(Untitled)

[getemtiger]

When Peter had left the hut that morning, mere moments after she had woken up, Mary Jane hadn't been particularly surprised. It wasn't the first time he'd done this, after all, waiting until she was no longer asleep to head out, and while it may not have usually been so rushed when he did, at least it made a certain amount of sense. Each knowing

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[daretodo]

"Stark's," I say without hesitation, setting down my significantly bag on the desk. While I ran out of here this morning in a rush, papers shoved in it without rhyme or reason, I left the bulk of my research in Tony's workshop for him to look over -- now the only things in it are the clothes I changed out of when I stopped at the Compound on the way back, Mary Jane's pleas for me to take care of myself not having fallen on deaf ears. I'm showered, shaved, and fed, though I lacked the patience to fight with the clothes box for too long. As far as Spider-Man t-shirts go, this one's not too offensive -- just a simple black spider on a plain red background -- but it's not something I'd usually grab all the same. Unfortunately, there's just no way I know of to hide the circles around my eyes without makeup. Maybe I look half-respectable, but there's no denying I'm exhausted.

Looking over at MJ, I add, "I, uh, had a bit of a breakthrough last night."

[getemtiger]

"You did?" Mary Jane asked, eyebrows raising slightly, that being of more interest than the answer to where he'd been. She would have guessed as much, anyway; it was just confirmation of what she'd suspected to begin with. His saying he'd made a breakthrough, though, sounded fairly significant, not something he would have said if it were some small thing. What, exactly, that meant, she couldn't quite be sure, but it was both unsettling and relieving to hear all at once, for two vastly different reasons, neither she wanted to dwell on.

Keeping her attention more focused on Peter, finding that considerably easier, she rested a hand at his elbow, head tilting towards him. "Come on, sit down, stay off your feet for a while. What kind of breakthrough?"

[daretodo]

Leaning down to press a kiss to her temple, I linger for a moment, just enjoying the simple contact after what's already been a very, very long day. I dislodge her hand, but only to slip my arm around her waist, pulling her in just that little bit closer. I'm exhausted, sure, but I'm relieved at the same time, like some of the weight I've been carrying around with me these past few months has finally been lifted. Maybe it's premature so start thinking like this, but for the first time in a long time, my hope doesn't feel forced.

"I found a stopgap," I explain after a beat, and despite knowing her feelings on my involvement in all this, I can't hide the note of gratefulness in my voice. "The one I've been looking for, I found it, and it's... I think it's viable."

[getemtiger]

For a moment, Mary Jane's breath caught in her throat, lips parting like she meant to speak, though she did nothing but blink, no words coming out. As far as breakthroughs went, that was even more than she had been expecting, and it was hard to know just how to respond to that besides leaning in to Peter's touch, keeping close. From a purely objective point of view, there wasn't any better news to hope for, at this point, and that was the problem. If not for her husband's involvement, Mary Jane would have been more than content to sit back and let the palladium take its toll on Tony. She had told him once that she hoped he died, and though it had been said in the heat of the moment, while thinking he'd killed Peter, she had absolutely meant it; a part of her still did. She knew Peter, though, and while she admittedly couldn't understand what was making him do this, she also knew how hard it would have been on him if Tony died before he could find a solution. If only for that reason, she'd had to hope that he would be able to pull