Like a champ

“So you,” she said, pointing at Felicia, “are a genie. And you,” she continued, now pointing at her husband, “are her master.”

She paused for a moment, letting that sink in.

“And that orgasm I had ten minutes ago was because of a wish you made.”

Peter nodded slowly.

They were gathered in the living room of their apartment when he finished explaining everything. MJ rubbed her temples. She had always teased Peter whenever he complained about the infamous Parker luck, but this might actually turn her into a believer.

“So you included me in your first wish to see if her powers worked.”

MJ blinked.

“Wait, was that actually your first wish?”

She exhaled through her nose and shook her head.

“Never mind. Of course it was. It’s you. Sorry, I’m just rambling.”

She sat down slowly. What she really wanted was to scream at the universe.

But she couldn’t.

If she did, Peter would blame himself for this. He’d spiral into problem-solving mode, desperately trying to fix something that might not even have a solution.

So that meant she had to be the calm one.

She had to take charge and figure this out.

First she needed information and answers.

Second, she needed clarity.

And third, time to process everything.

She looked back at Peter.

“You’re going to pick up some sushi from our favorite place on Lexington.”

She paused for a beat.

“And you’re going to walk. Not web-sling.”

Peter opened his mouth, clearly ready to protest, but the look she gave him shut that down immediately.

Good.

This would give her some alone time with Felicia.

“And while you’re at it,” MJ added, “can you wish for her to tell me the truth?”

Peter nodded, already accepting the order.

“I wish…”

Felicia raised her hand.

“Remember,” she said, her tone almost apologetic, “the wish needs a sexual component. Otherwise I can’t grant it.”

Peter hesitated for a moment.

“I wish that whenever the two of you are alone together in a private room and… uh… naked, you both have to answer each other’s questions truthfully.”

-

Peter had just left as Felicia glanced toward the hallway. “So where exactly does this talk happen?”

MJ pushed herself up from the couch. “Bedroom.”

Felicia followed her down the short hallway of the apartment. The place was familiar, but she had never stepped into his bedroom here before. That hadn’t been her place in a long time.

They stepped inside, the door closing softly behind them.

Felicia looked around, one eyebrow arching slightly as she took in the room.

“So,” she said with a crooked smile, gesturing lightly toward the bed, “this is where the magic happens.”

MJ smirked as she kicked off her shoes.

“Mostly,” she said. “But also the bathroom, the hallway, the kitchen…”

She glanced back at Felicia with a playful shrug.

“Honestly? Pretty much everywhere.”

Felicia huffed a quiet laugh.

Then both women paused for a moment, the reminder of Peter’s wish settling over them.

“Well,” Felicia said, tugging off her gloves, “rules are rules.”

MJ nodded once.

They undressed without ceremony, setting their clothes aside. There was a brief, almost awkward quiet as the last pieces of fabric were discarded. Neither of them seemed particularly shy about it, but the situation itself was strange enough to make the moment feel heavier than it normally would have.

When they were finished, MJ locked the bedroom door and turned back toward Felicia.

The humor from earlier had faded from her expression.

She studied Felicia for a moment.

Then she asked the question.

“Do you love Peter?”

Felicia blinked once.

“Yes.”

The answer came out simply. No hesitation. No smirk, no teasing deflection. Just the truth.

MJ watched her for another moment, searching her face as if expecting the familiar curl of a lie to appear at the corner of Felicia’s mouth.

It didn’t.

Slowly, MJ nodded.

“Good,” she said quietly. “Then we know this works.”

Felicia looked at the redhead quizzically.

MJ leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. Some of the tension left her shoulders, though her eyes never left Felicia.

“I know our relationship didn’t exactly start off on the right foot,” she continued. “But over the years we managed to build something that almost looks like a friendship.”

A faint, almost nostalgic smile touched her lips.

“But I’ve seen the way you look at him when he’s talking to you.”

Felicia shifted slightly where she stood, her weight moving from one foot to the other, but she didn’t interrupt.

MJ tilted her head thoughtfully.

“I should recognize it,” she said. “That look used to be on my face.”

For a moment the room fell quiet again.

Felicia opened her mouth as if to respond, but MJ raised a hand slightly, stopping her.

“And the thing is,” MJ went on, “you never would’ve admitted that before. Not when you were drunk. Not when pressured. Hell, not even if someone put a gun to your head.”

She gestured lightly between the two of them.

“You’d charm your way around the question. Change the subject. Make a joke.”

Felicia’s lips twitched at that, because they both knew it was true.

MJ’s gaze sharpened again.

“But this?” she said.

Her hand made a small circle in the air, indicating the room, the situation, the strange rules now binding them.

“This means we don’t get to dodge anything.”

Her voice was calm, steady.

“No games. No bullshit.”

The words settled heavily between them.

After a moment, MJ leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees.

“So now,” she said, meeting Felicia’s eyes again, “at least I know we’re going to be completely honest with each other.”

-

“So just how powerful is this… sex magic of yours exactly?”

Felicia tilted her head slightly.

“Well, it’s not sex magic per se,” she said, lifting a finger as if giving a lecture. “That would imply the act of sex itself is the source of the magic. In my case, the magic simply requires sex, lust, or desire to be involved.”

She paused, noticing the unimpressed look on MJ’s face.

Felicia sighed.

“Right. Not looking for semantics. Got it.”

She leaned back slightly.

“The best answer I can give you right now is that it’s… undefined.”

MJ frowned.

“Didn’t you tell Peter the lamp imprinted all the information into you?”

“Yes,” Felicia admitted. “That part’s true.”

She hesitated, her expression turning more thoughtful.

“But something is off.”

MJ’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“The lamp usually grants something close to omnipotent power when it comes to love, sex, desire, anything along those lines. If Peter had wished that every woman in the world suddenly went crazy over him, it would’ve happened.”

She let that hang in the air for a moment before continuing.

“But right now… I can feel something else at work. The boundaries of my power aren’t just coming from the lamp. Something else is shaping them. Some parts of my magic feel weaker… but others feel more flexible. Like the rules are shifting.”

MJ leaned forward slightly.

“And you don’t find that concerning?”

Felicia gave a small shrug.

“Yes… and no.”

She studied MJ for a moment before continuing.

“Look. I know why you sent Peter away. You wanted to make sure he didn’t start obsessing over whatever happened. Didn’t start blaming himself.”

MJ didn’t deny it.

“But honestly?” Felicia continued. “I think this was meant to happen one way or another.”

MJ’s gaze sharpened.

“Explain.”

Felicia crossed her arms thoughtfully.

“I told you about the cat I saw in the warehouse. What are the odds that her showing up was completely unrelated?”

She shook her head slightly.

“Our lives are crazy, sure. But I’m not willing to bet on that being a coincidence.”

Her voice dropped a little.

“I think someone, or something, engineered events so things would turn out exactly like they have.”

MJ held her gaze for a long moment.

“And again,” she said slowly, “you’re completely fine with that?”

Felicia didn’t hesitate.

“If it were anyone else who found that lamp, I would have had a lot of doubt. But we both know who Peter is as a person. He’d cut off his own arm before abusing something like that.”

A faint smile touched her lips.

“So yes, yes I am.”