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The first thing Peter did when he thought he might be pregnant was throw up.
Ironic really, seeing as he’d been throwing up around mid-morning for the whole week prior, and had been under the misconception that he had some sort of sickness bug, until he’d been laid out on his sofa, a hand on his belly, and had realised that the flat, muscular belly that he didn’t have anyone to brag to about, was no longer as flat has it previously had been.
He’d shot up from the sofa—groaning and grasping for the back cushion when his head started to spin from sitting up so quickly—and then after doing some mental math and thinking about Parker (which wasn’t new, because he was always thinking about him, it was just usually he was pining over him not being here, and not…you know…coming to the sudden realisation that he’d left him with more than a dessert scent in his nose and a pleasant ache between his ass cheeks), he’d scrambled to the bathroom and had thrown up as the panic of what was happening tried to choke him.
Once he’d felt like he wasn’t a noodle trying to pass for a person, and could actually stand on two legs; he’d splashed water on his face, rinsed his mouth out, grabbed a hoodie, some shoes, his keys and wallet, and practically booked it to the pharmacy two blocks away from his apartment.
He’d grabbed three tests, dropped them on the counter without making eye contact with the bored looking cashier, and then once he’d been given his change, he half jogged/ half power-walked back to his place, peed on some sticks and then some minutes later he was staring at three tests saying positive, positive, positive.
He’d had no idea what to do, so he did what he always did when he felt like the world might just collapse on him at any moment, and being Spider-Man couldn’t help in that situation.
He went to see his Aunt May.
Of course she wasn’t there at whatever time in the afternoon he’d made it there after he’d walked in a daze to her house. She was at work. For a solid minute, he thought about turning back around and going home, and maybe just not telling her and hoping she won’t notice that he had a baby inside him at some point in the next six months. Perhaps she’ll believe I swallowed a watermelon?
But no.
He had no one else in this universe to turn to, and although he’d just had confirmation that he was soon to become a parent, right at that moment he needed the only mother figure he’d had in his life for past two decades.
So he let himself in, kicked off his shoes in the doorway, grabbed his favourite blanket from the basket in the corner of the living room, curled up underneath it on the sofa, and fell asleep.
****
“Peter?”
He blinked open his eyes and smiled softly seeing May’s face peering down at him. “Hey May.”
She gently shoved his long legs so he bent them giving her room to sit down next to him, and then reached out to card her fingers through the mess that was his hair. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“Ummm—” He swallowed and shifted so he was sat up against the arm of the sofa; May’s hand moving from his hair to rest on his blanket-covered foot. He had no idea what she was going to say—and he hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed in him—but he needed to tell her. He was keeping the baby; it was a mix of him and Parker, of course he was keeping it. But he had no idea what he was doing, and he really needed her support.
He really needed not to feel alone.
“I—Umm—I’m pregnant?”
May blinked at him. “Is that a question or a statement?”
Peter chuckled nervously. “A statement. I’m pregnant.” He waited with bated breath, and smiled when he realised he needn’t have worried.
“Are you okay? How far along are you?”
“Y—Yeah, I’m fine. Apart from the morning sickness, I’m okay. And umm, three months, roundabout.”
She squeezed his foot gently. “You never mentioned someone special.”
He smiled at her sadly. He never mentioned Parker, because even though he’d fallen in love with the Alpha, he knew he was out there in another universe, and he’d most likely forgotten Peter. That short time they’d spent together had been life-changing for Peter—not just because of the baby he was now going to have—but because for the first time in over ten years he’d allowed himself to care for someone again—the way he’d cared for Gwen—and whilst it had left him borderline heartbroken, he’d survived. In fact, he’d even go as far as to say that he’d changed for the better because now he knew he could be happy again, knew he wasn’t emotionally dead inside like he’d thought.
“He—uh—he’s not around, but he’s a good guy—helped me with my first heat since…well you know—” May gasped softly as she knew how losing Gwen had affected him and working in health services knew that if he’d been involved in the heat, there was a strong chance that he’d also triggered it which meant it wasn’t just some nameless one-night stand that meant nothing. “—he just…it’s complicated…I know he’d be here if he could.”
He sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve, as he blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. “I’m sorry for just turning up, I just panicked after taking the tests and…needed you.”
She pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly. “Never apologise for needing me, Peter. I love you; you know that. We’ll work this out. Okay?”
He nodded against her neck, and just hugged her until he no longer felt like his world has turned on its axis. Eventually he sat back. “I’m keeping it by the way, not sure if that was clear. I just thought you might—could maybe—help me with what stuff I might need to the apartment? The thought of staring at a catalogue or a website and having no idea what to buy is kinda terrifying.”
“Of course I’ll help. Now’s probably the right time to tell you that there’s also some money saved away for you. Ben set up a fund for if you ever had kids or if you needed help with something like setting up a business. I…I never got to tell you before—we’d planned to tell you after you graduated and then…everything happened—you stopped having heats and so I figured kids were out, unless you planned on adopting at some point, and you seemed to be content with taking photos and your job—and I would’ve given the money to you, if you ever asked for financial help—but you seemed to get by even if I know you sort of faded away…or became a shadow—one filled with pain, but still a shadow—of your former self.” May looked at him with sad eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner.”
Peter swallowed past the emotion clogging his throat. He didn’t care about the money—well, yes it’ll come in handy for now, but he didn’t care he was only just being told about it now. May’s right, he wouldn’t have done anything with it before now; he’d had no desire for a family before Parker had swung into his life, and he’d been so focused on being Spider-Man that any thoughts about giving Peter Parker a life had fizzled out before they’d even formed—no, it was the fact that he’d worried his Aunt that was making it hard to breathe.
She didn’t say it out right, but he knows she would’ve been worried that he hadn’t been the happy, bouncy Peter he’d been as a teenager. He’d tried his best to pretend, but clearly she’d been able to see the truth in his brown eyes.
He’d never wanted his grief to bring her down with him.
“Nothing to be sorry for, May. You’re right, I haven’t been myself for a long time, but I think I’m ready—or I’m gonna try anyway, for the baby and for myself—to be myself again. Gwen—she wouldn’t want—she’d…she’d probably kick my ass that I’d been moping for this long. But it’s not just me I have to think about now, right?”
She cupped his cheek. “You’ll be a great father, Peter. You’ll use the money, yes?”
He nodded.
“Good. Now that’s sorted, and I can be excited at being a Grandma, how about some mac ‘n’ cheese?”
Peter chuckled as his stomach rumbled at the thought. “Sound great.”
****
Over the next three months Peter’s life changed rather a bit.
The money from May and Uncle Ben had come in handy in buying all the things he’d need like a pram, crib, clothes, all of that stuff. It had also provided a nice financial cushion which had allowed him to quit his job as a freelance photographer and get something more stable. He now wrote scientific articles for a magazine journal, and he really enjoyed it. It meant he could work from home, which would be great when the baby arrived.
It also meant that nobody was relying on him to take pictures of Spider-Man.
Because, he wasn’t Spider-Man anymore.
Of course he still had all his powers, and if he came across something happening that he could resolve with a few sneakily placed webs without anyone seeing, then he still helped, but it wasn’t just him now. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something happened to his and Parker’s baby because he’d crashed into a wall while trying to swing away from the villain of the week, or if someone did something like stab him (because a lot of people reacted to Spider-Man with blades and aggression, like they thought small knives were his weakness).
The Daily Bugle had spent two whole weeks after he’d swung his last masked swing around the city theorising as to what had happened to the Spider Menace—everything from he’d fallen down a manhole and was stuck in one of his own webs somewhere, he’d changed his costume and was now one of the many wannabe villains that popped up every now and then, right through to him having died in some freak accident--and he’d ignored them all with only a tiny amount of guilt.
Ben had said with great power came great responsibility, and Peter had realised that that applied to not just being Spider-Man, but to being a parent too.
He was responsible for bringing this baby into the world and caring for it, and he couldn’t do that and be Spider-Man.
Spider-Man had been his life for the past decade, so he figured it was probably time he gave Peter Parker his time in the sun. Besides, it’s not like he can do much crime fighting with a big baby bump. Even the suit didn’t stretch that much.
(He’d tried it on five months in to this whole pregnancy thing, and had huffed out a laugh, when he realised it wouldn’t fit over his round hips and belly. He hadn’t been planning on going out in it, just wanted to see if it would fit. Nostalgia reasons mostly. It was hard giving up something that had been his only focus for so long. Now it was just neatly folded up in a box in his closet).
May popped round to visit him once a week, and every so often she’d look at him as he regaled her with stories about feeling the baby kick for the first time, or how none of his jeans fit anymore, and she’d smile softly, because he was Peter again, and he’d get a little flutter in his chest because he was.
And the person who had made it possible wasn’t here.
He missed Parker terribly, which he knew was a bit crazy considering they hadn’t even been together long, but he’d known—deep inside his heart where it counted—that the other man had been perfect for him. Time didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
So, seeing as Parker wasn’t there, and he didn’t want to not think about him, he told his bump about him.
He stretched out on the sofa with a blanket over his legs, and a bowl of popcorn resting on his bump and told their baby all about their dad. He told him about his sparkling blue eyes, his little chin dimple, his scent that was the nicest thing Peter had ever smelt (and he’d laughed until he’d cried when he’d realised halfway through the pregnancy that the baby was making him crave black forest gateau). He told their baby about how caring Parker was, how he’d looked after Peter before he’d even known he’d needed looking after.
And he told their baby about how he loved the other man.
How he’d love him across the universe and how much he wished that he’d get to see him again.
The baby kicked Peter’s belly softly, like it was listening and like it was saying, yeah, I love him too.
****
Peter finished putting the last of his groceries away and grabbed himself a glass of water. He was starting to tire easily as the pregnancy progressed, and climbing up the stairs to his apartment with a bag of groceries and his bump which had changed his centre of gravity, was making him think back fondly on the days when he could just crawl in through his living room window.
He padded to the bedroom to change out of his outfit and put on his most comfiest sweatpants and a massive jumper that practically swallowed him up. He’d bought it so it would fit whatever size he got to, but it was weird looking down and not seeing his bump because of how loose it was.
He went to go sit down on the sofa and watch some tv, when there was a knock at the door. His tingle hadn’t gone off, so it didn’t appear to be anything that was going to be a danger, but he also had no idea who it could be as only May came to visit him, and she’d done that yesterday.
Perhaps someone had ordered a pizza and the guy had the wrong apartment?
Opening the door, he quickly realised it wasn’t the pizza delivery guy.
The scent of cherries and chocolate flooded his nose and for the first time in six months, it wasn’t because of wishful thinking.
“Y—You’re…how?” He asked, hands gripping the edge of the door so they didn’t shake as he took in the sight of Parker stood in front of him. Actual living and breathing Parker, who the last time Peter had seen him was fading away to his own universe…his universe that wasn’t this one!
His gaze flitted over the lines at the corner of Parker’s sea-blue eyes that remind him of his soft laughter; the freckles dotted on the side of his neck that reminded him of how he’d pressed his face against them as Parker had fucked him slowly on the last day of his heat and it had taken everything in him not to bite down on the scent gland just underneath them and bind them together forever. He took in the way he looked exactly how Peter remembered him, and so much better at the same time, because he was actually here and not just in Peter’s mind.
“Hi baby.” Parker said through a grin; his cheeks were flushed because it’s chilly out, but also Peter thinks he might have ran here, because his hair that’s usually so perfectly coiffed is slightly windswept.
Peter unclenched one hand from the edge of the door and reached out to push a loose strand of hair back from Parker’s forehead. He let out a half-sob when he touched warm skin rather than just air. “You’re really here.”
“I’m really here.”
Peter surged forward and wrapped his arms around Parker’s neck, hugging him tightly, causing the other man to let out an “oof” as he suddenly had an armful of smiling, crying, laughing Omega pressed up against him. “Missed you so much.” He mumbled into Parker’s neck, sucking in lungfuls of his scent.
“I missed you too, Peter.” Parker stroked a hand down his back, and Peter felt like a weight he hadn’t even known he’d been carrying had been lifted. “You…uh—” He cleared his throat. “—You have something to tell me?”
Peter frowned and leant back to look at Parker’s stupidly handsome face that was smiling at him gently, wondering what he’d need to tell him right this second. His confusion must have been evident because Parker huffed out a laugh and smoothed his hand from Peter’s back around to his bump.
Oh.
His bump.
“S—Surprise?” He grinned sheepishly.
Parker shook his head in fond amusement and kissed Peter on the lips; the press of their mouths together making him feel like he could finally breathe properly for the first time since he’d returned to his universe.
“A good surprise.” Parker murmured against his lips. “I hope my surprise is good too?”
Peter rolled his eyes, because he was pretty sure if he was any happier at Parker being here he’d be floating on air. “The best.” He told him sincerely. He dragged Parker into his apartment, quickly tugged off his coat throwing it on the coat hook, and then manoeuvred him onto the sofa so he could straddle him and curl up against him like he’d been dreaming about for the last half a year.
“Comfy?” Parker asked, amusement evident in his voice, as he resigned himself to being Peter’s seat.
“Yes, thank you.” Peter answered primly.
Parker wrapped his arms around Peter’s waist, and rested his head on top of Peter’s riotous hair; his face tucked into the crook of Parker’s neck because he needed Parker’s scent in his system more than he needed Oxygen.
They sat in companiable silence for a while, just happy to be with each other after so long apart—the baby somehow knowing that both its parents were around as it kept kicking Peter’s insides in happiness, Parker able to feel it where Peter’s belly was pressed up against his own softly-muscled stomach—but eventually Peter pulled back and realised they probably had somethings to discuss.
Starting with…
“Not that I’m not ecstatic that you’re here, because I am—I’m so happy it’s taking everything not to cry from happiness right now—but how the fuck are you here? Like, aren’t you meant to be in another universe?”
“I’m happy I’m here too, baby.” Parker cupped Peter’s cheek and pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw before sitting back and answering Peter’s question; his hands a steady presence on his hips. “And I’m here because I came through a portal. Ever since we left Pete’s universe and I had to say goodbye to you, part of me felt like it was missing—like I had a hole inside of me that was you-shaped—so I…went and saw a wizard. My universe’s Doctor Strange. I spoke to him and explained to him what had happened, and after a lot of sceptical looks and grumblings he helped me. He found a spell that could make it so I could move from one universe to another, and then once it had been cast, he portalled me here, and….here I am.”
“What…when you say move from one universe to another, you mean…?”
“That I no longer exist in my old universe and I’m a citizen of this universe. I even have ID and everything. I figured it would be easier to change my name while we were at it—save any future confusion—so yeah…here to stay.”
The tears that Peter had been sort of successfully holding down up until that point started trickling down cheeks that were bunched up so much, he looked like some sort of deranged, extremely happy hamster.
“What name did you go for?” He asked, because he couldn’t yet find the words to handle the fact that the other man had gone to all that effort to come here to him…for him.
“Well, I like the way you scream Parker when I’m inside you, so I kept that as my first name—” Peter blushed at the drawled words and the smirk on Parker’s face, because yeah, he’d definitely screamed his name a lot, during his heat. “—and I picked the surname Maguire. Think it works.”
“I think it’s great. Hell, you could’ve called yourself Bobo the Clown and I’d still be stupidly happy that you’re here.”
“I’m not sure I’d pull off the big, red nose look.” Parker said dryly.
“You are such a dork.” Peter giggled and then groaned as their baby was pressing against his bladder. Getting off Parker’s lap he walked (well more like waddled) across the room throwing a “Bathroom, back in a sec!” over his shoulder.
After he’d relieved his bladder, and washed his hands, he waddled back to the sofa—beaming because Parker was still there—and held out his hand to the other man. Parker took it with no hesitation and Peter led him to the bedroom.
“My back’s starting to hurt, and I want to cuddle up to you, so we’re gonna spoon for a bit, if that’s okay?”
Parker just pressed a kiss to the side of Peter’s neck—and yeah he could get very used to that—and pulled back the covers. Peter climbed onto the bed, and sighed when Parker curled himself around his back; arm draped over his waist and hand splayed out over his bump.
“So how far along are you?” Parker asked the question softly. “I think time moves differently in the different universes, because it took me two years to get here, and seeing as I could smell my scent mixed with yours when you opened the door—because of the baby—meaning you’re not pregnant with someone else’s child, I don’t think it’s been two years here.”
Peter’s eyes widened and he turned his head to look at Parker. “Two years?! Fuck, it’s only been six months here—that’s how far along I am by the way—but fuck, two years! Now you’re here, I can’t imagine not being with you for two years…six months was bad enough.”
Parker pulled him even closer to his body and nuzzled at Peter’s neck. “It was the most painful thing I’ve ever been through—being away from you—but it was worth it to get to be here with you now.”
“And you didn’t even know I was pregnant.” Peter whispered, fully realising the magnitude of the lengths Parker had gone to.
“What do you mean?”
“You—uh—you didn’t know I was pregnant before I hugged you right?”
“Right…”
“Which means you spent two years working out how to come here, for me….just for me.”
He must not have been able to keep how overwhelmed he felt out of his voice, because Parker sighed sadly and murmured, “Oh, baby”, before tilting Peter’s face round to kiss him softly on the lips.
“Of course I came here for you. Our baby is a very happy surprise on top, but you’re the reason I’m here, Peter.”
“So, it wasn’t just me whose life changed after us sharing that heat together?”
Parker shook his head. “No, not just you. Two years your peach and vanilla scent has haunted me!” He said in mock accusation. “You turned my life upside down, Peter, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Peter turned his head back to rest it against the pillows and smiled. “We’re gonna have a baby together—” He said in amazement, like it was news to them both. “—that’s pretty crazy right?”
Parker hummed against his neck. “The best kind of crazy though. Much better kind of crazy than black alien goo, that’s for sure.”
“I—uhh—I stopped being Spider-Man. When I found out about the baby….I didn’t want to do anything that might hurt them.”
Parker stroked Peter’s round belly; the movements soft and gentle, almost reverent like he couldn’t quite believe Peter was pregnant with his child, even though the evidence was there underneath his palm. “Are you okay with that?”
Peter huffed out a laugh, because of course, of course Parker would understand that giving up being Spider-Man wasn’t as simple as no longer putting on the suit. He didn’t say giving up being Spider-Man was the right thing to do—because Peter knows it is for the baby, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t an easy decision for himself—and he didn’t make Peter feel guilty for putting their family above the citizens of their city. He just asked if Peter was okay with his decision, and Peter realised that here, laid in Parker’s arms and their baby safe tucked up inside him—everything he could want within hugging distance—the answer was easy.
“Yeah, I am.”
“That’s good.” He pressed another kiss to Peter’s neck. “Thank you, Peter.”
He didn’t specify what he was thanking him for, but Peter knew. He was thanking him for putting their baby first. For having the same faith in their connection that Parker himself did, the same faith that had allowed him to travel universes again to find Peter.
He was thanking Peter for making the decision to be Peter Parker rather than Spider-Man for the first time in a very long time.
He was thanking him for not regretting doing any of those things.
Peter covered Parker’s hand with his own, over his bump, and linked their fingers together. “Thank you for coming to find me.”
Parker squeezed his hand and nuzzled against Peter’s neck, breathing in his scent; letting out a big sigh, like he was finally where he’d wanted to be after two long years.
“Every time.”
He said it like a promise.
A promise he wouldn’t ever break.
Peter believed him.