Spiderdad

48

The first minute of Peter's arrival was tense and suffocating. MJ's father was at work, her mother had made a trip the grocery store, and Adrian was at school, leaving the two teens alone with the newborn baby asleep in her crib. MJ wasn't going to lie, she was terrified. For once she couldn't read Peter's expression and predict his next move. His silence as he stood a few feet away from the couch MJ sat on was leading her to believe abuse was in her near future. Her heart was pounding insanely fast, and she knew Peter could hear it. Her hands were trembling as she gripped her sweatpants until her knuckles were white as her exhausted, wide eyes gazed up at her boyfriend (or so she hoped). She looked like a deer frozen with fear as it stared down the barrel of a gun. 

Peter took a step forward, making MJ flinch away skittishly. Taking notice, he stopped in his tracks and took a step back, giving her the space she desired. 

"How are you feeling?" Peter finally asked, his tone so kind and tender MJ almost went into shock. 

".... what?" she managed. 

"How are you feeling?" Peter repeated, just as gently as he did the first time.

MJ didn't respond, she couldn't. Instead she buried her head in her hands and broke into uncontrollable sobs. Her shoulders shook and shuddered as hot tears streamed down her face. Peter quickly walked over to her and sat next to her. He wrapped his arms around her quivering body. She instantly collapsed in his touch, hiding her head in his chest as she wept and soaked his shirt. Every part of her body was sore and aching, it hurt to do anything. Sitting would cause too much discomfort so she'd force herself to stand only to wobble until she had to sit back down. But in that moment, with her boyfriend's protective arms enveloping her in his love, she almost felt normal, as if she hadn't given birth to a child just hours earlier. Despite being given the option to stay in hospital for a few days, she had retreated home an hour ago. She despised that place and silently hoped she would never have to go back.

Peter stroked her back gently, burying his face in her disheveled curls, "MJ, I am angry, but that doesn't mean I'll stop loving you. I swear, I will never stop loving you," she sobbed harder, not understanding what she had done to deserve his forgiveness, "understand?"

She nodded quickly.

"Good," he loosened his grip slightly and gazed down at her, "I just... I just want to know why."

MJ shuddered, took a deep breath, then moved away from Peter just enough so she could look at him. She took a few moments to gather her words and recall her memories of that night as her tears slowed. Peter awaited patiently, giving her all the time she needed to carefully word her response.

"I... it wasn't long after you had finally gotten back to school after... y'know... and Ned had dragged us to a party. There was alcohol and shots, and you were drinking a lot more than usual. I tried telling you to stop but y-you said you were going to hurt me," Peter felt tears blur his vision at her words, he had no memory of any of this, "I gave up and eventually you had drank so much you couldn't even move. You had to sit down and I tried getting you home but you weren't even responding to my voice," MJ had started trembling again, recalling how the night had terrified her, "Peter, I'm sorry I didn't handle myself better. But I was scared and so fucking mad I-i didn't know what to do so a cheated. I'm so sorry, I-"

Peter interrupted her, "I'm sorry i made you feel that way, you know I never want to scare you. I-I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to do that."

"Don't blame this on yourself," MJ said, her voice still trembling.

"Let's call it a group effort," Peter offered.

MJ managed a chuckle at that. Peter smiled a broken smile then leaned forward to rest his lips on hers. MJ, having craved his affectionate touch from the moment he stormed out of the hospital, hovered her lips over his anxiously. Knowing she wanted him to seal the kiss, Peter only managed to brush her mouth with his before they were interrupted by a loud wailing. 

MJ heaved a sigh and forced herself to stand up, reminding her of the aching in her legs, "w-would you like to meet little Natalia?"

Peter inhaled deeply in a moment of hesitation, "yes."

A thin grin pressed onto her lips then she paced off as quickly as her body would allow. Peter rubbed the back of his neck, his stomach tying itself into anxious knots. Maybe he shouldn't have been nervous, after all this baby wasn't his. Not biologically at least. 

He listened to the baby's crying slowly cease as MJ appeared around the corner, holding her baby close to her chest. Her eyes never left the little girl's face as she gently stroked her cheeks. Peter watched MJ as she took a seat next to him. He gazed down at the baby's expression, now sweet and relaxed in her mother's arms. 

"Natalia, meet Peter," MJ spoke softly.

Peter stared at Natalia as she opened her little brown eyes to gaze up at him. Her skin was a deep brown, like espresso, but her facial features matched MJ's almost flawlessly, leaving him absolutely speechless. He reached over gently and delicately rested his hand on her smooth head that only had a little bit of silky, blackish brown hair.

"She's beautiful," Peter managed after a moment. 

"Isn't she?" MJ softly replied, tears welling in her eyes as she cautiously asked, "w-would you like to hold her?"

"O-of course," Peter didn't miss a beat, "if you're okay with that."

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't ok with it," MJ pointed out with a chuckle.

"Right," Peter smiled softly.

She carefully transferred Natalia into his arms, watching the way he cradled her with such care and tenderness. There was a warm, bubbly look to Peter's eyes, as he beamed kindly at the child and stroked her cheek with the tips of his fingers. MJ could tell that even though her baby was hardly a day old, she felt safe in Peter's arms. Everyone felt safe in Peter's arms. 

"Is..." Peter's voice trailed off as he found himself unable to look away from Natalia, "is it okay if I'm Spiderdad?"

MJ briefly wiped tears off her cheeks then nodded quickly, "I-I'd love that. She would too."

Peter's lips twitched and broadened his grin, "with a baby like this, I could never be mad at you."

MJ choked out a laugh, "thank you, love."

"Anything for you," he replied.

Exhausted and relived to have made amends with her boyfriend, MJ leaned her weight against him and rested her head on his shoulder. The tears hadn't really stopped flowing since Natalia entered the world. MJ's body no longer felt like it was her own, not to mention the horrid aches and the heavily disappointed glances from her family. It hurt most when it came from Adrian, especially considering the almost hostile undertones to his gaze. It was a look that said, how the fuck could you do that to my big brother? To which she replied with a somber gaze that translated to, I don't know, I'm truly sorry.

She exhaled softly. She didn't want to think about that right then. She just wanted to be grateful for the love in Peter's eyes and the sense of healing he provided for her. The world around them faded into blackness as the only thing in the universe became the tiny family. It didn't need to be said, but their plans for elopement were still set in stone. No one was going to stop them from raising their baby in peace.

They didn't even notice Nora stepping through the front door of the house with three bags of groceries in each hand. The woman briefly glanced at the couple, only to do a double-take when she realized Peter was the one sitting with her daughter and granddaughter. For a moment, she was frozen with surprise. Then, a slow smile spread across her lips as she proceeded to unpack her items. I would expect nothing less from that boy.