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"Do you think she'll get any abilities?" Peter's hands hovered over his round stomach hesitantly.
Tony smiled down at him. "You scared to have a superbaby?"
Peter frowned. "The world isn't kind, Tony. I don't want her to be in danger. If it's public knowledge that she's enhanced... I don't want to think about what could happen to her."
"Nothing will happen to her," Tony said firmly, the humor draining from his face. "She'll be the most protected baby in the world with the family she has. If she has any abilities, we'll take it in stride. You'll teach her how to handle them, and I'll make the safest tech I can to go with them. She won't be alone in this."
Peter sighed, his tired eyes catching Tony's. "So much could go wrong."
"Nothing will," Tony insisted.
"You don't know that."
"No," Tony agreed, "but I know that we'll do anything we can to make sure she's all right. And that'll have to be enough. I don't know what I'll do if it won't be."
"She'll be okay," Peter nodded resolutely.
He would make it happen. Their baby wasn't even here yet, and he already knew he'd do anything for her.
There was a week left until his due date, which was why he was shocked when his water broke later that day. He was tended to by the best medical staff under Tony's employ, and was able to bring Maria May Stark into the world with their help four hours later.
He was sore and exhausted beyond belief, but his excitement outshone it all. He and Tony were waiting, hand in hand, for their baby to be brought into the room. She was being looked over at the moment, and though they couldn't wait to see her, they didn't make any effort to rush the process. They didn't want the doctors to miss anything, especially if it was because of their own impatience.
Tony squeezed Peter's hand, drawing his attention away from the door and towards himself. "Are you feeling okay?"
Peter laughed breathily. "I feel exactly how I felt the last ten times you asked. I'm okay, Tony, I promise. Just the normal aches and pains."
"Does that mean we're getting baby number two soon?" Tony's eyebrows danced playfully.
"God, no," Peter shook his head immediately. "I'm not going through that again. Not until I've forgotten the pain and my baby fever's back."
Tony smiled tenderly. "I'm sure one potentially superpowered baby will give us the same workout parents get with four non-enhanced kids. We'll play it by ear."
"I can't wait for it," Peter gushed. "I know it'll be hard, and not as glamorous as it seems on TV, but I've been dreaming of this day for years."
"I'm glad I'm doing this with you," Tony said, planting a kiss on his forehead.
Before Peter could say anything in response, Maria was wheeled in on a bassinet by an enamored nurse. The nurse stopped by Peter's bed, making sure that he and Maria were settled and didn't need anything before stepping out of the room.
Tony bent over the bassinet at once, picking up Maria with slow, careful movements. The baby was small, practically swallowed by the beanie on her head, and Peter sat up to see her better. Tony took a moment to coo at her face before handing her to Peter, who accepted her with teary eyes.
"She's so cute," Peter choked out. "I can't believe she's really here."
"All thanks to you, baby," Tony sat on the edge of the bed to watch them both.
He reached for one of Maria's hands, which unfurled from the fist it had been in. Her fingers grasped at one of his, holding on tightly, and Tony melted at the sight.
"May is gonna die when she sees this," Peter muttered, snapping a picture of their linked hands. "I'm going to take so many pictures. We're making an album."
Tony grinned. "Is the nursery done? I don't know if we're ready, since Maria decided to grace us with her presence early."
"I think we still have a shelf to baby proof. It's okay, anyway. She'll be sleeping with us for a while, so we have time to finish." Peter smoothed his thumb over Maria's cheek lovingly.
Though her early arrival had scared him, with all the negative implications it could've had, she was born with no alarming conditions and he got to spend more time with her than he'd expected. It was a win-win situation.
Tony's laugh lines deepened with the force of his smile. "Are you ready for all the sleepless nights we're going to have in the next eighteen years?"
"So ready," Peter nodded.
Tony went to pull his hand away from Maria's, wanting to call their family and friends to let them know of her safe arrival to the world. They hadn't had time to tell anyone that Peter was in labor. Everything had been so rushed and stressful. Tony shook his head, not wanting to bring himself down with the reminder of how scary everything had felt. This was not the time for that.
When he tried to detach his finger from Maria's hold, he found himself unable to move it. His finger was stuck, and the more he tried to move it, the more he realized what was going on. He'd felt this before, when Peter would cling onto him in the mornings to get him to skip work in favor of cuddles.
Maria had inherited Peter's powers. Or at least a part of them.
Tony stopped struggling, allowing Maria to hold him. His phone calls could wait. He turned to Peter, who'd been watching them tug back and forth with amusement and resignation.
"She's enhanced," they said in unison.
Peter's lips quirked upwards wryly. "I guess it was inevitable."
"Are you upset?" Tony asked.
"I'm worried about her future," Peter admitted, "but I don't love her any less. This is just who she is."
Tony nodded in agreement. "We'll keep it quiet. The government won't be privy to anything beyond her existence. The Avengers should know, as should May, Ned, and MJ, but everyone else can mind their business.”
Maria came home with them two days later, where they were greeted by the Avengers and Co. They all oohed and aahed at her round cheeks and shining brown eyes, making it a game to identify which of her features came from which parent. May's face softened when it was her turn to hold the baby, and she looked years younger with the joy that radiated from her upon meeting her grandniece for the very first time.
"You can't ever hire a babysitter," May implored. "I'll watch her for as long as you let me."
Peter and Tony shared an easy smile. It was nice, and admittedly relieving, to see their child so loved. Maria would want for nothing with the amount of family she had.
"You drive a hard bargain," Peter joked.
He leaned into May for a sideways hug and felt a tug on his shirt when he went to let go. He glanced down to find Maria latched onto the soft fabric, her hand wrinkling what had previously been perfectly straightened material. Peter tried to pry her off, but was stopped by the tears that sprung into Maria's eyes as she began to wail.
Peter took hold of Maria, murmuring a quiet apology to May when his movement jostled her, and held her tightly to his chest.
"What's wrong, Ria?" he rubbed her back soothingly. "Did you want my shirt? I know it's cool, despite what your dad might try to say, but it's too big for you right now. I can get you your own pun t-shirt if you'd like. How does that sound?"
Tony joined him, placing a comforting hand on his waist. They'd had few opportunities to parent, even less so in front of others, so it was nerve-wracking to do it in front of their family, but they wouldn't let that stop them from trying.
"I think she just wanted her papa," Tony pressed a kiss to Peter's cheek, lifting a hand for Maria to stick to. Her comfort mattered more to him than his ability to move around. "And we'll be having another talk about those shirts later. We are not forcing our child to walk around in those."
Peter's heart softened. Being needed made him feel, well, needed. It was something he could get used to. "She can't walk yet, and if you don't like those shirts, you don't like me."
"Honey, I love you," Tony swore, "but I never mentioned those shirts in my vows, and that was for a reason."
"If you try to burn them again, I swear..." Peter narrowed his eyes at him threateningly.
Tony evaded his gaze, feigning innocence. "I would never. The fact that you'd even think that hurts me, Pete, it really does."
"I think they forgot that they aren't alone," Sam coughed. "Again."
Ned nodded in agreement. "We'll leave you guys to it. Let us know if you need anything! You can always count on Uncle Ned to save the day. My 'guy in the chair' abilities extend to spider-babies too."
"Thanks, man," Peter embraced him. "Come over sometime. It's been too long since we've properly hung out."
One by one, everyone said their goodbyes, the group slowly dissipating until only the Starks remained. Maria, having calmed down, stared at Tony over Peter's shoulder with red eyes. Tony winked at her, and she blinked back at him slowly.
"It's our baby's first day home," Tony announced, like Peter didn't know. "What do you want to do?"
Peter pondered over that for a second. "Let's give her a tour."
"She'll remember none of it," Tony pointed out.
Peter surveyed him knowingly. "Don't you want to show off your lab?"
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Tony grabbed Peter's hand and dragged him to the elevator. Once inside, he faced Maria with a smug face. "Get ready to have your mind blown."
Maria made a soft noise, and Tony beamed. "She already likes it."
"We're not even there yet," Peter snorted.
Tony swatted at his side. "That's not the point."
The elevator doors slid open, and the trio entered the lab, which was in the same state Tony had left it in before Maria's birth. DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers trilled in greeting from their charging stations.
"Baby Stark is home," Tony declared. "You'll get to play with her when she's older. Want to say hi?"
The bots chirped, and Tony gestured for Peter to follow him to their charging stations. Peter stayed a safe distance away, crouching to allow the bots a better view of the infant.
"This is Maria," Peter told them brightly. "She's your little sister."
DUM-E's claw reached out to pet her head, but was unable to make contact with it due to the distance between them.
"No touching," Tony instructed. "She's very fragile and can't escape if she needs to. Let's keep our appliances to ourselves, boys."
Peter smiled fondly at the scene. "I think we'll do great, Tony."
Tony didn't need to ask what he was referring to. "Are you ready for it?"
"Yeah," Peter said.
And he was.