Here's the moment everyone's been asking for; you know who you are!
I don't own anything from Spider-Man or Marvel
Chapter 6: Unexpected But Happy News
The next day, MJ stayed home for the day, because she told Peter she wasn't feeling well. Lately, she had been throwing up a lot, and she felt tired.
Before he left for class, Peter looked at her more closely.
Along with his regular spider powers, Peter's senses were also stronger. No where near as powerful as Daredevil's, but still stronger than a regular person's. And right now, he could hear something coming from MJ that wasn't her normal heartbeat. It was a very fast fluttering sound...like the wing beats of a hummingbird, only underwater...
He then shook his head before he walked out and closed the door behind him. Maybe he was just hearing things. He'd talk to MJ about it when he got back, he figured.
While she stayed at home, she called May and asked her to pick up some food at Mr. Delmar's deli for her.
~~~~~~Later, when she arrived...~~~~~~~
"Is this really all for just you?"
"I don't know why, but I'm extremely hungry," MJ stated. "I just hope it stays in."
"Are you feeling all right, dear?" May asked.
"Mostly," MJ answered. "I'm just tired, and more hungry than I used to be."
"Are you sure there's nothing else?" May asked.
"No, I'm fine!" MJ suddenly snapped, prompting the older woman to hold up her hands in defense. As MJ started to unpack one of the sandwiches, she suddenly started crying, "I'm sorry I yelled at you."
"...Michelle, sweetheart," May started. "I'm getting a bit concerned."
"I...I don't know what's going on...!" MJ answered. "I mean... I've been throwing up almost every day, then I get all moody for no reason... and for some reason, my period is la..." She trailed off as her eyes went wide. "...Oh, god."
May looked in one of the bags and pulled something out; a pregnancy test.
"Somehow, I had a feeling," she told her.
MJ hesitantly took it, her hand shaking.
"I'll be here," May assured her.
"...Thanks," MJ said. "I'm...I'm really nervous...but whatever happens, I'll accept it."
"...MJ; no matter what you get...Peter will always love you."
MJ smiled and nodded before she headed to the bathroom.
"And now, we play the waiting game," May muttered as she sat with the dogs.
Both of them whined, worried about "mommy". May pet both of them to assure them that everything would be alright.
After a while, MJ came outside.
"Well?" May asked.
She held two plastic sticks in her hand, both positive...
She collapsed on the couch, her head just an inch away from May's right thigh, and curled up into a ball. Then, she started full on sobbing.
"I don't believe this...!" she whispered. "I just...!"
"Shh..." May shushed softly as she held her. "It'll be all right, sweetie."
"I don't know what to do...!" MJ cried. "I mean...I do know...a little, but...!"
May rested the younger girl's head in her lap, "Do you wanna call your Mom?"
"I...I dunno," MJ replied. "What if she gets angry?"
"If she does, I'll straighten her out," May assured her. "I'm good at it, though it didn't work with Tony Stark."
MJ chuckled, "Yeah, Pepper was the only woman who kept him in line."
"Also, wait till Peter gets home before you tell him," May added. "You know how easily his attention can be divided."
"Yeah, that's true," MJ nodded. "Thanks May."
"Anytime sweetie," she smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter felt like such an idiot! Why didn't realize it sooner? All the signs were there! Just as he got to his apartment door, May was about to exit.
"Oh, Peter! Why are you home so early?"
Peter looked really frazzled and anxious, "Did...did MJ talk to you?"
"Yes, she did," May said with a knowing smile.
"...May...is she...?" Peter asked...and May only nodded her head before she opened her arms, prompting her nephew to laugh as he hugged her.
But, she could tell it was a scared/nervous laugh full of anxiety.
"...I'm gonna be a dad..." he muttered.
It was on his bucket-list, along with, hopefully, marrying MJ. But he would've preferred it happen well after college, but now...
"Peter, don't have an anxiety attack," May told him as she led him inside, and to the couch where MJ was. Her eyes were red from crying, but they were also filled with so many emotions; happiness, apprehension, sadness, stress, fear, but most of all...love.
Peter didn't hesitate. He ran up and hugged MJ, who hugged him back while laughing and crying at the same time. No words were spoken between them, they just held each other, getting used to the fact that they were gonna be parents at 19.
After a minute of hugging, MJ finally asked the big question, "What are we gonna do?"
"Why don't we go through the pros and cons of each scenario?" Peter suggested. "Having a baby at nineteen and in college, giving them up for adoption...or having an abortion..."
MJ tensed at that last word.
"Okay...that's not a bad idea... How about we start with the 'actually having a baby' scenario. We'll each say a pro, then a con, until we run out of ideas, then we'll go to the next scenario, until we make our decision."
Peter nodded, "So...first pro of having a baby...we get to have a little human, one that has some features of each of us...we get to teach them stuff and like...watch them grow..."
MJ sniffled; when he put in such hopeful, optimistic, if just a tad simple terms...it sounded so wonderful... "T-that's like, three pros. But I get what you're saying. My turn," She smirked mischievously. "I get to order you around and you can't tell me no."
"Wait, that's not-"
"Nope," she cut him off. "It's like, a law. Pregnant ladies get special privileges. Now, first con..."
Peter scratched his head, "I dunno, like...we'll have to survive college, if we can. They might spread rumors...social media buzz...you know what gossip is like."
Michelle sighed, "Yeah... Okay my turn... I'll have to be pregnant for somewhere around thirty two to thirty four more weeks and like, all that comes with that..." Her eyes widened, "Fuck, I'll have to give birth..."
Peter winced sympathetically, "Yeah, there's that. Next pro, we won't have to be alone. We've got friends to help us out... Ned would be positively elated and...money doesn't have to be an issue. Cuz, well, I know Pepper. The second she finds out; she'll want to pay for everything."
"That's...also a perk, that's true," MJ said. "Con: what if someone finds out about this? Someone we don't want to find out; like an enemy of Spider-Man?"
"If that happens, we'll use the Avengers Facility, Pepper's house or Strange's place as a safe-house," he said. "Thankfully, the only one of my enemies that knows who I am is Mr. Toomes, and he wouldn't stoop that low."
MJ nodded in agreement, "Peter… I think I wanna have the baby."
Peter exhaled in relief, "Good because... I realized that too."
Michelle grabbed his shirt, "But you better not skip out on me the second things get rough."
"Em, I don't think I could live with myself if I left you alone with my kid. Seriously. I honestly think I'd rather die."
May, who had been silently watching the discussion between the couple, suddenly thought of something,
"Wait! Peter, we don't how your powers will affect the baby."
The young couple gasped a bit; they hadn't thought of that.
"Oh, crap!" Peter cursed as he grabbed at his head.
MJ took a few deep breaths, "We need to make sure it's safe... Uh, we can...they can give an evaluation at the Compound."
Peter calmed down, "Yeah, you're right. With Dr. Cho, Dr. Banner, Shuri and Strange, we're in good hands."
May placed comforting hands on their shoulders, "I'll call Pepper. But, you need to tell you mother, MJ."
"Yeah, I know," MJ said, worriedly. "I'm just...worried about what she'll say."
"I'm sure she'll understand," May assured her.
Peter held her hand, assuring her that he'd sit with her. Getting some comfort from that, she picked up her phone and called her Mom.
It rang a few times, but she picked up.
"Hello? Michelle?"
"Hey, Mom."
"Are you alright, sweetie?" Desirée asked. "You sound nervous."
"...Mom...I have something to tell you," MJ said. "And...I really need you to not freak out, okay? Please?"
"...You're pregnant, aren't you, Michelle?" Desirée asked, causing MJ to gasp in surprise. "I had a feeling you'd be giving me this call, just...not so soon."
"...I'm sorry, Mom..." MJ sobbed a bit.
"Michelle, you don't have anything to be sorry about," Desirée told her.
"Um, Peter and I have decided to keep it, but we also need to know how his powers will affect it," MJ said. "So, May is telling Pepper, as we speak."
"I see," Desirée responded. "Michelle, I need you to know something: I am not, nor will ever be disappointed in you. I'm your mother...I'm here to help you whenever you need me...so please, don't be afraid to ask. Do you understand?"
"Completely," MJ replied. "Thanks Mom, I love you."
"I love you too, sweetheart," the older woman said before hanging up.
Two days later; Peter, MJ, May and Desirée visited the Avengers Compound via magic portal. As expected, Doctor Strange was there waiting with Pepper, Morgan and Happy.
Morgan ran over and hugged the young couple, before MJ asked where the rest room was. Pepper led her to it, and thankfully, it wasn't far.
As Peter watched her with concern, Happy placed a hand on his shoulder, "How're you holding up?"
"Happy, but terrified," he answered.
Happy nodded, "Tony felt the same way before Morgan was born."
"I wish he was here," Peter sighed.
"In a way, he is," May stated.
Desirée, meanwhile, was shocked at who the sorcerer was, "Stephen Strange?"
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jones," Strange shook her hand.
"It's truly an honor," she said. "I'm also a doctor, so I've heard your name many times. You're quite the icon in the medical field, but then you disappeared sometime after your accident."
Strange smiled a bit, "Yes. I thought my life was over, until I discovered a world I never knew existed. Let me assure you, I haven't lost any of my knowledge as a doctor and I know a variety of spells for medical diagnostics. Your daughter is good hands."
"Thank you so much."
MJ came back with Pepper, then everyone went to the medical wing.
Bruce Banner, Helen Cho and Princess Shuri were finishing setting things up. Helen asked MJ to lay down on the bed, and Peter sat next to her.
"That's Dr. Helen Cho, she's the in-house medical professional for the facility," Pepper told Desirée. She'd heard of Dr. Cho and her advancements in tech that could repair damaged skin. "Dr. Banner is the expert on genetic modification. And that's Princess Shuri of Wakanda, who is a tech-whiz in her own right."
With introductions out of the way, the gaggle of medical and/or scientific professionals got to work. Helen checked the DNA samples she had from both Peter and MJ from the "Clone Incident". Dr. Banner and Shuri worked together on the genetic analysis, while Strange stood on the left side of MJ's bed, slowly chanting.
"Can you lift your shirt just a bit?" he asked.
MJ did as she was asked, marveling at the myriad of glowing orange symbols as they danced across her exposed belly.
Strange continued to chant, seeing the developing fetus in his mind's eye, "Well, everything looks totally normal. When was the conception date, by the way?"
Peter and MJ glanced at each other, "Uh, sometime around the beginning of October."
"Well, then I'd say you're right on track for being four weeks pregnant. Placenta is forming nicely. Blood vessels look very good. Without looking at the genetic level, I'd say everything is normal," Strange said.
"I think that's the best diagnosis we can do for now," Helen said, glancing at some charts. "It's still much too early to do an amniocentesis, so we can't get a direct genetic sample from the fetus."
"Speaking of genetics," Dr. Banner said, looking up from the holographic UI of the Wakandan super-computer, "We just finished sequencing Peter and Michelle's DNA."
Shuri fiddled with her Kimoyo beads, and a holographic projection of a section of DNA hovered in the center of the room, "So, I think I've isolated the genes responsible for Spider-guy's abilities."
A few sections of nucleotides glowed, before the image faded, cycling to another section of DNA, highlighting another section of nucleotides. Again and again, the hologram faded to show different sections of DNA, then Shuri continued, "Okay, so here's where the news gets...not bad, but well, we're gonna talk about the anomalous genes. So, in sixty-four trillion outcomes, roughly forty trillion had a comparable number of anomalous genes to Peter. So...the odds of the child developing some kind of spider-like super powers are-"
"Very high," Peter finished for her.
"Yes, but, and I cannot stress this enough, none of them seem to cause negative outcomes. So we're good. I think," Shuri said after a while.
"The only way for us to be sure is to take a genetic sample from the fetus. But it's far, far too early for that right now," Helen said after a moment. "We can do another appointment in November. By then, we could do a normal ultrasound and everything."
"That would be nice," MJ said, gently caressing her still very flat tummy. All the pregnancy talk really hit home of just how...real this was. Then her body had to ruin the moment, her stomach growling very, very loudly. "Can we do lunch now? I'm starving."
"What do you have a hankering for?" Peter asked.
"Anything that doesn't have meat," she answered.
Peter led her to the kitchen, where Sam and Bucky were, along with a few of the new recruits: Kamala, Amadeus and Sam/Nova.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Sam greeted them.
"I recognize you two from the database," Amadeus said. "Peter Parker and Michelle Jones-Watson."
"Just Jones," MJ corrected him.
"Kate has mentioned you before, it's so nice to meet you!" Kamala greeted them cheerfully.
"You, too," MJ said as she and Kamala shook hands.
"So, what brings you guys here?" Sam asked.
"Doctor's appointment," Peter answered. "We...kinda have a delicate situation..."
Amadeus looked at both of them, mostly focusing on Peter, then he smiled, "You're Spider-Man...and you two are having a baby!"
"How did you...?!" Peter asked in disbelief.
"Your height, frame and voice match the web-head's," Amadeus answered. "Plus, your girlfriend has some of the early signs of pregnancy."
"What was that?" Everyone heard Ava's voice question in disbelief. They saw her and Riri Williams about to enter the kitchen, and both looked shocked/excited. "You guys are having a baby?!"
"Pretty much," MJ said with a sheepish grin.
"Wow, that's...that's huge...!" Ava said, trying to get over the shock.
Kamala was the first to react with joy, squealing happily and hugging MJ, taking her by surprise,
"Congratulations!"
"Uh...thank you," MJ replied, gently patting her back.
As Peter got her some food, the rest of the new recruits arrived and heard the news. They were shocked, but happy for the couple, but also concerned about how they'd handle college, Peter being Spider-Man and being young parents.
"I'm sure we'll figure something out," Peter stated.
"If you guys ever need anything, I'll be there," Ava told them.
"Same here," Kate Bishop added.
"We appreciate that," MJ said.
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