HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MY WONDERFUL PEEPS HOW ARE WE ALL

So this is based on that What If... episode that has the zombie apocalypse (so sad, I know,) but there are a few changes I need to highlight. First up, Tony doesn't get decapitated, Thanos (curse that name) never appeared and most importantly, MJ was by Peter's side all along. So yeah, this is a lot of Spideychelle. Heehee...

ANYWAY ON TO THE STORY

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Her hand slipped into his, the metal frigid against his spandex glove. Peter took in a deep breath, his cheeks puffing out as he exhaled. He couldn't help but feel like the world was crashing around him and that there was nothing he could do.

Hope. There's always hope. 

But where was hope now? The only people left were a king missing half a leg, a head in a glass case, a bookish wallflower and him. Yeah, the world was doomed.

"Kid?"

Peter looked up at Scott. The head gave him a worried look, scanning his face. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Peter looked back ahead, his eyes running across the barren world. It was hard to believe that just a week or so ago his main concern was making sure his Spanish homework was done.

MJ placed a hand on her boyfriend's knee. "Whatever you're thinking, stop." She gave him a small smile as he looked at her, his eyes brimming with exhaustion. She hadn't seen him this tired the entire time they had been running. "We're going to go to Wakanda, get this stone thing to Shuri, and everything's going to be okay. Oh gosh, your optimism is rubbing off on me," she muttered, earning a soft chuckle.

Peter nodded, playing with her fingers. "I know. It's just-" he cut off, swallowing the lump in his throat. "What if it doesn't work? What if the world stays like this forever? What if- what if we fail?"

She took his hands, calming his endless fidgeting. "We'll figure it out, okay? Besides, we have your freaky senses and your weird brain. We're going to be fine." She leant in close, whispering so that only he could hear. "We have to do it for those who can't. Like May said."

He nodded, sighing deeply. "Okay. Okay. I believe you." 

MJ smiled as T'Challa spoke up. "Good, because we've arrived."

Everyone sat up, except for Scott who had no body, watching the entangled jungle in front of them. The shield dissipated and Peter gaped at the towering buildings, their intricate designs twisting into towering spires. It would have been beautiful. T'Challa sucked in a sharp breath at the look of his kingdom. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound. Deathly silence blanketed the air and suddenly no one wanted to be there.

"How did it get here?" the king asked, his face pale.

Peter didn't know. He didn't know what to do anymore. His heart plummeted again, his stomach knotting into tight spasms. 

Smile for them, for him. You can do it.

MJ looked up as Peter stood up. "We need to find Shuri." He turned to T'Challa, determination etched in his features. "Where would she be?"

The Black Panther straightened and rose, leaning on the control panel for support. "The palace. I'll lead you there."

"Leave me here," Scott said, his gaze flicking between them all. "I'm just gonna weigh you down and I can keep eyes on the ground here. You guys go and get the stone to the princess."

Peter nodded. "Okay. T'Challa, you okay to do this?" The king nodded, grabbing a staff from off the wall. Peter took control, opening up the hatch and helping MJ and T'Challa out onto the dusty ground. There was no point in putting his mask back on. Besides, he needed all of the input he could get to keep everyone alive. They slipped through the abandoned streets, careful not to be seen by any zombified Wakandans. Every step seemed to echo in their ears, sending the hairs on the back of their necks shooting upright. Peter's spine tingled softly, reminding him that they weren't alone, but no one approached them in the long period it took to get to the palace. The doors were wide open, one of them torn off its hinges completely. Eerie silence wafted down the hallways and MJ grabbed Peter's hand, trying in vain to stop her heart racing through her chest. 

"Where is everyone?" T'Challa muttered, his dark eyes darting around the abandoned corridors. "It's rarely quiet here."

As soon as he said that, Peter's tingle spiked. The smell of rotting flesh nearly made him gag as it overpowered his nose. They all froze at the familiar squish that came from behind them.

"Well, you wanted to know where everyone was," MJ breathed, trying to keep her voice steady as the mask covered her face. A guttural growl chilled their bones as they turned slowly to come face to face with two Dora Milaje soldiers.

"Oh shoot."

The soldiers lunged at them, fueled by nothing but their pure hunger and thirst for meat. MJ bit back a yelp as a spear came plunging for her heart, but the Black Panther knocked it aside. "RUN!" He bellowed. "Find my sister and go! Twenty-seventh floor, first door to your right!" He grunted as he just managed to twist away from being impaled. "Don't worry about me!"

Peter wanted to protest but a metal hand grabbed his arm and dragged him down the corridor. One of the Dora Milaje tried to run after them, but Michelle shot a web at her, attaching her to the wall. She had become quite skilled with Peter's web-shooters in the past week.

The two ran up the stairs, not even caring about the constant ache in their chests. They reached the twenty-seventh floor and wrenched the door open, webbing it shut behind them. 

"Whew," Peter puffed as he sank to the floor, trying to remind his lungs how to breathe again. "Okay, now to find Shuri."

"What does she look like?"

"No idea." Peter picked himself off the floor, looking around the room. Something was off, but he couldn't tell exactly what it was. His Spidey Sense flared again and he whirled around just in time to catch something lung for his girlfriend. "MJ!"

She punched at the green and orange blur, grateful that she had listened when Peter demanded that she wear his Iron Spider suit all those days ago. The zombie tried to sink her teeth into MJ's shoulder, but she pushed the cannibal off, bolting away as fast as humanely possible. A retched sound tore from the zombified princess' throat and she lunged again, but Peter's hand shot out. A bright, golden light filled the room and the zombie screeched, shielding her bloodshot eyes. Peter squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the light to die down. When it did he opened his eyes and relaxed at the sight of Princess Shuri with her chocolate skin and dark eyes. Shuri shook her head, blinking her daze out of her mind.

"What... What in the name of Bast happened?" She finally spotted the two teenagers in front of her and nearly squealed. "Oh. My goodness. You're Spider-Man!"

Peter nodded sheepishly. "Uh... yeah."

Shuri looked as though she was going to burst in excitement. "What are you doing here!? In Wakanda!?" Her face fell at their pained looks and her eyes widened. "The virus." She stared down at her trembling hands. "What happened to me?" She whirled on the two of them, her eyes panicked. "What happened to me!?"

"It's okay!" Peter took Shuri's hands, his hazel eyes locking onto hers. "It's okay. You got bitten, but we saved you."

"How?"

MJ picked up the Mind Stone from where it had fallen onto the floor. "THis. I don't really know what it is, but it came from the weird android thingy."

"Vision," Peter explained. "It came from Vision. It's the Mind Stone, and we came here because we need your help."