Entry tags:

!completed gdoc, liz parker (has_flashes), peter parker (stark_intern), ~2022 august, ~~mj (glass_halffull)

Who: Mj, Liz, Peter
What: MJ returns without memories
Where: the park
When: July 31st
Warnings: should be low
Status: closed/g-doc


When MJ found herself back in Madison Valley she stood still for a moment to collect herself. She’d just gotten into MIT with Ned back home, and while she remembered his telling her, she actually got to live it herself.

She looked around and MJ breathed relief when she spotted Liz. Did MJ ponder the fact she couldn’t remember how she and Liz met? No. Who was with…oh MJ recalled Liz’s boyfriend in an abstract kind of way.

The teenager walked over to greet her friend and her friend’s boyfriend. “Liz! I got into MIT!” MJ couldn’t hold back her excitement. As an afterthought, she turned to Liz’s boyfriend. “Hello Liz’s boyfriend.”

---

MJ being gone was weird and a little disconcerting, especially since they knew that she could come back a lot like Ned. Liz was worried for Peter most of all since MJ would be 'fine' except for her memories. When she say MJ, she felt a little relief when it looked like MJ remembered them. She smiled widely. "MJ. You're back. Congratulations." She should have been able to make the connection between MIT and MJ losing her memories, but she didn't. So when she said 'Liz's boyfriend's Liz struggled not to look completely shocked and a bit upset. Instead she breathed through the reaction. "Um. Peter. This is Peter."

---

Peter knew the possibility was there when MJ went back and while he had been braced for the blow, it didn't make it any easier when it hit its target.

"Peter Parker," he said hoarsely. He would have offered her his hand, but he knew that MJ didn't do handshakes. Not even at her university interviews.

"Welcome back."

---

MJ smiled at Liz. “Thank you! It’s a bit weird to be back..” She took in the expressions both of them wore. Then she realized it must be weird to have your friend return and not recall your boyfriend.

Did she find it strange he knew not to shake her hand? A little bit actually. “You know I don’t like to shake hands? Anyway, nice to meet you, Peter Parker.” MJ offered her hand in a fist bump manner, though. “Did I miss anything since the cruise?” Oh shit. She hoped her guardian didn’t worry too much.

---

Liz thought Peter was way better at this than she was. She felt like she was about to accidentally give away some big secret every time she opened her mouth. Liz wondered if she should tell MJ. MJ would probably want to know, right? But would she feel bad? Obligated? She should have talked to Peter more about this before MJ came back, but she and Peter had kind of been hoping MJ would come back with her memories.

“You and a bunch of other people left. You’re one of the few who actually came back though. Almost makes you wonder if the cruise was sort of like… a farewell thing or something.”

---

Peter bumped MJ's fist back. That was definitely more MJ's style.

"Yeah, other than that, nothing's really happened since then. The Dome hasn't done anything since we got back from the cruise, either." Which meant normalcy for most people. These days, things only really felt abnormal when the Dome decided to do something. The cruise was nice and maybe that's why the Dome made the choice to take MJ away and bring her back with no memories of him. It couldn't stay nice for long.

---

“Shit. I wonder who left.” Obviously not the two people here. “Are Alyssa and Ned okay? Coach? Still here?” Obviously MJ remembered Alyssa as close with Ned and Liz.

She smiled at Peter. Cute. But the thought drifted out of her mind since he had a girlfriend: her friend.

“I hate this. So much. The Dome can bite me.” MJ did not understand the irony with her remark. “At least I didn’t miss too much work then. Hopefully May understands.” Why did Liz look so guilty? “Okay Liz, what are you not telling me?”

---

Liz nodded with the mention of each person. Coach she wasn’t 100% sure, but she was pretty sure he was still there.

“I don’t think May is the kind of person who would be angry that you were sent home against your will.” She wondered if there was a clause in employment here for that. She had never considered it, but now she wondered - especially if the establishment wasn’t run by another refugee.

At the question, Liz looked a bit startled, eyes wide. “Oh, um - “ She looked to Peter as if to say ‘help?’

---

Peter quickly stepped in before MJ could press any further. “May’s my aunt, so if there’s any problems, I’ll talk to her about it. But Liz is right, there probably won’t be any problems. There weren’t any when I went back earlier this year.”

---

Peter obviously tried to distract her, but why bothered MJ. Obviously they didn’t know each other well enough, or he would know how MJ observed lots of things. Perhaps too many things.

“Oh yeah. I forgot she’s your aunt. Also you two are terrible at trying to change the subject. So, you might as well tell me. Did I murder someone?” she joked.

---

“What?!” Liz didn’t quite process that MJ had been joking so she looked and sounded a bit more panic-surprised than she would have normally. “No! No. You didn’t murder anyone.” Liz didn’t think any of them were capable of murder..

The stress she felt seemed to grow and so did the pit in her stomach. She felt the telltale tingling in her palms and she glanced down to see brief sparks of green energy rippled over her hands. She clenched her fists and took in several deep breaths, calming herself and in doing so the energy dissipated.

---

Peter was so focused on MJ that he didn’t even notice what was going on with Liz. He took a breath, then forced the words out.

“You lost your memory,” he blurted out. “Well, part of it. So did Ned when he came back, so it’s not really just an MJ thing.”

---

“Uh but I obviously know who Ned, my best friend is, and Liz. I remember I live with Mia who is engaged to Nick. I play lacrosse. Or I did in high school here.”

MJ noticed Liz. “Liz? You okay?” She knew Liz’s tells and this looked like one of those moments. Why did Peter keep looking at her like that?

---

She was doing better now that Peter at least told MJ something and that she wasn’t about to accidentally explode everything. She hated how her powers were attached to her emotions. “I’m just worried about you.” This was the truth.

Liz frowned a little. “...You were Peter’s best friend too.” It was close enough to not hurt her chest from saying so.

---

Peter’s heart raced beneath his chest. “Yeah,” he said. “We knew each other back home in Queens. Not just here in Madison.”

---

“Oh.” MJ considered his words. “Ned didn’t remember either?” Strange. Quite strange.

“I will let you two get back to your day. I should probably go let Mia and Ned know I returned.

---

Liz had no idea how to feel about it all, but she felt a weird combination of relief and confusion, like rather than having closed a capture, they left the book wide open in the rain while unfinished.

Pressing her lips together, she nodded. “That’s um, probably a good idea, yeah.”

---

“Yeah,” Peter agreed. This was awkward. “It was… um, it was real good seeing you, MJ.”