company that made horrid weapons to the company that genuinely wanted to help anyone that needed it with its profits. 

Chad was fired for sexually harrassing a female employee (Shocker). 

If you asked MJ years later what she thought about her decision to abort she would smile and say: 

“I did the right thing. I knew I wasn’t mentally ready to raise a child. Because I aborted, I have been able to help countless actual children. I will spend my life fighting for the children that these so-called ‘pro-lifers’ don’t care about. I fight for the disabled, queer, immigrant, POC, poor, and forgotten children that society pretends doesn’t exist. Because I aborted, I have been able to save so many. I saved myself.”