Open Up The Ocean

Chapter Ten

"Yeah, no shit Gwen, but do you have to be so damn loud about it?"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Ned whistled, signalling that Peter should get out there before MJ ripped his limbs off one by one.

He crawled out of the tent, shivering in the morning cold. Folding his arms over his chest, he walked up next to Michelle and narrowed his eyes at Ned. Ned waved his hands in the air, not understanding why Peter was glaring at him.

"Oh-- Oh, I see why she's so grumpy," Ned smirked, gesturing between the two of them. Peter swore he heard MJ growl before she took a step towards Ned, causing him to flinch and raise his hands in defence.

"Ok look, you just woke us up with a loud noise and it was kind of scary so let's just- let's just all drop this?" Peter grabbed Michelle's wrist and attempted to defuse the situation, something he couldn't believe he was doing less than ten minutes after waking up.

"Well can you two help? We're gonna stop at McDonald's to get breakfast on the way back?" Gwen asked, raising her brows and pointing at their still-up tent. "We've done the majority of it and all you guys have to do is pack up your own stuff."

They both agreed, going back into their tent and getting dressed before putting their bags in the boot of Gwen's car.

Peter continued to pack up the air mattress and bedding, Michelle standing to the side and telling him he was doing it wrong. He couldn't care less, just wanting to get it over and done with but no, Michelle wanted everything done perfectly.

MJ would scowl every time he rolled his eyes and mocked her. Her scowl would never last long, transforming into a small smile as soon as he looked away.

Within the hour, they'd manage to stack everything into Gwen's tiny car. Somehow, they'd managed to be leaving with more than they came with because Peter couldn't remember the car being that full. Yet, here they were, Michelle and Peter sitting together in the back with the fold away table pushed up against the back of the front seats, Peter could barely see over it.

Gwen was already blasting music from her phone, some kind of bubblegum pop that neither Peter or MJ enjoyed very much but it was her car so who were they to say anything. The one time Peter had put headphones while she played her music, Gwen nearly burst into tears, Peter would never forget it.

Michelle had finished all the books she'd bought for the trip, already having reread one of them and wasn't really in the mood to reread another. So she sat with her hands clasped in her lap, staring out the window.

Peter did the same, feeling every jolt and bump in the road as Gwen drove. He really wished she'd put both hands on the steering wheel instead of just one, but again, who was he to tell her how to drive her own car. His eyes dropped as he leaned his head against the cool glass of her once pristine window.

Before he knew it, his shoulder was being wiggled back and forth while MJ called his name in a monotone voice, her breath fanning into his ear. Peter took a deep breath and forced his eyes open to see Michelle staring at him, her eyebrow raised and a small smile on her face.

"We're at McGrease."

He sat up straight and rubbed his eyes, attempting to blink the blurriness away. MJ pushed his hair out of his face and pressed a kiss to his lips. Peter blushed, looking around the car to see if Ned and Gwen had seen, but they weren't in the front seats anymore.

"They're already inside," She hummed, twirling one of his curls around her finger. "I told them I'd wait for you to wake up."

"Oh," He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm awake now."