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leiasfanaccount648 · 5 years ago

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Good Times

MJ (Michelle Jones) x Fem!Reader

A/N: This is for @starksparker’s Summer Writing Challenge! I hope you all enjoy it.

Prompt: Song #6 - Good Times by All Time Low

Word Count: 5350

Warnings/Contains: Angst, fluff, slow burn, mentions of protests/statements about LGBTQ+/gender/body type(?) equality, abortion, and rape (some of the news/protests mentioned are news that’s actually happened recently in Europe and America so I apologize in advance if things don’t exactly match up once this has been posted and/or you’re against anything mentioned in this). This (technically) takes place during FFH, but I’ve changed it to where it’s just the class all going on the school trip to Europe and nothing more. All in all, it doesn’t contain any spoilers for FFH. Endgame spoilers are hinted at but not actually said.

Summary: As a graduation gift, (Y/N) gets to join her friends on their summer school trip to Europe. As the weeks go by and destinations change, she starts to view things in a different light. Something about Europe changes her, and maybe someone else.

“Passengers for flight 328 to London, England may now start boarding. Again, passengers for flight 328 to London, England may now start boarding.”

(Y/N) couldn’t believe it. When confirming the paperwork, she didn’t believe it. Packing for the past two weeks straight, she still didn’t believe it. Arriving at the airport, going through security, waiting by the gate, it all just seemed so unrealistic. She had never been able to do something so extravagant. She wasn’t just going to one place outside the country for a week, but all over Europe for 3 weeks. It was a big deal to her.

Growing up, she lived in New York but never had the chance to ever travel. Maybe a spring break or summer vacation every other year or so, but everything seemed to be the same with the same people. When she heard about the summer trip to Europe that her class could go on, she begged everyone in her family to let her go. Forget any and all possible birthday and Christmas gifts. This was the dream of a lifetime, and to get to go with (hopefully) some friends of hers? Even better.

All her friends, as well as her family that paid for her to go, all decided to go that very year they were told of the trip. They thought it would be a good idea as a way to relax and have fun after everything that had happened over the last 5 years. Even though she had been planning and getting ready for the trip all school year long, it was still so unrealistic. Imagine going on a once in a lifetime opportunity; it feels as though it may get stripped away from you at any second even though you know it’s stuck in your grasp. For once, the cards, more like her plane ticket and passport, were in (Y/N)’s hands as she stood and gathered her carry on luggage to take on the plane.

She looked over at her classmates, smiling wider as she took a moment to look at all of them individually. Flash was vlogging on his phone about the pre-trip (he almost got yelled at for trying to record while going through security); Ned was looking at a travel guide of different European cities; and then there was Peter, looking strangely relaxed more than excited for the trip. Maybe he was just as glad as (Y/N) for a chance at a new take of scenery to clear her head.

As she went to go get in line to board, she felt something bump into her side that almost knocked her over. She looked to her left, and saw MJ putting her backpack on her shoulders. She was smiling a little to herself, and it made (Y/N) happy that MJ was physically expressing how happy she was, even a little bit. It was rare to see her smile, and any friend smiling is a moment worth saving.

MJ noticed (Y/N) glance towards her and her smile quickly turned into a slight smirk. “I got enough books and movies downloaded on my laptop for both plane rides. What about you?” She gestured to the backpack that (Y/N) had on her shoulders. It wasn’t filled to the brim or as heavy as MJ’s but still contained all the essentials for the plane rides as well as the tours around the cities they would soon take.

(Y/N) shrugged. “Just a couple books, headphones, a small pillow and blanket to nap for a portion of the flights.” She laughed softly to herself, adjusting the straps on her shoulders. “Just things I know I’ll definitely need.” She smiled, unable to contain her excitement. The actual trip hadn’t even started but she had only flone on a place maybe 1 or 2 other times in her life. This was just as exciting.

MJ chuckled at (Y/N)’s words, finding it amusing. “Feel free to ask for a book if you get bored.” She walked ahead to get in line. (Y/N) stared at her a moment longer before deciding to do the same.

Walking through the hallway towards the plane, (Y/N) admired the artwork of New York City along the walls. She heard Flash continuing to vlog and other classmates chat amongst themselves, causing her to smile. This was really happening.

She finally reached her seat, that was sadly in the middle out of the three but she’d make it work, and got herself settled in.

“You mind moving your legs?”

(Y/N) looked up towards the aisle and saw MJ looking down at her. “Oh, yeah, sorry.” She laughed softly, pulling her backpack from the floor to rest in her lap so that MJ could get through. She was lucky to have the window seat. MJ didn’t say another word as she sat down, but (Y/N)’s attention was turned elsewhere.

“Hey guys, you excited?”

(Y/N) looked behind her, smiling when she saw Ned leaning over her seat to talk to her and MJ. (Y/N) stood and leaned against the seat with one arm so that she could face MJ and Ned. “Very.” She grinned before noticing Peter was sitting in his seat next to the window and messing with his backpack to get his headphones out. MJ replied to Ned, not bothering to turn around as she was getting one of her many books from her bag too. “Yep, you know it.”

(Y/N) giggled at MJ’s actions before turning to Peter. “What about you, Peter? Excited about the trip?”

Peter looked up at (Y/N), a small smile on his face. He honestly looked tired yet at the same time so at ease. “Yeah, it’s been awhile since I’ve gone on a proper vacation.” He laughed softly, causing (Y/N) to do the same.

“I know what you mean. We’re finally getting to finally leave New York and see a new part of the world, and not even just one! I’ve always lived this normal city life with nothing that exciting. I want to be able to have experiences and make memories from the good times I’ll have.” (Y/N) smiled to herself, glancing at the ground before looking back up between Ned and Peter. “And the fact I have my friends here makes it even better.”

She didn’t know what she said to cause Peter to smile so wide, but she’s glad she did. “Well, I’ve heard Berlin is beautiful so I’d look forward to it if I were you.”

~ ~ ~

About 2 hours into the 7 ½ hour long flight, (Y/N) was starting to grow tired. The teacher that was taking them said that flying overnight to London was somehow cheaper for the school, and students, to pay for so needless to say that most of the class was asleep around whatever time zone they were currently in while flying over the Atlantic. (Y/N) managed to stay awake for the first 2 hours by watching a movie on her laptop, but she couldn’t stop yawning near the end. Flash was next to her in the aisle seat, passed out and snoring a little bit (thank god she didn’t forget her headphones last minute), and MJ was somehow still wide awake reading her book. (Y/N) was about to close her eyes and give into falling asleep well but MJ’s sudden movements brought her back to staying awake. She looked to her, pulling her headphones off and placing them around her neck. “Good book?”

MJ nodded. “Yep. Just finished it. Then again I did start it this morning and it wasn’t that long.” She put the book back in her bag, reaching down to grab a small blanket from the bottom of it. If (Y/N) hadn’t known any better she would have suspected that MJ had a bottomless bookbag like Hermione from Harry Potter (which she had seen MJ read despite her saying that she doesn’t like to get into that much popular culture).

MJ then proceeded to pull out her sketchbook and turned to a certain page. (Y/N) glanced down at the words written on it, seeing the titles of the books she brought with her. She checked off the one she just read, writing a number next to it, probably a rating she gave it. “Mind waking me up when we get there?”

(Y/N) nodded as MJ as she put her sketchbook away. “Yeah, totally.” MJ grabbed the small plane pillow that was under her seat before leaning back against the still open window (despite it now being night time where they were), pillow behind her head. (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile as she stared at MJ a moment longer before going back to finishing her movie. She couldn’t help but feel so comfortable around her.

(Y/N) woke up about 5 hours later when she felt Flash next to her jolt awake. Apparently there had been some turbulence causing him to wake up quite startled. Flash proceeded to pull out his phone and took a quick video, whispering (kinda loud) about what just happened before proceeding to play a game on his phone. (Y/N) meanwhile had heard a ring come from above, meaning that the captain or a flight attendant was about to speak. She pulled her headphones off just in time to hear what was being said.

“If everyone could please put their seat belts back on, we will be landing in about 20 minutes at the London International Airport.”

(Y/N) had never felt herself smile so wide. They were here. She turned to MJ, remembering to wake her up, but hesitated when she saw the sun peak over the horizon, shine through the open window, and momentarily blind her. She moved her head back against the seat to avoid the sun’s light and saw MJ still asleep in her seat. She had moved slightly so her head was resting right next to the window. She honestly looked beautiful like this. Content, sun barely hitting her, and just at ease. (Y/N) pulled out her phone and snapped a couple pictures. She noticed after taking the third one that MJ had one eye open and was smirking at the camera. (Y/N) froze, flustered.

“You enjoying the view?” MJ didn’t move, still smirking, but (Y/N) was quick to put her phone down, feeling her cheeks heat up from embarrassment. Hopefully it wasn’t too noticeable with the sun now hitting her face again as well as the shade from the plane wall.

“Sorry, I was just wanting to get some pictures of everyone on the plane.” She laughed softly, quickly getting up to see if Ned and Peter, who were already looking out the window in hopes of seeing the city, were awake. (Y/N) smiled, pulling her phone out again. “Guys,” the boys looked up at (Y/N), “smile.” She held her phone up sideways, camera app open. They smiled wide at her as she snapped a couple pictures. “Thanks.” She smiled, sitting back down in her seat. “I’ll be sure to send them to you guys.”

She glanced back at MJ, who was stretching in her seat and putting her blacket away,and gestured to her phone. “Did you wanna see the picture I took?”

MJ shrugged. “Sure.” She leaned over to look down at (Y/N)’s phone. She tried to hold back a smile but couldn’t help but do the opposite. She loved how the picture turned out. “Nice.” She adjusted in her seat, seeing the seatbelt light on. She put hers back on, looking to (Y/N). “Are we landing soon?”

(Y/N) nodded, putting hers back on as well. “Yep. Captain said about 20 minutes.”

During said 20 minutes, (Y/N) couldn’t help but look out the window with MJ to try and spot any famous landmarks. She pulled her phone out again and started taking pictures from the view of the window. Once the plane landed, her and her friends grabbed their stuff as quickly as possible. After all, the quicker they got to their hotel, the more time they got to possibly see a little bit of the city.

Getting off the plane, (Y/N) admired the wall art of the hallway leading from the plane to the airport. It was different than the one in New York, showing Big Ben and the London Bridge instead of the Statue of Liberty and Times Square. She really was here. As they walked through the airport, the teacher was explaining how they needed to stay together and wait for the buses to take them to the hotel, but (Y/N) was too busy admiring everything, and they were only in the airport.

When they finally arrived at the hotel, it was just as amazing. (Y/N) was taking pictures on her phone while they were getting assigned to their rooms (the school organized it to where they had enough double bedrooms so that 3-4 people could all sleep in the same room). She was sharing one with MJ, Betty, and a junior that Betty apparently knew. Once everyone had gotten settled into their rooms, the teacher handed everyone a schedule of their plans in London based off what everyone wanted to do in the city. As for today, everyone was allowed to go look around the general area near the hotel as long as they were with a “buddy.” MJ wasted no time getting on her phone once she finished unpacking for the few days they were in the city.

“What’re you planning to do?” (Y/N) asked, laying down on the bed next to where MJ sat.

“Going to a protest held down the street.” MJ stood, grabbing another backpack she brought. She looked through it before heading out.

“What’s the protest for?” (Y/N) followed her out of the room, making sure to grab her phone and backpack that now contained the hotel room key and any other travelling essentials inside.

“Well there are two of them actually. There’s one for LGBT rights and gender equality, and then one for the women that are getting raped in the city.” MJ paused once they reached the elevator and pushed the button to go down. She turned to face (Y/N) with a serious expression. “Did you know that an American tourist got raped last week near Trafalgar Square and got severe injuries due to it happening? And a local 12 year old girl was raped not too long ago either in a park mid day?”

(Y/N) was speechless. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. The fact that everyday tourists and kids alike being treated this way is awful. At least they don’t have to deal with things similar to back home.”

MJ wasn’t wrong. Back home the issue of both abortion and rape laws were still being discussed all over the country, mostly down south, but who knows what the New York state government is going to do about the controversy.

(Y/N) decided to change the subject, not wanting to think about it much further. “And what about the other one? Anything in particular happen for that one to start up?” The elevator opened and the two walked inside. MJ simply shrugged, leaning back against the wall of the elevator.

“Not really. They’re just doing similar stuff like what we used to do before our government finally legalized gay marriage in all the states. But now we’re back to fighting for equal rights for all people.”

(Y/N) watched MJ cross her arms and look down at the elevator floor. She knew how much these things got to MJ and it hurt her to see her friend like this. (Y/N) even remembers going to pride marches with MJ before the legalization of gay marriage. They were both gay but had only come out to one another at that point. It was things like that that really started their friendship. They weren’t best friends, but they got along and were able to talk about basically anything. Once the legalization happened, they both came out to their friends and spent the whole day in the city celebrating. In that moment, (Y/N) knew that MJ wanted to keep winning like that and make sure that everyone got basic and civil rights no matter who they were. She didn’t want future generations to have to fight and struggle like they did. Her distant relatives made a difference before, and she wanted to do the same wherever she went.

The elevator finally opened and MJ began to walk out before eyeing (Y/N). “You wanna join me?”

(Y/N) came back from reminiscing about the past and nodded. “Yeah, definitely.” She followed MJ out of the elevator. “Just like old times, you know?” She laughed softly, causing MJ to smile a little as well. “Yep.” She briefly recalled the same memories that (Y/N) just did. “The good, old times.”

~ ~ ~

As the days went by, (Y/N) had seen just about everything she possibly could. Big Ben, the London Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and so much more. Her and MJ even took a small portion of one day to go see 221B Baker Street (since (Y/N) loved Sherlock and claimed that she had to see it before they left the city). (Y/N) couldn’t have asked for anything more. Their last night in the city was different, however.

(Y/N) knew that there was so much more of the trip to come, but at the same time she didn’t want to leave London. But hey, all good things must come to an end sometime, right?

That evening, the group got to see a play after having dinner at a fancy restaurant, and the performance was honestly amazing. Sadly, at the end, Flash decided to vlog on their way out and cause a slight disturbance in the lobby when everyone was leaving. While the teacher was sorting that out, (Y/N) decided to go back into the theatre to take a couple pictures and admire the architecture.

“How many pictures have you taken of London alone now?”

(Y/N) jumped a little, not expecting to see MJ walk up to her. She laughed softly, looking down at her phone and scrolling through her photo album. “Probably near 200 on my phone, and maybe 50 on my camera back at the hotel. I can’t help it though, I mean,” she laughed, more wholeheartedly, taking a couple steps and gesturing to all the open, and now empty, space in the theatre. “It’s just gorgeous! Can you blame me?” She smiled at MJ, even happier to see her smile as well. “This place is just so pretty for being such an old building.”

(Y/N) looked up at the ceiling and admired the artwork on it. She took a couple pictures of it before looking back at MJ, who was honestly another breathtaking sight to behold. Her hair was half up and half down as she wore a floral long sleeve shirt with a pair of jeans. She still looked beautiful even if most people would’ve considered that a normal look for most girls. But MJ was not like most girls. (Y/N) grinned and held her phone back up, facing MJ this time, and making her a little confused.

“What are you doing?”

“Capturing pretty sites.”

“Do I suddenly have enough value for you to take pictures of me whenever you want?”

(Y/N)’s eyes widen in realization, putting her phone down immediately. “No, no! Sorry, I-It’s not that, I-” (Y/N) stumbled over her words, not meaning to offend her friend. She stopped when she heard MJ laugh softly with her words. “I’m just messing with you.”

(Y/N) smiled nervously in relief, trying to come up with something to say but all that came out was a small breathless laugh. Thankfully MJ was able to speak again before (Y/N) embarrassed herself even further. “You look pretty too.”

(Y/N) felt her heart begin to race and cheeks to blush a little as she heard MJ’s words. She couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks.”

~ ~ ~

As the days went by of visiting different cities, (Y/N) couldn’t help but marvel at all the sights they encountered. It was as if each place was prettier than the next. But one thing remained prettier over all of the cities landmarks, and that was MJ. Each plane ride they sat next to one another to talk about their favorite places from the city they were just at and share what they wanted to see in the next one. At each hotel, they’d room together and see if there were any other protests to go to or just read books before going to sleep. It was as if they were becoming inseparable, and (Y/N) didn’t want it to end.

The next, and final, place they were going was Venice, Italy. They had just gotten off their flight from Paris, France and everyone was excited yet sad about their final destination before having to head home at the end of the week. Like the other places, (Y/N) took pictures of different things in the airport and the busy yet lively streets outside it. She had even managed to get a picture of MJ as she looked up the street before the bus taking them to their hotel picked them up. She smiled to herself as she looked at the picture, finding MJ even more beautiful than before. She didn’t know what really caused her to suddenly feel this way, but she was glad she did.

But what about after the trip? Would they still be as close as they had become over the trip? Would they even get to still see each other once they go to college in the coming years? What would happen when they went back home to New York?

(Y/N) was brought out her thoughts when she felt someone nudge her arm. “(Y/N), the bus is here.” She looked over and watched Peter look at her as he was walking back towards the bus. “Let’s go.”

When they got to the hotel, (Y/N) proceeded to take pictures of the place, but her thoughts from earlier just wouldn’t leave. Even if things were the same here once they got back home, did MJ feel the same way about her? She always kept giving (Y/N) mixed signals and she didn’t know what to do at this point.

Back in the hotel room, everyone decided to go down to the pool after dinner before lights out was called, but (Y/N) wasn’t sure if she should go down or not. Her mind was too focused on other things. She knew it was stupid to get so worked up over this, but she just couldn’t help it. She finished dinner with her friends down in the hotel lobby early so that she could try and clear her head of her thoughts back up in the room, but nothing was working. She tried reading one of the books MJ let her borrow during the trip, but when she saw the little notes left by MJ in the blank spaces of certain pages, her heart turned in want even more. At this point, she didn’t know whether she hated herself for her feelings or not.

Deciding to get some fresh air, she stepped out on the small balcony attached to the room and sat in one of the chairs. The sun was almost completely set but the view of the city was still beautiful, making her think about the town they were in and what it’d be like to live there. Eventually, she was able to push her thoughts from earlier enough to the side to finally decide that going down to the pool would be good for her. Maybe a proper change of atmosphere was what she needed. She walked back into the room and grabbed her swimsuit to change when Betty and MJ walked into the room.

“You getting ready to swim, (Y/N)?” Betty asked, going to grab her suit as well to change into. (Y/N) simply nodded, saying a short yes as she walked into the bathroom to change. She didn’t notice it but MJ watched (Y/N) walk into the bathroom, glancing down at the swimsuit in her hands. She recognized it all too well.

About 2 years ago, they attended a protest together and one of the big debates was on women’s body types and how the entertainment industry stereotyped too much. (Y/N) had the fun idea to go to different stores to try on different clothes they liked but that media didn’t like them wearing, take pictures, and post them on some of her social media accounts. Low and behold, there was one employee at one of the stores that told both of them to put back the swimsuits since they “didn’t suit them at all” and tried to give them different options. MJ wasn’t having any of their bullshit and called the employee out on it. She even went as far as to buy the two suits that her and (Y/N) picked out. She wouldn’t admit it either, but she thought the swimsuit that (Y/N) picked out for herself suited her perfectly.

When MJ saw (Y/N) come out of the bathroom changed and ready to go, she couldn’t help but smile to herself, both at the memories and how (Y/N) looked. Betty beat MJ to the compliments. “(Y/N) that looks great on you! Where’d you get it?”

“Thanks, but I honestly don’t remember.”

That was a lie. She experienced the same flashback MJ thought back on, and it, too, made her smile. Even if they only stay friends, or part ways completely, she would never forget those memories and other good times spent with MJ.

After the pool party was over and lights out was called, the girls headed back to their room as did their other classmates. Back at the room, Betty called dibs on getting in the shower first, leaving (Y/N) and MJ alone in the room. (Y/N) decided on some more fresh air and went back out to the balcony to look over the city. This was her last few days in Europe and she wanted to make the most of it, but her mind was back to being filled with thoughts of MJ.

A couple minutes later, (Y/N) felt eyes on her and she smiled to herself.

“Sketching people in crisis?” She turned around, laughing softly as she looked at MJ through the open doorway.

“How’d you know?” MJ’s small smirk/smile was back and (Y/N) loved every part of it.

“I’m the said person in crisis, how else would I know?” She looked back over the city, leaning over the railing a little bit as she looked at the small river flowing by the hotel. The class was scheduled to take a boat tour later this week, actually. MJ’s voice brought her back from her thoughts.

“What kind of crisis we dealing with here? Financial? Existential?” MJ held back a laugh, setting her sketchbook down. (Y/N) simply shook her head and looked back over the balcony, knowing that she was joking around. “No,” she hesitated. Should she bring it up? Might as well get it out of the way before it’s too late, right? “I know it sounds stupid, but more like a love crisis.”

“Is it me?”

(Y/N) looked back at MJ, shocked. Before she could get a word in, MJ spoke up again.

“I mean, it’s,” she shrugged, “kinda obvious.”

The look on her face read as though it wasn’t a big deal, but (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Was anyone else able to tell? But, in the words of MJ herself, she was just very observant, and there was no way in getting away with lying to MJ once she found out the truth.

“I-I mean,” (Y/N) fully turned around and leaned back against the railing, but she couldn’t look MJ in the eye. “Is it bad that I possibly like you?” She laughed softly, clearly worried and nervous but nonetheless let herself continue to talk about the issue at hand. “Is it bad that I don’t want to leave these places because I’ve grown so close to you and don’t want to say goodbye once we get back home?” She began pacing a little on the balcony. She couldn’t stop the train of thoughts that were leaving her lips to rant about how she felt.

“I always thought we were just casual friends, but this trip has made me see you in a different light because of all the good times I’m having with you. It’s reminding me of the times we’ve spent together before, and I want to make more memories like that with you. The first protest we attended together, the time we ironically went shopping. And then there’s the small things like working on class work with you and finding funny ways of remembering things.” She paused, taking a deep breath and looking at MJ with a sad smile. “But in the end, it feels as though I won’t ever see you again even though we still go to school together, and it hurts more than I thought it would. I never want to leave each place because of you and the fact that I’ve fallen for you even more from hanging out with you so much in each of them, but I know it’s eventually going to happen.” Another pause. “But please, tell me what your thoughts are on all of this because I’ve been ranting for too long and need to know how you feel before I possibly embarrass myself even further.” (Y/N) laughed nervously, finally finishing her ‘speech’ of emotions.

MJ had kept her full attention on (Y/N) the entire time, not realizing how she was actually feeling until (Y/N) had started to tell her everything. To her, (Y/N) seemed to be just like another person getting a small crush. Out of nowhere and immediate, but this seemed to be more than just a petty crush. She wouldn’t push it as far as love, but she was definitely honest and real with her feelings. MJ’s feelings weren’t as strong, but she, too, felt something there.

“I mean, I don’t like getting too close to people, but you make me want to be close to you.” She smiled, glancing at the floor. “Having feelings isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and the fact that you have them for me is honestly flattering.” MJ laughed softly, smiling to herself more genuine than usual. She looked up at (Y/N), meeting her gaze. “I wouldn’t mind giving this a chance.”

~ ~ ~

Over the next few days, MJ and (Y/N) spent time together as usual, but their friends could tell they seemed to be getting closer. They sat next to one another at every meal, talked about other interests they didn’t already know about one another, and either held hands or looped their pinky’s as they walked side by side one another. (Y/N) had even managed to get a couple pictures with MJ and herself (with her permission of course).

It felt as though those few days were filled with more memories than the others they had already experienced.

When it became time for the flight back home, they either leaned on one another as they slept or watched one of the many movies that MJ had on her laptop. The entire time they held hands as well, enjoying the casual yet intimate moment for the both of them.

They were sad to leave Europe, everyone was, but the two knew that the trip was only the beginning of all the memories and good times that were yet to come back home.

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