Mary Jane heard the sound of a key turning in the doorknob and she stood up from the couch. The door opened and Peter stepped in, his blue eyes lighting up when they landed on his wife walking towards him.
MJ wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hi, Tiger. How was work?" she asked sweetly, moving her face to his.
Peter gripped her waist and kissed her. She leaned into it for a second, then pulled away. "Good," he said. "I'm a little tired, though."
MJ let go of him and went towards the kitchen. "Aren't you glad you pick your own hours?" she called over her shoulder.
Peter put his bag down and followed her. "Very. I'm thinking about taking the day off tomorrow," he said. He leaned against the counter, watching MJ open cupboards in search of something for dinner.
Mary Jane shook her head slightly. "To rest, right?" She turned around and looked her husband in the eye. "You're not going to spend the whole day patrolling the city, right?"
Peter smiled guiltily and looked away.
"Peter!" MJ glared at him.
Peter sighed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but New York needs Spider-Man and...I'm afraid he's been a little neglectful lately."
MJ turned back to opening cabinets at random, clearly not actually aware of what she was looking for. "Superheroes need rest too," she murmured.
Peter said nothing, but watched her move around the kitchen. After a moment of silence, MJ said, "It's your turn to cook."
Peter pushed off from the counter. "What happened to superheroes needing rest too, huh?" he joked, wrapping his arms around her middle and burying his face in her shoulder. She giggled, all the tension gone in a heartbeat.
"Trust me, Pete," she laughed, grasping his hands around her waist affectionately. "There's no energy being spent on your microwave dinners."
Peter tickled her sides in response and she swatted his arm, laughing when he laughed, his blue eyes beaming with humor. She cherished these moments, as he never seemed to really laugh these days, the pressure of balancing Spider-Man and work at Oscorps taking a toll on him. MJ tried to tell him her income from acting and modeling was plenty to keep them on their feet, but he insisted on working. He loved science too much.
What a nerd, MJ thought, smiling and rolling her eyes as she busied herself with retrieving plates and silverware for dinner, her back turned to Peter. Laughing a little, she asked, "So what kind of food were you planning on throwing in the microwave tonight?"
Mary Jane set two forks on the plates and tucked her red hair behind her ear. "Peter?" she asked again when he didn't respond. Silence.
MJ, puzzled, turned around. Fear and confusion squeezed her heart when she saw Peter in his Spider suit, holding himself steady against the counter. He was trembling. Sweat streaked down his face. He smiled weakly when she met his eyes. "Hi, honey," he whispered, before he collapsed.
The last half hour was a blur. MJ didn't understand how Peter could be upright and perfectly fine one moment just to be Spider-Man and bleeding thirty seconds later. She had somehow gotten him to the bed, stitched him up, and changed him into sweats and a gray t-shirt.
Mary Jane wiped Peter's forehead with a cool washcloth. Tears stained her cheeks from crying. He beamed up at her, eyes half closed in exhaustion.
"Don't cry, MJ..." he whispered, and closed his eyes. Mary Jane let out a soft laugh and squeezed her eyes shut, leaning her forehead against his.
"I love you..." she said, her voice hushed. "I don't know how you get yourself into these messes." She kissed him.
Peter stirred and began to mumble, "It was crazy, actually. There was a bright ligh–"
"Tell me in the morning. Sleep," MJ ordered, and she pushed to a standing position. Looking down at him, her thoughts wrestled with each other. She knew he needed to rest, but she didn't want to leave him. She didn't know how she was ever going to be able to take her eyes off him again after today proved she couldn't even do that for one minute. Fear clouded her mind as it thought of endless things that could happen to him if she left the room, so she made up her mind.
Mary Jane quietly pulled back the covers and slipped under them on the other side of Peter. He looked so peaceful, on the brink of sleep. Tears blurred MJ's vision and she held his hand tightly. He cracked his eyes open and smiled softly when he saw her beside him. Then he fell into a deep sleep.
