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As Peter got older, the art of balancing his life and Spider-Man became easier.
It no longer felt like an ultimatum choosing between going out to patrol and staying home. His nightly routine of going out to take care of the city had turned into a few nights a week. Instead, he savored the time at home with MJ, quiet evenings in their new apartment unpacking boxes and catching up on TV shows they’d neglected as they’d settled into full-time jobs.
On the nights he did patrol, MJ would wait up, half asleep under the blankets on the sofa until he climbed through the window. Some nights she’d help him clean his wounds, bandaging the more serious ones and making sure they don’t need to go to Medbay to get them looked at professionally. Other nights, she’d help him out of suit, watching him change as he walks around the apartment, recapping his evening while she took her makeup off and got ready for bed.
Today, when he climbs back through the window, cursing under his breath as he nearly knocks over the succulents MJ has found a new home for, she’s relieved to see that he’s mostly intact. He removes the suit and changes as he talks about patrolling, and MJ stays in her spot on the couch, watching him.
“You know,” he begins, his feet padding across the hardwood floors, turning on the kettle. “Out of all the years I’ve been Spider-Man, I’ve never done the one thing I’ve always thought would be so cool to do.”
“Oh yeah?” MJ asks, tucking her feet underneath her. “And what’s that?”
The tea kettle murmurs to life as Peter grabs two mugs from the cabinet, glancing over at her. “I’ve never kissed someone upside down in the rain while I’m Spider-Man.”
MJ can’t help but laugh at the declaration, pulling at the edge of the blanket. “You’ve wanted to do that for a while?” she asks. “You’ve never mentioned it before.”
“No, I know,” he nods, shrugging. “Because it felt kind of silly. But tonight it was drizzling and I thought about how it would be so cool to kiss someone upside down in the rain like that. Hang from my web outside the window while I lean in and kiss you.”
“It would be pretty romantic,” she concedes. “But you get these crazy ideas, and you hardly think of the logistics. Sure, we have the fire escape, but what if our neighbors see you? You’ve seen the unhinged messages in the building Whatsapp chat. Seeing Spider-Man hanging upside down kissing me would open up scrutiny like you wouldn’t believe. And them realizing that you live in this building and I know you? It would be enough to start affair rumors, let alone people asking us for information about him.”
Peter grabs the kettle off the stove, rolling his eyes. “Obviously I’d do it when we think most people are in bed,” he replies. “You gonna deny me if I show up?”
She accepts her mug, laughing. “Of course not, you know that,” she smiles, taking a sip. Digging her toes under his thigh when he sits down, MJ looks at him. “It’s supposed to rain tomorrow. If you patrol, you come by here and we’ll kiss in the rain, just like you’ve apparently always dreamed of,” she smirks.
Peter smiles and leans forward, kissing her. “I knew you’d make all my dreams come true,” he teases, pressing his forehead against hers. “Now tell me all about the trashy TV you watched while I was out.”
–
MJ wakes up the next morning to an empty bed beside her and rain pattering against the window.
Stretching, she feels the note Peter left on his side of the bed, grabbing it.
Went out patrolling this morning - some Avengers stuff popped up. Meet me on the fire escape at 9 🙂
Glancing at the alarm clock, MJ rolls her eyes, pulling herself out of bed. The skies are foggy, leaving her with little visibility to see if he’s coming. She wraps her robe around her, the hardwood creaking under feet as she walks across the room, opening the window to the fire escape.
“I know I was early, but damn, you left it to the last minute,” Peter says, smiling when MJ jumps at his voice as he lowers himself down on a web.
“Do not tell me you had me out of bed at 9 because you want to make your dream of kissing upside down in the rain come true,” she asks, tucking her feet beneath her as she sits on the fire escape, grateful to at least be semi undercover where it’s dry. “I thought you wanted to wait until night when most people would be in bed?"
Peter slides his mask off his face, smirking. “I think you know that’s exactly what happened,” he responds. “I was planning on waiting until tonight, but I figured it’s miserable out and most people are probably not looking out of their windows. Besides, it’ll be quick, and you know you want to indulge me.”
Thunder rolls in the distance, the rain steady as she smiles. “You’re right,” she concedes, shifting so she can lean closer.
Peter brightens before leaning forward, his free hand cupping her cheek as he kisses her softly, swinging from the web.
It was a ridiculous fantasy, one that made him laugh the more he thought about it, but actually being on their fire escape kissing his girlfriend feels like an achievement, and he reluctantly pulls away.
“I don’t know why that was as satisfying as it was, but I feel like I can move on with different goals for Spider-Man now that we completed that,” he smiles, kissing her again softly.
“I can’t imagine what new fantasy you’ll come up with for the next one,” she teases, brushing his hair back away from his face. “Are you home for good now, or are you going to go back out and patrol?”
Peter falters for a moment, shrugging. “I should probably patrol for a little while longer. Rain makes people crazy sometimes, you know?” he says, adjusting his mask to put it back on. “Save me some coffee?”
“Always,” MJ nods. “Be safe, please. Rain also makes it more dangerous for you.”
Nodding, Peter turns himself upright, perching on the railing. “When I get home, do you want to have a movie marathon? It’s supposed to rain the rest of the day, and I’m yours for the rest of it.”
Smiling, MJ climbs back into their apartment. “Of course. I’ll start picking movies while you’re gone.”
“Good idea,” he smiles. “Love you!” he calls, swinging off.
MJ watches until he disappears into the fog, reluctantly shutting the window and trying to ignore her heart pounding in her chest, fears present in the back of her mind just as they are every single time she watches him leave to patrol.
–
Peter arrives home nearly two hours later, suit soaked as he walks to the bathroom, wringing it out over the sink before hanging it to dry.
He smiles when he returns, leaning down to kiss her.
“Was the rest of patrolling exciting?” she asks, squealing when he steals part of the blanket from her, his cold toes pressing against hers.
“Boring, actually,’ he says, curling up underneath the blanket when MJ stands to make them both tea. “Would you believe that even this rain made Queens stay inside this morning?”
The tea kettle roars to life. “I would, actually. It’s miserable out,” she comments. “And the Avengers situation?”
Peter hesitates, avoiding her gaze when she looks back at him. He’d been wary about sharing too much about the Avengers, caught between wanting her to know and not wanting to scare her. Shifting, he tucks his feet under him.
“I don’t think it’s solved yet, necessarily,” he says after a while. “But it’s better. And Sam said that I’m fine to go home. If I’m needed, they’ll let me know.”
MJ raises her eyebrows, sitting back down on the sofa. “That’s growth from you.”
Turning so he can rest his head in her lap, he smiles. “I told you I’d be better.”
Peter had promised that he’d be more mindful about balancing his home life and patrolling while high on painkillers one late evening in the Medbay. MJ had taken it with a grain of salt. While her dream had been for Peter to be more mindful, to have him with her and safe and not worried about him all the time, she knew what she was getting herself into.
She knew that marrying Peter meant marrying someone who had to put the city before himself. Who had to be ready to save people. Marrying someone who cared so deeply about making the world a better place that he had to do everything in his power to achieve that, even if it meant the relationships he fostered took a temporary back seat.
She never wanted to diminish that. She never wanted to dampen his spirit or insinuate that he couldn’t do something just because it didn’t make sense. But even now, watching him choose to be home, choose to stop patrolling and trust that Sam or another Avenger will reach out when they need help feels like a leap forward MJ never thought she’d get to see.
And maybe that’s what’s most important about everything.
“I know,” MJ nods, leaning down to kiss him. “And thank you for that.”
It’s not the kissing upside down in the rain, or watching from the fire escape as he swings between buildings he’s known his entire life.
It’s these little moments that make her realize she married exactly who she was meant to marry, and that’s all that really matters.