Work Text:
Tonight has been a long night for Peter. It's been busy. From bank robberies to mugging, even the occasional lost kitten he returned to the shelter. He was bushed.
Before the kitten though, he managed to go hardcore against a couple of wannabe super villains. While they were pretty inexperienced, they managed to injure him quite nicely for him. He was covered in scrapes, bruises and felt the hot sticky blood matted on his head.
A warm shower, MJ, and some takeout sounds so good right now.
He managed to swing back to his dingey apartment, carefully crawled in and shut the window. He was met with a wide eyed MJ who was reading a book in bed.
"I know this looks bad." He said putting his hands up placatingly. "It's just...been a rough night MJ."
Mj's eyebrows rose.
"I'm fine! Ow." He felt one of his ribs starting to bother him. (Yup, totally fine.) He took off his mask and MJ practically leaped off the bed to inspect his injuries.
"Jesus! Peter! Did you battle an apocalypse or something today? You're filthy and bleeding." She internally winced as she saw her boyfriend's shoulders tense, probably from her loud tone.
"I'm sorry Peter. I keep forgetting you have sensitive hearing." She frowned as she placed his hand to cup his cheek and he instantly leaned into her touch, grappling her hand as well. "I just...well. Get so worried for you. I wish I could help you out, you know. You wouldn't have to take all the pain for yourself."
Peter's heart fluttered from all the appreciation and love sprouting from his lovely girlfriend. She said before she'd risk her life to be with him, and she'd rather fight alongside with him too so he wouldn't take the hurt? Wow. Just...wow.
How did he get so lucky?
"But you're already helping me out, MJ." He moved her hands to place above his heart. "You take care of me, encourage me when I feel down and you always know how to make me feel better. You're helping me in ways you don’t already know."
MJ wiped her eyes, whenever Peter goes on a tangent with explaining their love and how much he loves it, she always gets sentimental. Whether that's from reading a lot of romantic books or TV shows and she's always dreamed of having those words meant for her, it just felt surreal.
"You know id do it in a heartbeat." She placed a kiss on his cheeks. "Now, speaking of taking care of you, let's you fix you up baby. You know the routine." She teased.
Peter rolled his eyes playfully.
"What?"
"Nothing!" He grabbed a chair as MJ went to go get their small medical kit. "Im just not used to all the...uhh..nicknames yet." He admitted with a teasing smile.
MJ hummed as she watched Peter undress from his suit into his boxers. "So you don't want me to call you baby anymore?"
"Is there another nickname?" He winced as he started feeling the antiseptic alchohol all over his back and his torso, moving to his face and legs. MJ basically trained how to do this quick since Peter healed up fast. They wouldn't want him to get an infection.
"Hmmm...let's see." She grabbed the bandages and the stitch materials. "Sweetheart? Love?"
"Aunt May calls me that though."
"Love is universal though, Pete! At least that's what it says in my romantic comedies and poems." She was already highly amused by their conversation, so she decided to amuse herself more. She looked at his exposed sides of his stomach and gently fluttered her fingers near his non- injured rib area. A very high pitched yelp was the outcome. Peter looked at her with a gaping fish expression.
"Wha- MJ!!”
MJ innocently went back to patching him up. "Just wanted to distract you while I started stitching you up, dear." She lied as she totally enjoyed his reactions and will always remember his high pitch yelps. She suddenly wished she had an implanted camera or camcorder in her head by the amount of cute stuff Peter did unknowingly.
"Dear? Yeah... you sound like Aunt May now. Can you go back to calling me baby?" His eyes widened because he was never, ever that direct with requests like that. HE WAS IN THE MOMENT! He could argue.
He felt even MJ freeze for a moment and her look at him with surprise. He swore that he's just tired and it came out with no filter.
"I...umm.." his face felt really hot. He covered it with his hands. "This is so embarrassing. I shouldn't have asked you that. Oh jeez.” This shouldn't be weird or embarrassing! They've been dating for at least 4 months again after their breakup!
MJ instantly softened as she gently took his hands away from his face, she started leaning in for a kiss. Peter instantly beamed as he went in as well and suddenly, she shot her left hand into his sides and started to tickle his bare stomach. Peter instantly ducked his side in and fell into a fit of giggles.
"M...J! S-STOP!! HAHA! Nooo..." he giggled as he felt he'd avoid his injured stress but managed to hit all the places that were ticklish.
"Awe, but look at you!" She continued to trace her fingers and even jabbed them quickly on the baby fat on his stomach. "You're the definition of adorable, Petey."
"Noooo....d-don't dont! That names! Em-harassing! Harry- gave gave- it to me in middle school! STAOO HAHA!! M J!" He cried out as he tried his hardest not to fall of the chair.
She stopped and picked up her tools, waiting for his giggles and soon to be hiccups to calm down. His face was red from embarassment and tiredness and he gave her a small pout because he missed the contact already.
"That was uncalled for." He winced just as she put the finishing touches on stitching and bandaging him up. “Is this humiliating Peter day? What happened to taking care of Peter day, honey?"
“You’re just too cute,” she pretended to ignore his question. Diverting the attention even going as far to pinching his cheeks. "This is why I call you baby, baby." She mockingly cooed.
Peter lightly scoffed at her as he stood up and walked over to her with an exaggerated puffed out chest. "I can carry like a bus, you know...pretty sure babies can’t do that.”
"Im aware, Pete.” She gave an incredulous nod.
“You can also totally wash our clothes without getting red and blue all over them." She giggled as she headed to their small bathroom, starting up the bath. "At least I have something to wear when 4th of July comes!" She shouted.
Peter narrowed his eyes. "Haha, very funny."
MJ took her boyfriend's hand and led him to the bathroom. "Thank you for noticing." She pressed a light kiss to his knuckles, smiling seeing him blush. "Alright, tonight is your night Pete. I'll be back in a bit, okay? You're gonna be really sore after all those stitches and most likely you won't have a decent wink of sleep to pick out your clothes."
"But I'll be going to sleep. I don’t care.”
“ A tux and my yoga pants aren't exactly sleepwear."
"…okay we don’t talk about that one time. Someone hit my head that night and I was completely out of it, honey.”
"That I'll always remember. Now go on, Pete. I don't suppose you want me here while you get into the bath...?"
MJ swiftly exited the door to stifle her laughter at the now flustered and beet red Peter.
***
Peter practically melted as soon as he sat in the nice tub with warm, bubbly water. The warm water instantly relaxed his aching muscles, the chills earlier long forgotten. MJ picked a nice scent for the soap- cotton!
It was Peter's favorite!
He just sat in the tub and let the bubbles entrap him almost, not wanting to move from this very sacred warm place.
MJ then came back and smiled seeing Peter totally relaxing, happy that his wounds were already healing and quite almost there.
She smiled at Peter who was completely soaked in water. Her smile must have been very dopey or she stared too long because Peter narrowed his eyes in speculation.
"Why are you looking at me like that, MJ?"
"Oh." MJ grabbed the shampoo bottle, the smell of strawberries filled the bathroom. She began to lather the soap in her hands. "I mean this in the nicest words, Pete, but you look like a soggy kitten."
Peter flicked some water at her.
She lightly gasped. “Hey!”
"You started it. If I have to, I will start war." He deadpanned.
MJ rolled her eyes as she began to lather the soap in Peter's hair. "And here I thought I was the drama queen.”
She really noticed his was covered in a lot blood, dirt and sweat. She began to notice how the blood was clinging onto his hair for dear life, the dirt pulling some of the hair down.
Peter must have mistaken it for MJ not wanting to touch his hair, he felt maybe she was grossed out. "MJ, you really don't have to do that. I can wash it myself." He said as he tried to grab the shampoo bottle but MJ pulled it away.
"I don't have a problem with it Peter, honest. I just didn't expect this much blood." She frowned as she continue to lather his hair, noticing Peter was still tense. Peter had his eyes sealed shut to avoid soap getting in there.
"Peter." She stopped lathering, making sure to get all the soap threatening to spill in his eyes. "I don't have a problem doing this, you know. I like taking care of you. I like doing this. This isn't some girlfriend obligation." She smiled as she saw her boyfriend blush with her words.
MJ went back to his scalp and started to massage it gently with her fingers, occasionally scratching it. Peter let out a huge hum and contented sigh as he instantly relaxed under her touch. He felt like he was floating.
"Doin okay?" She softly asked, still rubbing his scalp. "I'm gonna have to rinse now."
Peter only hummed again as she grabbed the shower head and gently rinsed out his soft brown tufts, using her nails to scratch his head again. Peter embarrassingly felt the need to moan.
"I love you so much." He sighed as he still had his eyes closed, his limps limp from the tension dripping away. He could practically feel all the euphoria. "Mary Jane Watson, you have magical hands. How do you do it?"
"I guess I'm just good like that." She rinsed out the last of soap in his now clean hair and used some water to gently wipe the extra soap and water threatening to get into his eyes again.
She was met with shining blue eyes, eyes with unshed tears or perhaps some water or soap got into them, but she wasn’t going to question it. A long paragraph or declaration of love was swimming in there that were meant to be spoken but at the time, couldn't.
"Thank you." He managed to whisper.
MJ answered by pressing a kiss on his lips, not caring if her outfit got a bit wet in the process.