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Felicia has been through a lot of weird stuff during her life as Black Cat– saving Manhattan from Hell, robbing a space casino for a special artefact, fighting an horde of black aliens that made Eddie Brock's own symbiote look like wet mud; but the weirdest thing to date is being yanked in alternative timelines by a magic mirror stashed in a secret vault inside the Negative Zone.
It's been a little more than a week now and Felicia can't shake off the lingering feeling that something is missing. Either that Singularity kid messed up and sent them in the wrong universe or there's some aftereffect. Not that she'd know, sci-fi media never explained the after of things and the internet is not particularly helpful. She tried asking Boris with no luck («How should I know, I'm a demolition expert, boss, the multiverse is not my field»), Peter still doesn't answer his phone, and she's pretty sure Tony Stark has her blocked on every platform and device after the mess with the armor suit, which leaves her with one last option.
Sue answers after two rings, «Hello?»
«Hypothetically speaking» Felicia says as a way of greeting, «is there some collateral effect to multiversal travel?»
«Hello to you too, Felicia, how are you?»
«Fine, trying not to lose my mind over alternate timelines, which brings us to my original question»
Sue sighs, «Unfortunately, the multiverse is not my expertise, but Reed and I are in town for a couple of days, maybe we can meet? He knows so much more about it than me»
«Well, I never say no to free coffee»
«Of course» Sue says and Felicia can hear her eye-roll through the phone, «I'll send you the address»
---
The place Sue chose is a quaint little café just outside of Hell's Kitchen with brick walls and potted plants. The smell of fresh pastries and grounded coffee hits Felicia the moment she steps inside, her eyes landing on Sue and Reed already seated at a table by the big window.
«Hey» Felicia greets, taking a seat opposite the couple.
«Miss Hardy» Reed says, just as Sue smiles at her, «my wife tells me you have questions about the multiverse»
«It's actually slightly more complicated than that»
Felicia explains everything, the tape retrieval, the Negative Zone, the siege perilous, the life they lived if radioactive spiders and legendary thieves didn't get involved. «And now it's been a week and I'm still having these, I don't know, dreams of us living together, but it's always different scenarios»
«How did you get back?» Reed asks.
«A kid who claims she's a pocket universe»
Reed hums. «It seems that this siege perilous could have some collateral impact on the user, I'd like to study it in a controlled environment, run some tests-»
«Reed, honey» Sue interrupts, «why don't you go grab some pastries for the kids?»
Reed stops mid-rant, eyes softening as he looks at his wife. Without a word, he grabs the wallet and makes his way to the counter where muffins and croissants are proudly displayed in a glass case. Felicia isn't a mind reader, but she's pretty sure he's still calculating how to get to the vault, if the unnatural number of fingers appearing on his hand as he waits in line are anything to go by.
Weird dude.
Once alone, Sue turns to her, «I think you should talk to MJ»
Felicia raises one eyebrow, «And tell her what? “I've been having weird ass dreams about us together since we came back”? Way to make me look like a freak, Susan»
«Felicia, as weird as it sounds you're my friend and I love you, but this is not a science thing or a cosmic mystery, maybe you really like MJ not as just a friend and your subconscious is telling you to fess up and do something about it»
Felicia's fingers play with the packet of sugar near her coffee cup. She can't lie and say she doesn't find the MJ Watson attractive, she made a whole career out of it after all, but worst of it, as she learned to know the other woman, Felicia found out she's also smart, funny and one hell of a badass.
Felicia looks back at Sue, «Your husband is still set of finding a way to get the siege»
«Don't worry, I'll talk to him. He's smart but sometimes he's… Well…» she sighs, fond and exasperated, «his people skills are not always the best»
---
Felicia stares at her phone, the cursor blinking at her expectantly as she thinks over and over what to write MJ.
She parted ways with half the Fantastic Four with the promise of telling Sue how it goes like it's some sort of job interview and not something that could change her whole dynamic with MJ for the foreseeable future.
She groans and flops back on her bed. She doesn't understand, she's always been so smooth at flirting, at this point it's like second nature to her, so why is it so hard now?
«Well, first of all, that's your friend» she tells the empty room, «and second, you don't even know if she's into women»
God, she feels like a teenager asking her crush to prom.
She takes a deep breath and dials MJ's number before she can overthink herself into an early grave.
«Hello?»
Felicia sits up, «MJ, hi»
«Fel? Everything ok?»
«Yeah, everything's fine, I was just wondering, do you wanna come over? We can order pizzas and get shitfaced»
MJ chuckles, «Yeah, sure, I'll be there by 7?»
Felicia bites her lip to stop the stupid grin forming on her face, «7 it is then»
---
The knock comes five minutes past seven. When Felicia opens the door, she's met with a grinning redhead holding up a six pack.
«I know it's not champagne, but you can't drink champagne with pizza, no matter how many times you say otherwise» MJ says walking inside.
«Anything is good with pizza, I will make you change your mind in the end»
MJ snorts over her shoulder, «I'd like to see you try»
Felicia rolls her eyes and follows MJ to the kitchen. «So, what are you in the mood for?»
«Surprise me. Nothing with pineapple, though, or anchovies»
They end up eating capricciosa at the kitchen island, the sun dipping below the horizon giving the room a warmth that makes Felicia's stomach turn into butterflies at the domesticity of it all as she listens to MJ talk about how her neighbor's cat got stuck on the fire escape for the third time in so many days.
Damn you, Sue...
Later, they end up on the couch watching some shitty movie that looks like whoever wrote it lost the plot after the first 30 minutes and couldn't wait for it to be over, but Felicia isn't paying much attention to it because her mind is on MJ since she walked through her door and all the other times they spent time together, at how she just fits in her life without effort, how she never tried to change Felicia or pretended she could, instead asking for her help and skills time and again.
Felicia is brought back to the present by MJ's shoulder bumping into hers.
«You alright? You've been weirdly silent the whole time»
«Mh? Yeah, fine, just thinking»
MJ turns sideways to look better at her, «You sure? You know you can tell me anything»
Felicia sighs and looks up at the ceiling. «Do you ever think what could've happened if we kept jumping timelines?»
«That could've gotten boring pretty fast» MJ says with a raised eyebrow.
«Right…» Felicia licks her lips, «But you think our lives would still be intertwined in a way?»
«Fel, what are you saying?»
Felicia covers her eyes, «I don't know, I have no idea where I'm going with this, just gathering my thoughts» she drops her hands and looks at MJ, who's looking at her with quiet patience.
«I like you» Felicia blurts out, «more than just a friend or a partner in crime, and it took me a fucking magic mirror to realize it» she let out a huff, «it's ok if you don't feel the same way, it doesn't have to change anything, I just wanted-»
Felicia is interrupted by MJ's lips on hers, her hands holding her face like she doesn't want to let her go any time soon.
«God, Fel…» MJ breathes on her lips, «you don't even know…» she shakes her head, forehead dropping on Felicia's, «that timeline we lived, I was happy for you, that Peter was a great guy, but I couldn't help but think how it would've been if you chose me instead»
Felicia brains short-circuits for a moment before her eyebrows form into a frown, «Why didn't you say anything?»
MJ shrugs, «Nothing much to say when you two started dating not long after we got there, I didn't want to take it away from you again»
«I'm over Peter, you know that, I've been over him for years now» Felicia says, leaning back, «I'm choosing you, should've done it a long time ago»
The smile MJ gives her is brighter than any diamond she's ever stolen and Felicia finds herself unable to resist as she leans in and kisses her again.
---
Sunlight filters through the curtains of Felicia's bedroom as she slowly squints her eyes open only to be met by a mop of red hair. This close, Felicia can count MJ's freckles, find constellations in them.
Getting sappy here, Hardy. She thinks, even though she can't stop herself from tracing them with the tip of her finger.
MJ makes a sleepy sound, curling further into her and Felicia tightens her arm around her waist, burying her nose in her hair.
For the first time since the siege perilous, her reality is better than her dream.