Work Text:
Tucking his legs up, Peter flipped through the air, his heart racing as he fired a fresh web, picking up speed. Moments ago, he'd just got an alert through the system in his mask that a "Code Red" was happening. That meant that Mary Jane had activated the signal device he'd given her years ago, which she'd fortunately never had to use... until today. His mind raced as he drew within a block of his apartment. Normally he'd attempt to be more discreet upon entering, but there was no time such precautions now.
To that end, Peter came flying through the window feet first, landing squarely in the center of the living room. He was relieved when he saw only Mary Jane there, but quickly stood up as he observed the still concerned look on her face. His wife promptly gestured upward before he could even ask, so Peter glanced that way as well, where he discovered an unexpected but no less terrifying sight: their seven-month-old daughter, Mayday, hanging on the ceiling by her fingers and toes!
"Are you kidding me?" Peter questioned exasperatedly. "When did this happen?"
"She's been up there for about ten minutes," Mary Jane replied. "I tried to coax her down, but she just kept giggling, then when I got the latter, she just kept crawling away!"
"She wasn't even crawling as of yesterday though!" Peter countered.
"Don't you think I know that!?" Mary Jane shouted. Realizing that they were both getting worked up, Peter took a breath, trying to settle his rapidly beating heart.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Here, I'll just..."
The familiar buzzing of his spider sense cut him off, the feeling strong but not overwhelming. It was plain to see why within seconds, as the danger was not to him, but to his child, who'd suddenly let go of the ceiling! Diving through the air with incredible speed, Peter caught her before she was ever close to hitting the ground, pinning the child to his chest as he rolled along the floor before coming back up on his knees. When he held out his daughter to see if she was okay, the red-headed little one simply giggled and clapped her hands.
"Well, she thinks she's okay at least," Peter said as he stood to his feet, his wife rushing over.
"Ugh, thank goodness," she said. "I'm sorry too for snapping earlier by the way, I was just... I thought you and the Four concluded she wouldn't get powers until she was much older, if she ever got them at all?"
"Yeah, let me make a little house call really quick," Peter replied as he passed the baby over to his wife. "Hopefully we can get some answers."
--
Of course, as per the usual Parker luck, the Four were nowhere to be found upon Peter's arrival to the Baxter Building. When he spoke with the place's front desk lady, she explained that they'd gone off to Latveria for the fourth time in the last two months! Seriously, why couldn't them and Doom just work things out after all these years?
"Yeah, like you've worked things out with Doc Ock and Mysterio," Peter sarcastically pointed out to himself as shimmied a few stories up the side of the building. "Settle down, Parker; you don't need to work yourself up like May during Bridge night."
Unfortunately, as Peter fired a web to make his way back home again, it proved rather difficult to take his own advice. Every thought seemed to be a newly-dreamt up scenario involving his suddenly empowered child. What if she accidentally crawled up the wall of the local market instead of their home? What if she accidentally hurt a kid on a playdate or in school? Would they have to shelter her from the other kids? What would that do to her self-esteem? What if... what if...
Catching himself on a nearby flagpole, Peter brought himself to an abrupt halt as he tried to steady his mind. For as supposedly rational a mind as he felt he should have a scientist, his brain sure liked imagining all the worst possibilities for any given situation, and this was no different.
"Alright, let's think about some positives," he muttered aloud. "Let's see, how about maybe... well, then there's also..."
The sound of an explosion in the distance suddenly drew his attention.
"Saved by the crime, as always," he said with a sigh as he fired a web and swung towards the familiar sounds of chaos.
--
By the time Peter had finally put a stop to the Rhino's path of destruction, night had fallen.
"Great, another bedtime missed," he moaned. Nevertheless, he promptly made his way home, took a shower and settled into some much cleaner clothes for the night. He then wondered into his daughter's nursery, where he unsurprisingly found his wife, who was on her knees with her elbows resting on the side of the crib as she peered over it. Coming up next to her, Peter put his arm around his wife, pulling her close as he gazed down at the adorable sight below them. Mayday was just lying there so peacefully, her eyes shut and her mouth open, with just a little drool threatening to escape at any moment.
"It's weird, isn't it?" Mary Jane spoke up softly. "How one moment we can be so worked up over her, and the next, she's just this peaceful little thing?"
"M.J, she's has Parker DNA inside of her," he pointed out. "She was always going to be a walking paradox."
His wife chuckled as the two stood up and quietly made their way out of the room, shutting the door as gently as possible.
"I did see you giving it to Rhino on the news earlier," she observed. "Nice work."
"Thanks," Peter replied as he stretched his right shoulder. "Remind my shoulder and side of that in the morning, would you?"
He then glanced back towards where their child was resting peacefully.
"Is it weird that some days, especially ones like today, fighting a Russian bulldozer dressed in a circus costume scares me less than her?"
"Nope," Mary Jane affirmed with a shake of her head. "I don't think I've ever been more scared than I was today. My mind just kept coming back to all the ways things could go wrong. What if she accidentally hurt someone? What if she climbed up the walls somewhere more public?"
"What if she accidentally hurts you?" Peter suggested.
"Yeah," M.J. replied, clearly having considered the possibility as well. "But you know, sitting there just now, watching her sleep, I just... I don't know. We made it through the day, and that has to count for something, right?"
Peter nodded; she really did have a point.
"Yeah. One day at a time. I guess that's how we were always going to have to take it even before today. In that sense, I guess nothing's changed."
"Yeah, plus we're Peter and M.J, right?" his wife pointed out. "We've made it through hostage situations and alien invasions together. We can make it through this, right?"
"Absolutely... though maybe with a little help and advice here and there," Peter replied with a light chuckle, which prompted the same from his wife.
"I certainly wouldn't turn away any help," she conceded. The couple then hugged each other tightly, as if letting out all their stress together.
"We're going to be okay, right?" she asked.
"I think so," Peter affirmed as they finally separated. "We're in this together, and that's how we're going to make it through."
"I can agree with that," M.J. replied. "Come on, Tiger, let's hit the sack. Who knows what adventures our daughter will take us along for tomorrow!"
Peter just nodded.
Yep, adventure was certainly a good word for the life they had together.