Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-One. Flash Fired

Flash felt angry, nothing but angry since he woke up in the hospital. It didn't matter that his life was on the line, no one understood that football was his life. So when his father made the call to have both of his feet amputated after the Venom incident, he had effectively ended more than just his career, he had ended his future too.

Flash didn't care about the latest prosthetics or that he would be able to walk or play ball again with them. He felt like a freak, less than a man and his dreams of professional football was nothing but that now, a dream. One he had woken up from to find a new nightmare had taken its place. He'd tried to connect with her again, but even that was impossible, every time he looked at her he saw the diner, every time he tried to touch her, she flinched.

"Look Flash, you've been bottling up so much stuff and all I'm saying is that you need to see the therapist as well as the physio," MJ stated, since Muse was there she'd become braver when facing people like Flash, even if he yelled or screamed she knew Muse would protect her. Not just mentally. Peter had been showing her some simple moves, taught by his martial arts class and she knew with super-strength she could defend herself against someone like Flash with no effort. She had even considered joining him, she would never have to feel afraid again, not with Peter and not with Muse protecting her.

He didn't care and stared sullenly at the end of the hospital bed where his feet used to be, where his hopes and dreams had been cut off from him, all because of that damn Venom, all because of that damn Parker.

He'd even taken MJ away and now she was leaving him for Parker, he'd had enough in junior high, listening to her go on and on about damn Parker until he asked her out, it only took three attempts to wear her down, but even then he never felt like she was his girlfriend. They never did anything serious, nothing like the other guys bragged about. They held hands and she kissed him once after a big win but that was it.

"Flash, are you even listening to me? I can't, I can't do this Flash, you say nothing, you do nothing. It's too much." He watched emotionlessly as tears dripped from MJ's face. What the fuck was she crying for? He'd saved her when the ceiling came down. He knew that it would have crushed her if he hadn't pushed her out the way, if he hadn't saved her he would have been fine. He felt the rage bubble up once more.

"Your fault, it's your fault," he screamed at her and she flinched backwards, scrambling to move away from him. She could see that this was more than anger, his fists gripped the blanket around his waist, his knuckles white from the pressure, his face red as he yelled.

"No, Flash you, you saved me, you can't."

"I can, if I hadn't saved you, I wouldn't be here, leave, go, just...fucking go." He yelled at her.

In a flood of tears, MJ grabbed her bag and ran from the room, the nurses in the hallway heard their altercation and while Flash was angry there was no need for him to lash out at her, especially as it wasn't the first time. MJ ran through the hospital, tears streaming down her face until she reached the main entrance, searching for a cab she dashed inside.

The cabbie looked at the tear sodden young woman, mascara and makeup stains all over her face. "Hey, you alright miss?" MJ took a few deep breaths and nodded at the cabbie. Normally with pickups from outside the hospital, he knew better than to ask. If she wanted to talk she would, but sometimes the news wasn't the sharing kind.

While the cabbie looked at her in concern, she was too busy to reply, Muse? Can you do that, I mean, all the time? Make me cry?

We can, we can make the mary feel whatever she wants, but we don't, the Flash did that, we just made you feel it, to hide is to hurt more,

MJ is fine you know, we're uh, close enough that Mary sounds weird, but do you? Do you make me feel things?

We can, but we do not. The Peter is right, too much and you break, too little and you break, we make you happy when needed and sad when needed.

Am I broken?

You are you and we are us, no more no less, we taste you and we feel it too, but we love you and protect you.

Love you too.

Cleaning her face up on the ride home, she tipped the driver an extra 10 for his concern. Stretching once she was sure no one could see, she strode up the newly cleaned front entrance. Peter was dedicated to making this a proper home for the three of them, spending most of his time cleaning and weeding the outside while the weather was nice.

He had shown the pair plans to make the outside a rockery and while they had vetoed the idea he still wanted to make things more comfortable for them all. While Gwen pointed out that with the heavy trucks and other vehicles sitting outside was pointless he should focus on the inside more, make a comfort zone in the skyline so they could sit and look out the windows, or expand in the decking to make space for a pool or hot tub, the warehouse was big enough.

Finding him shirtless again, she bit her lip and felt Muse approve as well, "I'm home," she shouted and waved before making her way along with one of the paths into her box house. Flash was now out of her life and she didn't even need to lie. No one would blame her for staying away if all he did was yell. He was now treating everyone that way, not just her, and breaking up with him seemed like a normal thing to do.

Gwen was at work right now, her internship at Oscorp stretched into a part-time lab assistant job and the money she was now earning dwarfed both MJ and Peter's put together. Not that either of them minded, With his job at the junkyard and the rent they both paid he wasn't rolling in money but the lights were kept on and his refrigerator was always full.

MJ had started to get auditions as well and even read for a few understudy parts, nothing solid so far but speaking to the other waiting staff at the diner where she worked, she was getting more interest than most her age.

Peter came in towelling himself off but while she thought of asking him to bend her over the table it was Gwen's day. That was their agreement, so there was no jealousy or feelings of being ignored, they each took a day. She and Peter could kiss, cuddle but actual sex was banned. Gwen had joking said that it would be alright if MJ joined in but she was strictly hetero, even if watching Gwen and Pete screw like animals made her wet, and more often than not once Gwen was spent she took over.

Shit, she thought to herself, can't do anything, gotta stop thinking about it. Recently she thought about it a lot, once she discovered the joy it could bring her, the physical pleasure and closeness of joining with him she understood why Gwen was so adamant that they took turns. She would be greedy, spending her free time with Peter buried within her. Even Muse wanted him, a burning desire they both shared and revelled in. More than that though he was a rock for her, a safe place in the storm of emotions she was sometimes lost in, and she took comfort in that.

She knew she loved him, but sometimes he was as dense as the steel he'd been busy cutting up. Book smart, street dumb was how Gwen called it and it described him to a tee. She had no qualms about being the opposite and it never bothered her when Peter and Gwen got lost in a discussion about some hexatexmexapoutine breakthrough or some new scanner at Oscorp. It was adorkable to watch them get excited over something that hummed for six days, went ting and then printed something out on a piece of paper.

She got excited when she got a reading and they both chipped in to help learn her lines, most of the time it was more of an echo chamber as Muse helped her with a perfect memory. Muse took great joy in reading the scripts with her but she wanted to share that passion with Peter and Gwen as well.

"So uh how was the visit?" Peter asked her, unsure of how exactly to broach the subject. He carefully came into her home and sat himself down on one of the armchairs he had gotten for her.

"It was fine," MJ replied. "Peter, stop thinking I've got any feelings for him, I don't, I care about you," she kissed him on the nose. "With Flash, that was just an act so I could get away from all the whining he'd started to do plus, he was starting to get grabby again." MJ pulled a face, the last time she had gone he'd tried to touch her breasts and she'd automatically pulled back, which started an argument. One of many they'd been having since the diner and one where he ended up yelling at her again. She busied herself putting away her bag and Muse morphed into a set of indoor clothes, cheekily flashing Peter in the process as she changed into slacks and a loose blouse.

"But enough about him, Flash is in the past. We broke up and it's not like he'll show up here, but Peter, Gwen and I are worried about you."

Peter frowned, "me?" he asked,

"Yes you," she replied, sitting down on her couch. "It's been over a week since the diner, Gwen and I are moving on, moved out, but you're not out patrolling anymore. You stay here or go to the junkyard, so what's up? If you're upset Gwen and I aren't willing to join you, you should say."

Gwen had shaken her head when Peter suggested it, she was way too busy with work and college prep to even think about adding more on her plate, and when MJ thought about having to fight she froze. The idea of hurting someone, having someone cry, or attack her made her panic and it was Muse who calmed her down in the end.

Peter shifted uncomfortably, "I uh, you know, just trying to get myself started with Parker Inc,"

MJ put a finger on his lips, "Peter, if it's guilt about causing the accident then stop. It was four bad guys, they wanted something and that poor woman would have been hurt or worse. It was that grey idiot that caused the building to come down, not you."

Peter smirked, "yeah but, I, I dunno, I think about going out and I just don't have the time, not enough to keep up with the exams I want to sit anyway."

"Tiger, You need to get motivated, even if you're not out hunting bad guys, get ready for when you are. So to motivate you, Gwen and I came up with a little plan." MJ reached behind the couch and pulled out a glass jar with folded paper in it. "Each time you pass a milestone, like a class or a project you're working on, you get one of these."

Peter frowned, "I get a bit of paper?"

"No you dumbass, take one and look at it."

Peter reached into the jar and took the first piece that came to hand, unfolded and read it. His face turned into a bright smile as he did.

"Are they all sex things?" He asked a grinning MJ.